Jeanne Sullivan - Simply Successful Applique Foolproof Technique 9 Projects For Hand & Machine

To Dr. Eva Chalas, with skilled hands and caring heart

For saving my life

Thank you.

To my mother, resilient, patient, kind

For cloaking me in love and joie de vivre

I miss you.

To my entire C&T team for working their incredible magic in the preparation of the book! Brilliant!

To the amazing and generous appliqu quilters who gave so willingly of their time and talents to make the Gallery possibleevery piece a confection. You inspire me. My sincere thanks to Christine Bonney, Mary Cargill, Marlene Chaffey, Rosemary Clark, Jean Clemens, Tina Cole, Ann DHondt, Janet Esch, Vera Hall, Lynn Irwin, Tresa Jones, Nancy Kerns, Kelly Kout, Barbara Rausch, Robbyn Robinson, Judy Shapiro, and Mara Warwick. Goils, I couldna done it withoutcha!

To my friends and students who stood near, prodding me to begin and then cheering me on to the finish line. Thank you for keeping me aloft.

To Patti Carey at Northcott for showering me with delicious fabric in every color imaginable (and then some).

To William Sullivan, who took such wonderful photographs when I ran short of hands, and suffered the nightly glare of my OttLite and laptop so that I could stitch and write in bed. Thanks for all the home-cooked dinners, Will!

To my family for their love, support, and good times. Front and center, you enrich my life.

To God for daily talks, for helping me to stay the course, and for the miracle of a new baby grandson. I am blessed.

Thank you beyond words to each and all!

Stitching little pieces, Memories and dreams

Fingers busy sewing A life within the seams. Tiny scraps of fabric, Bits of thread, I find Time for quiet contemplation;

Peace and calm are mine.

Jeanne Sullivan

Dear Reader,

Thank you for selecting Simply Successful Appliqu. I think you will agree that the most challenging part of traditional appliqu is to consistently and accurately turn the edges on appliqus so they have smooth curves, pointy points, and deep Vs. For years Ive been fine-tuning a method for helping students get over the turned-edge hurdles without becoming frustrated or giving up in exasperation. I was looking for a way to get them to the fun part of stitching quickly and without the difficulty of turn-as-you-go appliqu. I wanted a way that would ensure their success and confidence without compromising the beautiful, distinctive look of traditional appliqu. I wanted them to love appliqu as much as I do.

In this book you will see surprisingly easy, precise techniques for getting great results by hand or machine. Filled with success-oriented, visual step-by-step instructions, tips, how-tos, and projects, this book will provide you with skills and confidence so you can relax and enjoy creating beautiful appliqu right from the start.

I now find that the Simply Successful Appliqu techniques are so user-friendly, fast, and precise that I use them exclusively for my own appliqu, as do many of my students.

I wish you dancing needles!

Jeanne

We live in a time of unprecedented choice when it comes to quilt-related supplies and materials. We surely would have been the envy of our great-great-grandmothers! But so many choices can be a bit overwhelming when it comes to selecting and deciding on just the right essentials. Where do you begin? How do you know which tools are must-haves and which are unnecessary gadgets?

The lists provided below are comprehensive. Not all the items are needed for every project. Most are readily available, and you may already have many on hand. The list is a starting place, with in-depth discussion relating to each items specific use contained in the chapters that follow. These are the things that I have come to rely on and that work well for me for my Simply Successful Appliqu techniques. Please see Resources () for product availability.