meyert

Happy Saturday!!!

I have always found the apple core quilt "sew" very charming. I bought the template for the charm block from MSQC but I have never been brave enough to start.

I was asked to make a memory quilt for someone for Christmas and she mentioned the apple core block - - - so here I am. Ugh.. I feel like I am in over my head.

I have all 288 of my apple cores cut and so there is no going back now. I have 142 of the two block groupings sewn.. and one 4 block sewn. OMG!

How am I going to sew all of these together?

Does anyone have any tips? suggestions? So far my best friend has been glue sticks

I have been on youtube, but wow I am really dreading this... but I have to get moving! (I have other projects to work on before Christmas too!!)

IrishNY

You can definitely do it! Cutting out the pieces is a huge accomplishment. I'm a fan of pinning for curved seams but if glue sticks are working for you, stick with them (no pun intended). Can you mix working on the blocks with other Christmas projects so you feel like you are making progress on those as well? I get frustrated when one project makes me feel held up from getting to others, so a mix might help. Set a reasonable goal for each day and then work on other things. Good luck and share your progress. We'll be rooting for you.

juliasb

Take a deep breath! Now another one. And now another one. You have a big project sitting in front of you. I would follow the tutorial closely that MSQC has online. She makes it sound easy enough. I have found her tutorials very clear and easy over time. Her's are the best. With all the curves going slowly is the best advice I can give you. Be confident that you can do it and don't think about other things for Christmas. Everything will fall into place as it should. If you only get the top ready for the holiday gift so be it. She can return it to you for finishing. Try not to cramp yourself up with to much in the short time before Christmas.

Tartan

​I like to sew two rows together, than sew those paired rows together at the end.

Rhonda K

You can do this! One bite at a time!

Break it down into smaller tasks and stitch for short periods of time. You will make progress. Stitch them in set of 8-10 and move along to something else. Keeps the frustration levels from increasing due to fatigue.

A couple of tips. Hope that helps!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QG3cMOjawM

PS: My guess on your original post was off for the amount to cut. Yikes!

"I'm guessing between 224 and 250 depending on math to make the 50x60 size."

Iceblossom

I think once you get the sets into rows it will go better. Sometimes the things we learn from our projects is that we are never going to do them again!

I call it "pre-loading" all the things you have to do to get to where it is more fun. You are definitely in the loading stage but hey, you are cut and what else are you going to do with all those cores?

Hang in there, baby!

Jordan

I think you have the hard work done by having all of the pieces cut out. I have that template from MSQC but haven't tried using it yet. I will be watching for tips and tricks that you receive on this board. Good luck to you

Onebyone

Don't overthink it. Sew one piece to another one at a time. Don't think about the whole project at once.

sewbizgirl

I found this nice video from Fons and Porter about doing the piecing. She is working with huge apple cores, but the same principles apply for any size.

Every piece must have the center marked on all 4 sides, and the seams need several pins when sewing. So, this isn't a quick sew. Don't get frustrated, expect to sew slowly, and take your time.

joe'smom

I don't suppose your friend realized what she was asking of you when she mentioned the apple core block. I am feeling the pressure you are under, so I have a radical suggestion that doesn't really qualify as the encouragement you requested:



Tell your friend you have realized that an apple core quilt would be dauntingly difficult and would take forever, and suggest a simpler pattern. Do you have some alternate stash fabrics you could use in place of the original ones that are already cut? You could then turn your apple cores into a long-term, no-pressure project not tied to anyone's expectations.