I think I'll have my head down for awhile stitching stems. I thought I might as well prep the last two borders so I could put my brown fabrics away. I've drawn the pattern on the background with washable pens with the pattern underneath and then used the Elmers washable school glue to attach the stems. If I let the glue dry, I don't need to iron them on and they stay put well enough.
I always cut my backgrounds with a pinking blade that I have in an old rotary cutter and then I never have to deal with stray threads. I wash my applique when it's finished if I've used glue. Prepping this way is easier than using a vinyl overlay for large sections.
