A fruitful week .... patchwork apples

I remember first being introduced to making pincushions and needle cases at school in the 1970s. Each week we had a crafting session with Mrs Webster for a full afternoon. I always looked forward to it and the time seemed to whiz by so quickly! I remember making marionettes out of Suffolk Puffs - what we would now call Yo-Yos, as well as cross-stitching and making patchwork pincushions.

In an effort to reduce my enormous scrap pile I have been making some traditional patchwork shapes other than hexagons and have been reviving my love for quick and easy makes with practical uses. Last week it was the turn of the Patchwork Apple - which can be used as a pincushion or for decoration.

Here are some of my apples ... these are simply made from pentagon shapes and I chose to loosely colour coordinate each apple. They are stitched together by hand and completed with the addition of a felt stalk, a leaf and a button at the base to pull it into shape and make it sit nicely. 

I found some fun flower-shaped buttons for the bottom - which I have now learned is called a 'calyx'. 

It's a great project for using all the cherished scraps of your favourite fabrics, or as an on-the-go project as it's super portable and easy to pick up and put down wherever you are. 

I've created a downloadable pattern too so if you feel you need a little help all the instructions and the templates can easily be printed at home using this link: Patchwork Apples PDF or by visiting my Etsy Shop here: Patchwork Alley's Etsy Shop

I've also been making needle cases - but I'll save that for another post!