More research and much more practice on appliquing quilt pieces later and I have learned the following:

• A number of different stitches are traditionally used with appliqué
• I have the best luck with the straight stitch
• If you have the tension too tight and your length set too short you can actually saw right through a couple of sheets of paper with a sewing needle

I finally practiced enough to get up the nerve to try out my hand on an actual square:

I even learned how to do the pivots around the curves!

We are expecting 4-8 inches of snow tonight into tomorrow. The local forecasters swear this is not an April Fool’s Day joke. Welcome to Spring in Maine!