Oops, sorry about that little delay in posting part 2 of my applecore story. It’s been busy here in ThimbleannaLand. MeMum and I wasted enjoyed our day at the Country Living Show in Columbus, Ohio on Friday. It was a fun day, but the show was a bit disappointing — especially when you consider the ridiculous price charged for tickets. To help recover the day, we decided to swing by the outlets at Jeffersonville to visit the Williams Sonoma outlet store, but, to add insult to injury, the outlet store has closed. GAH! We were SO disappointed! Oh well, it was good to have MeMum all to myself for the day.
So, on to part 2 of the jumbo applecore. As some of you may have guessed from my recent toe-grabber stitching activity, I decided to copy grandma’s jumbo applecore quilt.
I’ve had this Fresh Cut fabric sitting in the stash for 2 or 3 years now, and the crush is wearing off, so I decided I better use it. Do any of you do that? Do you hoard a fabric that you just can’t bear to cut into for so long that you’re not that crazy about it anymore? That drives me nuts, so I decided I should hurry and get this project sewn.
I love this applecore pattern as a way to showcase big prints that you don’t really want to cut into smaller pieces. On the last post, I discussed the clamshell quilting pattern that we used on grandma’s applecore. For this quilt, I decided to quilt it using big circles. I used pearl cotton and quilted bigger stitches. I wouldn’t use this technique for everything, but I think it’s just fine for bigger “funner” quilts. I think the quilting makes a big difference — when I look at grandma’s applecore, I see the applecores, instead of the quilting — when I look at my applecore, I see the big circles, instead of the applecores.
I love the curvy binding on grandma’s quilt, but I really don’t like the pointy corners that you end up with, so I decided to try just a straight binding on my applecore. It was fun to try both bindings and I’m still not sure which one I prefer — do you have a favorite?
As for the jumbo applecore template. I made it by taking a plastic template for a much smaller applecore quilt and increasing the size on a copy machine. As it turned out, this wasn’t a great technique and I had some trouble with puckering — fortunately the quilting helps to absorb much of it. The fact that the applecores are off a bit is also emphasized in the quilting — if you look closely, you can see that the circles aren’t perfect circles — they have a bit of an elliptical shape to them. (As an aside, do you like how MeMum’s trellis makes a perfect outdoor quilt rack?)
While I was quilting this quilt, I pondered the wonky applecore template and wondered how I could make sure that the concave part of the applecore matched the convex part of the applecore. I just always assumed that this was a template that you would have to buy, since you can’t just draw it with rulers and graph paper.
By the time I was half-way done quilting the first row of applecores, I had an ah-ha moment. Turns out there’s an easy solution. You might already know it, but if you don’t, I’ll show you in part 3. ;-)
XOXO,
Anna
Don’t tell anyone, especially Mr. You Go Girl, but I donated a whole garbage bag full of fabric that I no longer had a crush on to a local group that quilts for children in crisis. I’d let my fabric-cutting phobia rule on the pieces for so long that not only was the crush gone, but there was no love left there AT ALL. I’m trying to learn from my mistake and cut in when the love is fresh.
Your Fresh Cut apple cores look good enough to eat. Not that I eat the core or anyting like that. LOL!
Take care, Anna~
Cassie
Wonderful wonderful quilts…love the big stitch it suits the size of the block and the whimsy of the fabric perfectly.
The quilt looks great! That is some great fabric to use on an applecore quilt. The hand quilting looks great, too.
Yes, some of my feelings for my fabric does wane, and then I feel perfectly fine cutting into it! Sometimes if I work with a fabric on a quilt long enough I lose my crush on it, too.
Whence visiting Columbus, you must call so we can visit! :) Loved the new apple core quilt! :)
Your new quilt looks gorgeous! I love it! Lucy x
I so totally know what you mean. That’s why I’m not a stasher. I get bored with things really easily. There is always so much new coming out, that I seriously can’t keep anything, because I want the next new. And there is no way my pocket book would allow me to buy, buy, buy. The quilts are fabulous! Love the new apple core quilt. Can’t wait to see your tips.
I still love the Fresh cut fabrics.. but maybe it because I totally missed this and now I can t get my hands on the fabrics..:O))
Love your new version… hmmm..hard to decide which one to like best..:o))
The quilt looks great! I love the colours you chose – very summery – perfect for a winter’s night when you need a quilt!
I see what you mean about seeing the circles in one and the applecores in the other – but both lovely. Really want to attempt another bedsized quilt. Must get the Thimbleanna bunny out and get working on it ;-) x
I’m always wondering what to do with big printed fabric other than just cutting large blocks (boring). The applecore idea is pure genious. I think I like it better cut out of the larger pattern too. Both really great quilts.
Oh, I like it! I really like the circle quilting on it – it looks nice.
I wondered about the Country Living show. I made my parents and my husband stop at the Cincinnati Flower Show years ago and I forget how much the tickets were, but holy cow. I felt bad that we spent that much for it. Oh well. You never know unless ya go, and its something to do.
It’s beautiful! Love it. Sorry to hear that the show was disappointing. I have friends that are there for the first time.
I love your quilt. I notice the big circle right away. So sorry to hear WS was closed, what a bummer, but just think of all the money you saved!!
i’m still catching my breath from the WS outlet being closed!!!!
i love your quilt. i can’t believe how quickly you got it done! i would love to learn how to make that pattern… so i can stack it with my other patterns i’m not sewing. collect fabric, collect patterns, gain a few pounds…i see a trend going on here!
thanks for sharing with us. i love that you hand quilted it.
b.
Oh, I could have warned you about the show…*all* those home shows that come through Columbus are way overpriced…and then you have a bunch of booths selling replacement windows!
I stopped at the Potter Barn Outlet the first week of September and I noticed the Williams Sonoma stock was limited to a couple of aisles of clearance…and I thought the prices at the outlet were way higher than they used to be!
LOVE IT!!! Love the fabric, so glad you used it!
Beautiful quilt. I am looking forward to the ah-ha moment reveal!
L.O.V.E. this quilt! I can’t wait for you to reveal your secret so that I can give one a try. :)
What a pretty quilt Anna!!! Love your choice of fabric – you are right – it works so well for big blocks of fabric – I will be adding theis to my list of quilts to make!!
Hand quilted! Bravo!
Two terrific quilts! I’ll bet you and Memum had such a good time together quilting them.
Jody
I do know what you mean about purchasing fabric you’ve fallen in love with and then you fall out of love with it later. I don’t know why that happens. Maybe, life life, our needs and interests evolve in different directions. Anyway, I love the quilting you’re doing. It’s going to be a snuggly winter for anyone using these beautiful quilts.
I love your quilts and the fabrics choices are just perfect. I too have the problem of falling out of love with fabric that has been in my stash for some time.
OH I LOVE THE FABRICS IN THIS #2 applecore. They are so fresh. I also love the circle quilting. I always enjoy taking in different colorways. Very delicate…love it.
I bought a kit from a friend this weekend. She had all the apple cores cut out and ready to sew. $5 for the book/pattern and all the cut out pieces. I scored!
I was trying to decide how I wanted to finish my edge. The last one I made, I appliqued the quilt to black sashing and then added another border. I liked the looked. I’m working on a Halloween quilt right now and also am knitting a purse to felt. (I haven’t knitted since I was in Primary. I think of your great socks whenever I pick up this simple knitting project.)
your quilt is gorgeous!!!! i hoard fabric. and my crush on the darla fabric faded before i used it. i know, i can almost hear your gasp from here!!!! sad but true. i still LIKE it, but i’m not swooning over it as i once did.
can not WAIT to see what your ah-ha moment is all about. :)
Well I love it all…I mean all of it. so lovely and gorgeous. I hoard fabric, and then like so many other things I hoard like really good ingrdients or lotion etc. etc. it looses its fancy. So use it while you have it! Love what you have done, can’t wait to read your tips :)
Oh, goodness, your’s is beautiful. I may have to break down and make one one of these days. Can’t wait for step three!
My daughter-in-law’s family lives in Columbus! Hope you had a great time there.
xo
Is this some kind of cliffhanger? Love your hand quilting! I’m a fan of big stitches, for reasons we don’t need to go into here….It’s disappointing when “The thrill is gone” and you have to beat your brains out figuring what to do with it all! I wouldn’t have that problem with the fabrics you used……although, Fee, Fie, Fickle! One never knows.
P.S. Hurry up with part 3! Hand piecing or machine?
A country living show sounds so neat – what a bummer that it didn’t live up to it’s name!! (and a closed outlet – never a good thing!!)
The quilts are great – and that is a perfect pattern to showcase the fresh cut fabrics!
So beautiful
Oh, sure, keep us on tenterhooks why don’t you? :-)
That is such a pretty quilt. I must confess it wouldn’t have been a template I would have chosen, but yours are so pretty it’s making me wonder whether I should …
So beautiful, Anna! And great use of the fresh cut fabric. I get fabric crushes all the time, but more with fabrics for clothing than for quilting. I’m quite ruthless with the cutting when it comes to quilts. For clothes I’m a bit more tentative with the cutting in case I stuff it up major and waste fabric that I’m in love with.
Oh wow, I love it!
Love the Fresh Cut version. And in answer to your question, yes, I hoard fabric and then after awhile the love affair wears off. Hmmm… is funner a word?! LOL! I am definitely seeing circles but love it and love the big stitch quilting. Looking forward to part 3.
Love it! I think it is so great that you recreated your grandma’s quilt. Very special!
I love the bright fabrics in your apple core quilt, and I wouldn’t have thought to quilt in circles but it really adds interest. Sorry Friday was a bust for you, glad you spent the day with Mum though. Enjoy the week. xoxo
It’s so pretty! I can’t wait to read #3!
I knew you were going to copy it!!! And I’m a little happy to hear the Country Living show wasn’t too wonderful…because I was feeling bad about missing it! Can’t wait for post 3!
1. Yes. I totally hoard fabrics until the crush wears off enough that I can bear to cut them. (And I realize that I’ll never get to really enjoy them until I use them . . . )
2. I love the wavy edge. It makes the quilt for me.
3. You could scribe a big circle, marking it off in exact quarters. Then you use that marked circle to cut one circle of template plastic. Mark the template circle in quarters, too. Now, match up two adjacent marks on the first circle with two marks on the template circle so the circles are just overlapping into each other. Draw along the curve of the first circle, making a concave line on the template plastic. Do the same for the other side. Cut along those lines. Voila! An applecore template.
A diagram would be so much easier, lol. Hopefully that’s clearer than mud!
I am so inspired! Beautiful quilts!!!!! Good job on your quilting too. I wonder what will happen when it is worn/washed if it will be more of the the effect you were looking for (apple cores.)
Love these 2 posts. I LOVE the giant apple core and I love that you recreated it. I’ve done that several times with vintage quilts I’ve been in love with. It makes it fun to have both quilts and have them be the same and different at the same time. Well let me say the fabrics in both are lovely but I do want to devour the vintage fabric. And yes, I do that too . . . buy fabric I must have and then shy from cutting it only to fall slightly out of my crush and then feel like I’d missed the boat. The quilting is fabulous in both of them. Really fabulous. You can’t beat hand quilting. There is no replacement for it. No matter what the stitch and pattern. I do prefer seeing the apple cores themselves rather than the quilting though, but only slightly. Wonderful projects. Thrilling really.
Oh, I really like your apple core quilt. The fabric is so pretty. The big circles look great.
PrettY, pretty apple core and quilting Anna,I love the curvy edge, but don’t know if I would like the points either. What a difference the quilting makes, I’ve been known to hoard a fabric or many…. Love the trellis and the yellow chair.
stunning quilt Thimbleanna. I use perle 8 thread to do all my quilting – I prefer it to the other. Your quilt looks just divine – the circle design for the quilting looks amazing. Great job of cutting into fabric that you have had for a while too. I have a cupboard full of fabric like that.
Yes, the “I’ve got to keep it” fabric does tend to multiply. :) Best to use it. And what a great job you’ve done of using it. I love how your applecore looks totally different just because of the way it’s quilted. Both are just beautiful!
It’s beautiful! I still love those fabrics, but I don’t have any either – lol :) I’m excited to know what part 3 is!! you are a tease :)
Thanks for sharing this. I am waiting for part 3. I have wanted to do an apple core but didn’t want to use the small pieces either. So when does part three come?
I really love these quilts and I’m thinking I might have to make one of these. Oh, if only I had more time to sew and quilt, sew and quilt,and sew some more. I’m going crazy!!! Not really, I’m just missing my creating and sewing time, a lot!!!
gorgeous with a capital G! I’m actually getting some of my store fabrics die cut into hexagons and they have that shape and I think I might have to it add it to my list as its gorgeous!
Corrie:)
Are you totally mad???!! Noone is going to miss an ‘off’ corner! No one is going to ever criicise this quilt! I is totally awesome, & your ancestral stitchers would be SO PROUD of your accomplishments!!
How awesome!!! They are both beautiful…I have some fabric that I just can’t cut…Maybe someday if I find that right thing to make with it I’ll be able to.
Can’t wait for Part 3.
OMG…a three-parter – I’m a little antsy waiting, but love all the pictures and posts. You know I’m not much of a quilter (don’t make them – just buy them and love and admire all the work) but I had never heard of the applecore pattern. So down-to-earth…
BTW…Cami is performing (in your city) belly dancing soon. Me thinks you must be in the audience if at all possible. It makes me giggle just thinking about it.
Always, robin
Not only do I love your choice of fabric I LOVE the circles. And I think I agree with you about the funny pointy corners on Grandmas quilt. I prefer the look of the straight binding.
Love it Anna! I bought a small applecore template a year or so ago and cut a few of them out and thought it was for the birds! They make gorgeous quilts but my gosh! Maybe I should follow your lead and enlarge it by 500% or so?