Applique is an easy craft to learn. All you do is hand sew small fabric shapes, with the edges turned under, to a big piece of fabric. It’s a little like patching, except there’s no hole to repair. The basic stitch used is the blind stitch, but it may also be done with a fine running stitch or blanket stitch.

As with all things material, it’s OK to bend the rules as you acquire the skill. Leave the edges raw if you find that easier, but be aware that the edges will fray. But don’t bend this rule: Allow a 1/4-inch seam allowance when you cut out the fabric shapes, whether or not you intend to turn under the edges.

The best part about applique is that you can make up a design as you work. You really don’t need a pattern. All you need is scissors and fabric. But if you don’t dare begin without a pattern, you’ll find many books about applique available at bookstores and public libraries.

Don’t try to make everything in your applique line up perfectly. We’re going for quaint and charming here. Push the pieces around until you like what you see. Pin them in place with a single pin, turn the edges under and pin them down. Pieces with curved edges should be clipped to make them lie flat. Then begin to stitch.

Begin an applique by choosing a background material. I’m partial to tea-dyed muslin. But I also like small-print fabrics in earthy colors, which I can highlight with some electric color – such as magenta or orange. I prefer cotton, wool, linen and silk fabrics. Once I know what the background will be, I choose two or three fabrics in colors that look good against the background fabric. The colors don’t have to match or coordinate – it’s often more interesting if they don’t.

One of my recent appliques is Persephone Rising. Persephone, you will recall, was abducted by Hades to be his wife. He took her to live in his underground kingdom. Persephone’s mother, Demeter, was so consumed by sorrow and rage at losing her daughter she caused bitter cold to fall upon the earth. If Persephone was not returned to her, the earth would perish. Disaster was averted, however, when it was agreed that Persephone would live part of the year on earth with her mother and part of the year underground with her husband. When the earth grows green each spring, it is the sign that Persephone has risen.

For the Persephone piece, I cut a humanoid shape from a dusty yellow and old red print fabric. I placed it to look as if it’s rising to the top edge of the piece. I appliqued it to a tea-dyed background fabric edged with a border of dark brown print, black and white plaid with a gold thread running through and a dark gray print. I tacked ready-made yellow ribbon rosettes to one hand and each foot of the shape. From the rosettes, I sewed green ribbons that trail to the bottom edge and the right-hand edge of the piece. I included a little house with a purple chimney and a blue linen roof, a gray-blue-mauve silk sun and a dusty rose silk star.

I finished the piece with quilt batting and backing, and hand quilted the three layers together.

Another recent applique I made is much more simple. I cut nine poplar leaf shapes from fabric in three harmonizing shades of green. I hand sewed the leaf shapes, turning the edges under, to nine squares of upholstery fabric in nine different shades of ecru. I embellished each leaf with a line of embroidery down the center. I sewed the squares together and made a pillow.

Miles of fabric in a multitude of colors are available for any design idea that may wander into your mind. What are you waiting for? Applique something.

Snippets

. The Artistree Artisans Cooperative will hold its 16th annual open house and juried show 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 26-27, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 28, at the Augusta Country Club in Manchester. Thirty artisans will display their creations. Admission is free. Preview night for the show and sale of one-of-a-kind pieces will be held 5-9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 24. The admission for that evening is $5 and benefits a local charity.

. As one of a series of classes sponsored by the Bangor Area Chapter of the American Sewing Guild, Sue Hein will teach a class on working with polar fleece at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, at the Hampden United Methodist Church, 44 Kennebec Road, Hampden. She will demonstrate the types of fleece on the market, sewing techniques appropriate to fleece and focus on sewing a zippered cardigan. The cost of the class is $10 for members, $15 for others. Call 941-8815 to obtain more information.

Ardeana Hamlin welcomes suggestions. Call 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.