Ready to stitch

First I pick out the general area that I want the flower to go - I am not following a strict pattern and none of these are exact in placement - I just look and kind of eyeball it.

Now that I know the general area I want the flower, I move the pieces out of my way and start with the first piece - I use Roxanne Glue Baste It (available at most on line quilt shops) using the needle nose applicator I put generally about 3 or 4 dots on these small pieces and press in place. I leave the freezer paper on the pieces until it has sat a couple minutes letting the glue dry. ( Around each piece depending on the color of the fabric I use either the Mark Be Gone pen (blue wash out) or white chalk. I draw around each piece of freezer paper before I cut the pieces out. This will be my stitch line. You do not have to do this step if you don't want to - it is just how I do it, I generally have about an 1/8th of an inch for turn under purposes although I do not measure so they are not all the same, I've done it for so long though that they are probably pretty close). I cut all my shapes out with scissors not a rotary cutter - someone asked that in an e mail. I suppose you could use a rotary cutter but I like using scissors for this step.

After the glue has dried for several minutes I lift off the freezer paper with the help of a siletto. You could just do it with your fingernails if you want but I find this little tool helpful and kind of just slide it under and lift off.

Then I glue the center of the flower in place just because I feel like it the center will be lifted off as I do the applique to get all the ends under right and then placed back on - I just think they look cute with the centers on so put them on the for the photos! For the applique I will start with the smallest piece on the top part of the flower the small rounded shape, then I will do the two light color petals then the larger ones. This will have everything tucked under where it needs to go. Not all the flowers are identical. Like I say I do not use a placement sheet. I try to have them all close to the same but I do not care if the petals are not in the exact same placement.

The overall look. I'm not sure what kind of border I will do - it might be just a three inch border or so or maybe nothing. If I do put a border it will be thin and I think wavy edge. I am still thinking of embroidering little tendrils out of each petal in a green color of some sort - I will try it around one flower and see how I like it and decide from there and show you what I decide later. Also with the border I will wait until I am done with the applique and decide then what I want.