Appley Dappley Cushion Cover

An apple a day keeps the doctor away … apples are good for you as well as fun to stitch!

Posted by Bustle & Sew

About

This is a quick, easy and fun machine applique design inspired by the apples falling from the trees in my garden in the autumn …
Choose some of your most favourite and funkiest red and green fabrics to create a cheerful seasonal design. I turned my panel into a cushion cover - but it would look great on the wall too, perhaps with the names of some varieties of apple embroidered beneath each one…
Finished panel measures 16” square

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You Will Need (10 things)

  • 16 in square Linen or cotton in a natural colour for the background
  • Bondaweb
  • Temporary Fabric Marker
  • Embroidery Foot
  • 2 12" x 16" rectangles of Linen or cotton for the backing
  • Scraps of red or red-mix fabric for the apples. You’ll need enough for 9 apples, each measuring 3 ½” across. Fabric Scraps
  • Scraps of green fabric for the leaves - each leaf measures 1 ½” long x ¾” wide. Fabric Scraps
  • Very small amount of dark brown felt for apple pips and stems. Felt
  • 3 ½” square cream fabric for inside of one apple Cotton
  • 16 in square Cushion Pad

Steps (3 steps, 120 minutes)

  1. 1

    Front Panel:
    ŸFold your 16” square of fabric into three each way and press lightly (not too firmly as you want the creases to press out at
    the end). Open it out so you have a 3 x 3 grid. This will be your guide for positioning your apples.

    Using the template provided in the download trace 9 apple shapes onto the paper side of your Bondaweb. Cut out roughly and fuse to
    the reverse of your apple fabric. Cut out shapes, peel off paper backing and position (but don’t secure just yet).

    Ÿ Repeat with leaves and stalks (note the sixth apple - the leaf and stalk are reversed). Position the outer apples slightly towards the inside of their squares to allow for your ¼” seam allowance.
    When you’re happy with the colour combinations and positioning of your shapes, press to fuse in place using a hot iron to protect your work.

  2. 2

    Fit the embroidery foot to your sewing machine and drop the feed dogs. With black thread in the needle and cream in the bobbin (black in both makes a very harsh line) go around the edges twice
    and indicate shading at side of apple for every apple except the sixth.

    ŸCut out, position and fuse the cream inner of apple six in the same way. With your temporary fabric marker pen draw in the lines for pip and core and then stitch over them with black thread. Position and applique pips - fiddly but worth doing. Finally change thread in needle to cream and stitch around apple inside once.

    Ÿ Remove marker lines and press on reverse.

  3. 3

    Assemble Cover

    Hem one long edge on each of your rectangles. Place your front panel right side up on a clean flat surface, then place your back panels right side down on top, lining up the sides so they overlap in the centre.

    Stitch around edges. Clip corners and finish seams.

    Turn right side out and press. Insesrt pad.
    Finished.