Hearts and Flowers Center

In an earlier post, Theresa asked about the center panel to Kim's Hearts and Flowers quilt.  This was probably the largest applique' block that I'd ever done, and here is how I did it.  First I traced the heart onto freezer paper - the outside fingers, the inside heart, and the middle heart. 

Then I machine basted the center horizontal and vertical lines onto my background fabric and traced the applique' design on the background with a Mark B Gone pen.  I ironed the freezer paper to the dotted fabric and drew around it with a Sew Line chalk pencil. 

 I did a rough cut around those outside fingers, but didn't do the final trim until an inch or so before I did the actual needle turn.  Then before I trimmed the inside of the heart away, I went back to the machine and basted on the line for the inside heart.  The Mark B Gone pen shows through on the back.  The line for the heart gave me a guideline for placing the inside heart.

I cut the heart shape out of the center of the freezer paper so after I appliqued the center heart to the middle heart fabric, I'd have a guideline to use to trace the applique' line on the middle heart fabric.

This is my center so far.  I still have a few berries and tongues to finish before the center is complete, but I've had a lot of fun fussy cutting leaves and berries from my fabrics.  My Stars and Sprigs has been shipped, so I've got to step it up a bit.