Apple Leaf Block {a template and tutorial}
In our new spare room/office (a result of our latest re-arrange), there hangs a couple of oversized 'baffles'. They're sound-deadening thingamies that Tim uses when he's recording music, that we've decorated so they don't look so out of place. We stapled some Ikea fabric to one and I pinned these beautiful apples, a mixed-media artwork by my very talented friend, to the other.
Below the baffles lies the very bed I slept in when I was Tully's age. And on the bed lies a simple wool blanket.
June is my month for the Scrappy? Sew Bee it! virtual quilting bee and I'm asking my bee buddies to make me a quilt inspired by these apples to go on this bed. Thank you!
I asked Tim, who is as technical and design savvy as he is musical, (a great catch, really), to do up this Apple Leaf Block template as a PDF for you so you can make up this block for me (if you're in my bee) or for yourself (if you're not!). You can access the PDF file here.
Print the file, making sure your printer is set to no Auto rotate and centre, or scaling, or any other such thing. I've included a 1" square for checking it's to scale. You'll only need to cut out the leaf. The surrounding 6.5" square is just to show you how it eventually sits in the block, but you can use it as a template too, if you don't have a rotary cutter and mat.
So really what I've made here is an Orange Peel or Cathedral block. But though I searched, I couldn't find one where the leaves were appliqued onto little squares, and then they were sewn together. Instead, they were appliqued to the whole cloth, or 12.5" blocks, or pieced. And because my Bee just uses scraps, I thought a mix of neutrals on this scale would look much nicer.
Cut around your leaf and affix it to your 6.5" block diagonally accross it, using your favourite adhesive method.
*confession! While taking advantage of my sleeping toddler to get these blocks done in daylight, I realised I had run out transfer paper! So today, my favourite method was spraying 505 through my fly screen...
If you're in my Bee, I'm not fussy about your applique method. If it helps, I only ever use white thread, and my zig zag for these leaves was stitch width:2, length: 1.
Zig zag around your leaf.
For this quilt, I'd love a mix of neutrals, solids and prints, for the background, and colours from the above Apples art (Teal, green, aqua, red, ochre, and a little orange, yellow and pink)
Once you've made your applique leaf squares, there's several ways you can put them together.
You can make circles or flowers (and you can see above this is essentially the same pattern) or you can do a X and O variation.
For my quilt, I'd like them like this:
These came together SO quickly! And are such a satisfying way of eating into those scrap buckets. I can see myself making many more of these.
Enjoy! xx
