Eye of the Beholder

original applique patterns inspired by the world around us

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Hawaiian Reverse Applique-AQS SEAM Hawaii Quilt Cruise Seminars at Sea


  • AQS SEAM Hawaii Quilt Seminars at Sea 3605 132nd Avenue Southeast Bellevue, WA, 98006 United States (map)

hawaiian reverse applique for aqs seam hawaii quilt cruise seminars at sea!

AQS Seam Hawaii Quilt Cruise Seminar at Sea is January 10 - 27, 2026. Hawaiian Reverse Applique class takes place on the way to Hawaii, January 11 - 15, 2026!

The Cruise is like having two quilt retreats with a trip to Hawaii in between!

Maile Wreath (20” x 20”)

All Levels - January 11 - 15, 2026, 8:30 am - 2:30 pm. 20 hours

(lunch break from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm daily)

All Times are Local

To find out details about the cruise, Margaret’s classes, other classes offered and to book click here: https://quiltcruises.com/cruises/aqs-seam-hawaii-2026/

Anthurium (20” x 20”)

Say Aloha to hand stitching with from Margaret Willingham, an expert in the field of reverse applique, as you make a Hawaiian quilt block.

A class for all levels, with 5 blocks designs to choose from. In class you will learn how to make traditional Hawaiian design blocks with Eye of the Beholder’s easier, non-traditional Reverse Applique method by hand: trace, baste, snip, & stitch. In reverse applique the design is revealed in the background fabric peeking out through cut-outs in the top fabric, which is stitched to the background.

We’ll begin by learning how to turn a classic Hawaiian pattern into a reverse applique and/ or applique pattern; understanding the difference between the two. Then let Margaret help you find the joy of hand stitching as she leads you step-by-step through the process of her signature technique that is so, sew easy. It makes hand reverse applique doable and FUN, an act of love! Plus, she will share with you tips and tricks gained from years of experience. Unfold the beauty of such classic Hawaiian beauties as the Maile Wreath, Pineapple block, Breadfruit, Anthurium and Angel’s Trumpet (excerpted from Hawaiian Quilting by Elizabeth Root).

Workshop will open to the public on March 8th.

If you want to learn a bit about this technique before the workshop, check out our Tutorials section on the website: Hand Reverse Appliqué tutorial.

See below for downloadable Workshop Supply list and Kit information. Pre-order all required and optional kits by October 24, 2026 in our shop. All links open in a new window.

View and Download Workshop Supply List for Students .

to book your spot in this class and on the cruise click here: https://quiltcruises.com/cruises/aqs-seam-hawaii-2026/

Recommended items

Why do we recommend these specific supplies? Read more about it here in this PDF.

  • Kai scissors, bent, blunt tipped

  • Needle threader for small-eyed needles

  • Beam N Read personal Light (and USB adaptor to plug in)

  • Frixion gel pen

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Kai Scissors, Bent Handled with slightly Blunted Tips
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Kai Scissors, Bent Handled with slightly Blunted Tips
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$17.00

Kai scissors specially honed for Eye of the Beholder Quilt Design, and only available from us!

Hand-polished and with soft ergonomic grip handles, Kai Scissors are made in Japan of fine stainless steel with vanadium. These scissors are specially balanced to allow for fatigue-free cutting on all types of fabrics. Hardened stainless steel blades offer superior cutting action.

4 inch, bent handled scissor with slightly blunted tips. Allowed by most airlines when you travel.

These scissors are my very favorite when I Trace, Baste, Snip & Stitch. They allow me to trim away the top fabric without worry of cutting the background fabric. The slightly blunted tip means my scissor blade just glides between the top and background fabric layers.

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No. 7 Sharps - Basting Needles
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No. 7 Sharps - Basting Needles
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$3.52

These John James needles are the perfect size to use in basting your piece. The needle's thickness separates the fibers in your background fabric to give you those magical "holes" to show you your sew line. Why not add them to your cart so you can get started straight away?

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Desk Needle Threader
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Desk Needle Threader
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$19.25

Threads all needles...even the small-eyed No. 11 Milliner's needles and the No. 10 quilting betweens I recommend for these patterns.

How to use: 

Place Desk needle threader on table. Put the needle in the slot.  Don't worry about which way the eye is facing.  Lay thread in thread slot. Don't hold the thread down on the sides of the Needle threader like their directions say.  Stabilize and push lever down.  Voila - your needle is threaded. (It doesn't always work the first time, depending on thread thickness and whether my needle is beginning to bend, but it has never failed me yet.) Lift the needle out and pull the thread loop further through the eye.  

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Basting Thread
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Handworkshop, basting thread, handapplique, blocks, Medallion, handaccessorykits, handreverseapplique, handreverseappliqueproject, handappliqueproject, quilts, tablerunners, tracebastesnipstitch
Basting Thread
Handworkshop, basting thread, handapplique, blocks, Medallion, handaccessorykits, handreverseapplique, handreverseappliqueproject, handappliqueproject, quilts, tablerunners, tracebastesnipstitch
from $3.70

I use this 100% cotton, Guttermann hand quilting thread for basting when making our patterns by hand reverse applique. It is thick enough to separate the fibers of the fabrics, thus creating the desired "holes" in the background fabric, essential in our Trace, Baste, Snip & Stitch process. Easy to cut and remove as you needle-turn under along the basting line. Each spool has 220 yards on it. The thread is 40 wt., tear and abrasion resistant, and won’t curl.

Why 3 colors? You need a thread in a contrasting color to your top fabric when basting. In my experience these 3 colors, white, natural and red cover the majority of fabrics. Red is better than black as a universal dark contrast to medium/ light top fabrics, and busy prints. The Natural I’ve selected is dark enough to work for many mediums as well as darks and lights. The white works on almost all darks.

This basting thread can alos be used for hand quilting, too.

At times we change up the quilting thread we offer as basting thread to keep costs down and the quality of the basting thread up. We are transitioning our thbasting thread offerings now, May 2024. The Guttermann thread hsd become difficult to consistently restock in a timely manner, and the cost has risen to $4.99 a spool ($1.00 in a year). I found Coats & Clarks 100% cotton white hand quilting thread for $3.70 a spool, plus its thicker, 28 wt., so will yield a larger hole at a more reasonable cost for something we are going to baste to later cut, pull and throw away. We will give it a try.

Available in natural, white and red.

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Handworkshop, basting thread, handapplique, blocks, Medallion, handaccessorykits, handreverseapplique, handreverseappliqueproject, handappliqueproject, quilts, tablerunners, tracebastesnipstitch
Frixion Gel Pens-two colors
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Frixion Gel Pens-two colors
Handworkshop
$3.09

Frixion Gel Pens are a useful tool when doing our hand reverse applique process. They are the perfect pen for tracing your pattern onto the wrong side of your background fabric as they easily glide over the fabric. Generally we are using a light background fabric so we are using a dark pen. We have both a black and a blue pen.

The ink disappears with heat from your iron. If you expose it to heat by mistake you can put your fabric in the freezer and the markings will return. The experts say that once your quilt is washed the ink will completely wash out of the fabric.

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Hand Accessory Kits- ALSO optional kit for Hand Reverse Applique classes
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Hand Accessory Kits- ALSO optional kit for Hand Reverse Applique classes
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from $23.00

Hand Accessory Kits - ALSO optional kit for Hand Reverse Applique classes

We have assembled the essential tools we value and use everyday in the creation of all our reverse applique patterns when working by hand into these 2 Hand Accessory Kits.

Each kit, put together for your convenience has the needles, scissors and basting thread we use. Simply put, these tools work and will help you be successful in our hand reverse applique and mola classes. Having the right tools is important and can make all the difference in the world.

These start-up Hand Accessory kits are ideal if you are new to our method,

Kit 1 includes:

  • 1 pack of No. 7 Sharps needles (20) for basting

  • 1 pack of No. 11 Milliners needles (10) for hand reverse applique stitching

  • 1 spool natural color hand quilting thread for basting

  • 1 pair Kai 4” bent-handled, slightly blunt-tipped scissors for trimming out fabric and clipping. An Eye of the Beholder exclusive.

Kit 2 includes:

  • 1 - No. 7 Sharps needle (1)

  • 1 - No. 11 Milliners needle (1)

  • 1 spool natural color hand quilting thread for basting

  • 1 pair Kai 4” bent-handled, slightly blunt-tipped scissors for trimming out fabric and clipping. An Eye of the Beholder exclusive.

Don’t need everything in the kits but only an item or two? All items are sold separately on the notions page of our shop.

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No. 11 Milliner's Needles - Our preferred needle for Hand Applique. Several options.
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No. 11 Milliner's Needles - Our preferred needle for Hand Applique. Several options.
Handworkshop, QAYGworkshop, needles, hand sewing needles, Milliner's Needles, No 11 Milliners needles
from $3.11

My preferred needle! Several options to choose from.

I always use, No. 11 Milliner's needles when doing my reverse applique - a long, slender needle that glides through the fabric. They are honed well as to have no burrs. The delicate needle point is so fine you can easily pick up only a thread of the fabric to make invisible stitches, and the length facilitates the sweeping under of the raw edge.

Pre-pandemic we carried only Gold n’ Glides, but manufacturing issues made them extremely difficult to get, so I began testing other No. 11 Milliner’s needles so I could provide my customers with other options. Read the additional information sections to find out more.

Go on, add them to your cart so you can start stitching straight away!

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Handworkshop, QAYGworkshop, needles, hand sewing needles, Milliner's Needles, No 11 Milliners needles
Earlier Event: January 10
AQS SEAM Hawaii Quilt Seminar at Sea
Later Event: January 21
Create & Make: Medallion-AQS SEAM Hawaii Quilt Cruise Seminars at Sea