First project: an appliqué cushion front or block

One or two simple shapes, such as a heart, on a plain background.

Step by step

1. Pick one simple shape and a contrasting background.
2. Prewash fabrics without softener, which can stop fusible web bonding.
3. Fuse and cut your shape as in this craft's raw-edge fusible appliqué guide: trace it in reverse on the fusible web, press it to the wrong side of your fabric, cut on the line, then peel and press it onto the background.
4. Stitch with blanket stitch, pivoting with the needle down in the background on curves.
5. Trim the block to size and make it into a cushion front, or add it to a quilt.

Sources

All checked November 1, 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.

1. Cozy Stitchery: Appliqué for beginners
2. The Inquiring Quilter: Raw-edge fusible appliqué