The appliqué I've included is pretty simple, and shouldn't distort the blocks. You can use any method you like to attach the motifs -- hand appliqué, machine appliqué and fused appliqué are three choices. Personally, I like the idea of machine sewing the motifs to the blocks, leaving a raw edge of about 1/4", then allowing that edge to fray for a ragged look.
Assemble the Quilt
- Sew the nine quilt blocks into three rows, with the pieced nine-patch blocks forming an X in the layout as shown in the illustration. Press seam allowances towards the Snowball blocks.
- Sew the rows together, butting adjoining seams carefully. Press seam allowances either direction.
- Sew a very dark/medium border strip to the top and bottom of the block unit, with the dark strips against the blocks. Before you sew, match quilt and border midpoints and ends, and then match and pin between those areas, easing fullness if necessary. Press seam allowances towards the borders.
- Sew a medium border strip to each side of the quilt, matching midpoints and ends first, and then matching and pinning the remaining lengths.
- Sew the pieced borders to the quilt in the clockwise order shown in the illustration, again matching endpoints and midpoints carefully and then matching remaining lengths.
