Applique

Applique quilts come in many varieties, but involves stitching shapes on TOP of the quilt background fabric, as opposed to piecing the shape TO the background pieces.  The result is more pictoral and literal.  Popular appliques include Dresden Plate, butterflies, album blocks (typically floral), tulips, Sunbonnet Sue, and occasionally, kittens and puppies. Hawaiian quilts are also well-known large scale applique. The applique pieces are either prints or solids, sometimes mixed.