Real quilters, real machines, real petals in progress — this is what an Applismith™ class looks like.
I hear you.
You want to make the Poinsettia Runner. I know. It’s the one that makes people stop and stare. It’s the one that gets touched, photographed, and coveted at every guild meeting and show. I see your messages. I know what you want.
Here’s the honest truth: I taught it to a guild once. Six hours. We barely finished one block — let alone assembled a runner. Then I tried splitting it into two four-hour sessions at a shop. We almost made it to assembly.
Almost.
The Poinsettia Runner is stunning because of the engineering behind it — the layering, the dimension, the way each petal catches the light just so. Once you know the secrets, the rest is surprisingly simple. But those secrets take a little time and practice to absorb, and I refuse to send you home with an unfinished quilt and a head full of half-learned skills.
Here’s what actually goes into one Poinsettia block: you quilt the background first using the quilt-as-you-go method, then build four separate rounds of dimensional petals — leaves, then ruby petals, then garnet petals, then the innermost layer — each one thread-painted with veins before it goes on. Then the beaded center. Then you do it two more times, add the sashing strips, join the setting triangles, and assemble the runner.
It is entirely doable. It is genuinely approachable. And it is worth every single step.
But it needs time — time to enjoy the process, not rush to the finish line.
But don’t just take my word for it.
One of my guild students had a different vision entirely. Her favorite holiday isn’t Christmas — it’s Halloween. So she took everything she learned in our two sessions and made it her own.
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- Glow in the dark fabric + Applismith™ = the most dramatic Halloween wall hanging you’ve ever seen.
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- A purple Poinsettia with orange pearl beads on a Halloween stocking. Same technique. Completely her own.
Rings of white petals, thread-painted veins, blue batik background — my demo version in progress.
That’s the thing about Applismith™ — once you know the technique, your imagination is the only limit. Christmas, Halloween, birthdays, batiks, solids — the flower goes wherever you take it.
And because I prefer not to make the same quilt twice, I made mine in blue and white for the demos.
So I have a solution. Actually, two.
Solution One — Learn the Technique First
This October, I am teaching two full-day workshops at the Mancuso QuiltFest Virtual Schoolhouse #15 that will give you exactly the foundation you need. Each workshop stands completely on its own — you will finish a gorgeous project — and each one teaches a distinct set of Applismith™ skills that live inside the Poinsettia.
🌸 Luscious Larkspur — Friday, October 16
Larkspur teaches you the art of building a garden — not just a single flower, but multiple blossoms at three different sizes (small, medium, and large) climbing three separate stems, each with its own bud at the top.
Every petal is made from a fused fabric sandwich, sewn just inside the traced line, then thread-painted with “whiskers” — veins that give each blossom its realistic depth and movement. This is the same thread-painting technique you will use on every round of Poinsettia petals.
The background is quilted first using the quilt-as-you-go method — so there is no guessing about quilting later, no “quilt as desired” paralysis. The optional flanged border adds a polished, professional finish that is surprisingly easy and endlessly useful.
Flowers are secured with buttons — sew them by machine, by hand, or simply tie them on. Your buttons, your choice.
You will finish a 20″ square — perfect for a wall hanging or pillow top — and walk away knowing how to construct dimensional blossoms at any size, build a multi-stem composition, and thread paint petals that look like they came from a real garden.
🌻 Stunning Sunflower — Saturday, October 17
Sunflower teaches a different set of dimensional skills — and introduces a technique you won’t find anywhere else in traditional quilting.
You will build two full rings of petals — a Dandelion bottom ring and an August top ring, alternating so the petals from each layer peek between the other’s — each one thread-painted before it goes onto the background. The result is a bloom with real visual depth, not a flat flower.
Then comes the woven center. Ten strips of scrappy browns and golds woven over and under each other, fused to a circle base, stitched through for added texture, and trimmed into a 4-inch circle. Every single sunflower center is completely one of a kind — a showstopping finish that makes this project truly unforgettable.
Like Larkspur, Sunflower uses the quilt-as-you-go method throughout. The optional layered border — built from triangles and strips in alternating greens — is a different technique than Larkspur’s flange, and worth doing just to add another tool to your kit.
You will finish an 18.5″ square — perfect for a wall hanging or pillow top — and walk away knowing two-layer dimensional petal construction, thread painting, and the woven center technique that makes every bloom unique.
Why both? Why not just pick one?
Both workshops are built on the same Applismith™ foundation — quilt-as-you-go and 3D fusible appliqué — but each flower teaches its own unique skill set on top of that. You don’t need both. Pick the one that calls to you, or take both and double your toolkit. Either way, you’ll finish a project you’re proud of — and have everything you need to tackle the Poinsettia Runner before Christmas.
Is this right for you?
Whether you have never tried fusible appliqué or you have been quilting for decades, these workshops will change how you think about what fabric can do. The only requirement is a sewing machine and a willingness to try something new.
Workshop details:
🌸 Luscious Larkspur
Friday, October 16 | 10am–4pm EDT | All levels
$55 workshop fee + $24 kit (printed pattern + mylar templates, shipped)
Kit deadline: September 29 at midnight
🌻 Stunning Sunflower
Saturday, October 17 | 10am–4pm EDT | All levels
$55 workshop fee + $12 kit (pattern + paper templates, sent digitally)
Maximum 24 students per class.
👉 Register here:
www.quiltfest.com/register/quiltfest-virtual-schoolhouse-15/workshops-by-instructor/laureen-smith-fusible-applique/
Solution Two — coming in 2027.
Stay tuned. 😊
Take Mancuso this October. Build the skills. Make something beautiful. And if you want to tackle the Poinsettia Runner before Christmas — you’ll have everything you need.
The Poinsettia is coming in red. 🌺
And so is the one in coral. 😄
