Apple Pincushion

Apple Pincushion Sew-Along

Slow stitching, sweet details, and the cutest little finish.

Join me for a cheerful sew-along to make the Apple Pincushion.

This free sew-along follows the Apple Pincushion (paid) pattern, and if you would like a little extra patchwork fun, there is an optional prep stage in April to make a half-inch hexagon panel to make an Englishe paper pieced apple.

These apples are such a joy to make and they are brilliant for batch sewing too. Make one apple, or make 3 to 5 and build yourself a tiny apple basket, a teacher gift stash, or a sweet handmade surprise for sewing friends.

Join for community, encouragement, and a whole lot of hand-sewn (with a little machine sewing!) happiness. AND all of my insider tips and tricks for making gorgeous apples.

Sew-along starts in...

Get the pattern and sign-up for the sew-along emails to get all my insider tips and tricks for making gorgeous apples!

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Started 18 May 2026!

Join the Sew-Along Community

Join the Craftapalooza Designs Patchwork Posse Facebook group! Share your progress, ask questions and be inspired by other Blossie makers!

Share on Instagram and tag #ApplePincushionSewAlong and @CraftapaloozaDesigns

JOIN FACEBOOK GROUP

How the sew-along works

Apple Pincushion sew-along - 18 to 31 May 2026

The sew-along is short, sweet, and very doable.

Week 1: 18 to 24 May

Choose fabrics, iron on interfacing, trace and cut your apple pieces, and cut 2 felt leaves

Week 2: 25 to 31 May

Sew the apple quarters together, stuff your apple, finish your apple, and add the button and leaves.

Optional hand sew (or EPP) a half inch hexagon panel to use when making the apple (as pictured to the right): prep 9 to 30 April 2026

I will email the panel instructions for hand sewing hexagons by email on 9 April, and you can make your panel either by:

stamp and hand sew,
trace hexagons and hand sew, or
traditional English paper piecing

Materials, suggested tools + notions

Below is a summary of items needed, the pattern has the full details including what's required.

NOTE: I'm putting a small amount of kits together for these. Some include fabric, and some will just have notions like felt for the leaves, buttons, stems, doll needle and interfacing. I will email about these in April.

Small pieces of coordinating fabrics, approximately 3"×6" each, 4 per apple
Cardboard or template plastic
Wool felt for 2 apple leaves, 2"× 4" square, the leaves are the needle keepers
Lightweight iron-on interfacing (woven or non-woven)
Stuffing of choice, I use standard polyfill
Wood button approximately 18mm (¾") diameter
Strong thread (I use DMC Cebelia N˚ 10)
Stuffing tool - I use a Barbara Willis Regular stuffing fork, however a chopstick, or long another blunt item could be used
Thimble
Long needle, eg a doll needle 8cm/3" - 4" in length
Leather thong or waxed cord for the stem, 3mm/⅛ thick and approximately 10cm/4" long
Fabric marker
Sewing machine

If you are sewing the hexagon apple, you'll need the above (as outlined in the patterned), for fabric you'll be sewing four half inch hexaogn panels, each with 25 hexagons. Details will be emailed separately for these on 9 April. If you want to hand sew the hexagon panel, you can trace the hexagons and cut out, or you can stamp. More details on patchwork stamps here. LINK

Who is this for?

This sew-along is for you if:

you love hand sewing and patchwork
you have been wanting a small finish instead of another UFO
you enjoy sweet little useful projects
you like the idea of an optional patchwork extra
you want a project that is lovely to batch make
you would like to make one apple, or a whole basket full

Ready to join the sew-along?

Sign up for the sew-along newsletters

Buy the pattern

Join the Facebook Group

Sew-along schedule

Apple Pincushion sew-along - 18 to 31 May 2026

The sew-along is short, sweet, and very doable.

Week 1: 18 to 24 May

Choose fabrics, iron on interfacing, trace and cut your apple pieces, and cut 2 felt leaves

Week 2: 25 to 31 May

Sew the apple quarters together, stuff your apple, finish your apple, and add the button and leaves.

Optional hand sew (or EPP) a half inch hexagon panel to use when making the apple: prep 9 to 30 April 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Time zones: what dates and time do emails go out?

The emails start from the date you sign up.

Then there are 2 emails over 2 weeks, the first Monday 18 May and second 25 May both for the sew-along, with one additional email 9 April for the hexagon apple.

Is it hand sewing? Can I machine sew?

This is a fun mixed sewing project. You'll be machine sewing (I have sewn an apple pincushion successfully by hand!) and then hand finishing.

Do I have to make the half-inch hexagon panel?

No. It is completely optional. The main sew-along is making the Apple Pincushion from the pattern.

Where do the hexagon panels go?

You can see the photo example made on this page using half inch hexagons. It was sewn by hand, minus papers.

If you want to make a cute hexagon apple, we'll be sewing four panels in place of the four pieces of fabric. Instructions emailed separately on 9 April, so you can sew the panels before the sew along starts 18 May.

When do I get the hexagon panel instructions?

I will send the optional panel instructions by email on 9 April.

Can I make the apple with four plain panels?

Yes. Absolutely. That is the base version from the pattern.

Can I make more than one apple pincushion?

Absolutely. This is a fantastic project for batch sewing. Make one, or make 3 to 5 (or more!) while you already have everything out. They make perfect gifts.

Can I join if I already bought the pattern?

Yes! Of course. Just sign up for the Sew-along emails

How do I add my finished Apple Pincushion to the gallery?

Details on how to add a photo of your finished Apple Pincushion to the gallery will be in the email sent 25 May 2026.