Hand Appliqué Made Easy

Class Preview

Make your appliqué more portable and your projects more personalized. Learn essential hand-appliqué techniques, and bring playful imagery to life alongside Mimi Dietrich.

Introduction to Hand Appliqué

Meet your instructor, quilting expert Mimi Dietrich, as you jump into this fun and welcoming class. You’ll learn how to choose the best fabrics, needles, thimbles and more as Mimi shares ways to start your hand-appliqué projects with the best tools for success.

Appliqué Stitch Techniques

Transform your hand-appliqué concerns into confidence as you start your first practice stitches. Mimi demonstrates how to prepare basic stem shapes before securing them with simple appliqué stitches. Her close-up instruction and insightful explanations will help you master her techniques to stitch quickly and methodically!

Freezer Paper Techniques

Whether you’ve used freezer paper before or you’re brand new to it, Mimi has helpful tips for students of all experience levels. You’ll learn how to create templates out of freezer paper and hand baste around each of your appliqué shapes. Gain confidence and skill as you move from straight sections into stitching around crisp points and gentle curves.

Glue Basting

Glue basting can be a quilter’s best friend, and Mimi has secrets up her sleeve to make it as fun and easy as possible! You’ll learn which projects can be glue basted as you secure your appliqué and stitching using the same precision that you applied in hand basting. Finally, Mimi shows you how to remove your freezer paper in one easy step after your appliqué has been secured.

Needleturn Techniques & Back Basting

Discover the timeless practice of needleturn with helpful troubleshooting tips along the way. Mimi walks you step by step through the process of threading, stitching and gently turning the fabric under to create sharp, clean lines and daintily hidden stitches. You’ll also learn a fun back-basting technique as you go!

Circles

Apply your new hand-appliqué skills to the ultimate challenge in curves: circles! You’ll learn how to quickly and easily create symmetrical circle pieces before stitching them with care. Mimi explains how to make smooth, even edges in your designs, including ingenious techniques that seem to work almost like magic!

Layered Appliqué Techniques

Finish the class with an exciting overview of various layered appliqué techniques. Using the designs shared in class (or any designs of your choosing), you’ll layer various appliqué pieces to create an eye-catching dimensional effect. Next, Mimi shows you how to press and trim your blocks before walking you through creative and user-friendly hand-quilting ideas to turn your blocks into darling quilts.