I must confess, my new fabric shop love is Shabby Fabrics

I’m a big fan of applique

but I’m not a big fan of cutting

Shabby Fabrics offers pre-fused and laser-cut kits:

you just peel the paper backing off those perfectly cut applique shapes,

place them on your background fabric,

give ’em a press with a medium iron

and your on your way to the sewing machine (or hand needle)

before you know it, your project is ready to quilt and bind

I chose to tackle this one completely with the sewing machine

the only hand stitching was to secure the binding on the back,

which is how I always stitch my binding

the pattern included the ‘kindness matters’ lettering to trace and stitch by hand

since this was my no-hand-stitching project,

I used embroidery software for the lettering and added the Bible scripture reference

then took it to my embroidery machine and stitched it out

thank you, Shabby Fabrics, for the great selection of beautiful fabrics, kits, and notions

and, I might add, for the speeeeedy shipping

my package is usually on my doorstep 2-3 days after I place my order

let me just add, hand stitching has a unique charm all it’s own

I’m a big fan of hand-sewn projects

I’ll be sharing some hand sewing in the future

what about you?

hand stitching vs. machine stitching

have an enjoyable last week of April, my friends