Quick and Easy Charity Quilts - Applique

 When I first started quilting I never thought I would do applique.  Too hard.  Too fussy.  Not happening!  But it turns out it really isn't that bad and applique can add a great pop of color and interest to a simple piece of fabric.  Here are two examples of simple whole cloth quilts that have been dressed up with applique.

First up, this great Air Force print with an airplane made by my guild-mate Sherry.  It is backed with the fuzziest brown flannel.   Perfect for snuggling!

Sherry appliqued on two layers of fabric and satin stitched around them.  Beautiful work.

For this quilt top, I took three hexagon flowers I had made years ago and zigzagged them onto some pale yellow fabric.  Applique can be a great way to use up those orphan hexagons too.  ;)

If you want to make and applique your own hexagon flowers I wrote a tutorial as part of the Skill Builder Sampler.  Just change the size of hexagon you print out to 2 inches.

If you want to know more about how to applique by machine, Julie, The Crafty Quilter, has an amazing series on applique.  Seriously, the third post will teach you everything you need to know about using different machine stitches in applique.
Part 1:  Terminology
Part 2:  Machine Applique with fusibles 
Part 3:  Machine Applique Stitches

So, only a week and a half left in September!   Have you made any quilts for charity this month yet?  On October 1st I will have a link up and prize drawing for anyone who has made a quilt for charity in the month of September.

You could win a $20 dollar gift certificate from the Fat Quarter Shop and a set of Owl note cards from my wonderful friend Lisa Orgler.

Tomorrow we are having a sew-in as a guild and I can't wait to get sewing!  :)