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Description
This was made for the stitchingpirates Sailing the fruit contest
I started by making the apple, however as the rules say that there must be 2 pieces of fruit I needed to add something else for an eligible entry.

After some thought and a false start making a tangerine that proved rather more complicated than I anticipated (and would be unable to complete in the time available) I decided to do a raspberry embroidery. When I had completed it I wasn't sure what to do with it yet, so I put it aside and started on the strawberry.

Once this was done I spent some time thinking what to do with them. I finally had the idea to make the strawberry into some sort of sewing kit and the raspberry would be the needle book. After completing the needle book, I still hadn't decided what to make with the strawberry so I went on and made 3 little berries together for a scissors fob and a cherry (though it looks rather more plum like) for a scissors case. I then had the idea to make a box out of the strawberry and created a box that opens out fully when the lid is removed.

The patterns from the 4 other pieces of fruit came from the same magazine and are part of what was supposed to be a table cloth. As I only have the patterns but no other information pasted into a scrapbook I no longer know where this pattern came from. I do know that it's one from the late 80's or very early 90's.

All items you see fit inside the box.

Edit: I won Second prize in the contest! Thanks Judges!!

Further information per item:
Apple Pincushion:

This is the pattern that started it all. It is from a magazine called Ariadne way back in September of 1989 and I've been keeping this magazine for this very pattern ever since. I always looked at it and thought - this is too difficult - I can't do this. The main reason being that it's 3 threads over 2 on 24 count even weave, not just any old 3 threads but 1 - 3 different colours of floss per 3 threads that get used. With just 11 base colours I created 30 colours of blended thread and only 2 of the 30 blended colours were 3 threads of the same colour together. As a result it used a LOT of thread and I used more than 1 1/2 skeins of one of the reds and used a lot of all the other colours too. Towards the end when I had again ran out of red I was looking at the bits of leftover floss from the other combined colours to find enough to finish - I had the same issue with the orange, however I wasn't able to find enough of that so, as I didn't want to wait till several days later when I'd have more money for floss I decided to look at what I did have and use an alternative to the orange.

I dyed a bit of leftover corset rope (as I call it - it's a really thin cotton rope) with coffee to make it brown and used that as the "stalk" I used black floss to make the "fluff" you find at the base of apples. I filled the apple with rice.

Colours: 11 DMC colours blended together to create 30 different colour groups.
Fabric: White 28 ct Even weave
Size: 2 1/2" wide x 1 3/4" high / 6,35 x 4.45 cm

Berry Scissors fob:

The berry embroidery is actually just a small section of a larger string of red berries but as I only had a little bit of fabric available I made just 3 of them instead. I took 2 of my 1" hexagon papers and cut 1/4" off 2 opposing sides to create an elongated hexagon and used these to make the little fob. I used 3 of the colours of red thread that I'd used in the berry to create a tassel and used a scrap of ribbon for the loop. I stuffed it with leftover scraps from cutting fabric for this project.

Colours used: 6
Fabric: White 28 ct Even weave
Size: 1/ 3/4" x 1 1/4"

Cherry Scissors case:
The cherry is just one of a pair of cherries on stalks but as I only had a little bit of space to put something for the case I decided to do just the one and a bit of stalk.

I made the pattern for the case by drawing it out on pattern paper and then using that to cut the outer and inner fabrics which I then sewed together. You can't see it but the case is lined with white fabric with little red cherries. I used a flower shaped bead with a little green bead as the button and I made a buttonhole loop to close it with. I probably should have added the beads to the case before sewing things together but I'd forgotten to do so and had to fiddle quite a bit to sew it on afterwards.

Colours used: 6
Fabric: White 28 ct Even weave
Size: 2 7/8" x 4 1/4"

Raspberry Needlebook:

The needle book is indeed in pink even though I really dislike the colour.
After completing the embroidery I sewed it between 2 strips of Barbie pink batik, I folded the pieces so that the raspberry was towards one side and sewed around the edges of the fabric. I added a piece of cotton quilt batting and turned it right side out. I hand sewed the book shut. Then I sewed a piece of thick red felt along the middle "spine" to make 2 pages to keep needles in.

I used a flower shaped bead with a little green bead along the edge as the button and I made a buttonhole loop to close it with.

Colours used: 7
Fabric: White 28 ct Even weave
Size: 2 7/8" square.

Strawberry Sewing box:

The box has 2 red and 2 white panels on the lid and 2 red and 2 white panels on the base. the bottom of the box is covered in red felt. The embroidery has been padded with 2 layers of cotton quilt batting.

It is made with 3 mm thick (0.1 inch) cardboard. The outer fabric was first stretched over the cardboard in the same one as one might stretch an embroidery when one is about to frame it, then the inner fabric placed over the "lacing" , the seam allowance folded in and it was then sewn in place. 2 pockets were added to 2 of the inner panels.

Once all the panels were made they were sewn together with red perle variegated thread and a large needle - it took a bit of work to get the needle through and it was rather painful on the fingers but I eventually managed. I left the side panels of the box part open as I wanted the box to open out completely when the lid was removed.

Colours used: 10
Fabric: White 28 ct Even weave
Size: 5 1/4" wide x 5 1/4" deep x 3 1/4" high

Description
This was made for the stitchingpirates Sailing the fruit contest
I started by making the apple, however as the rules say that there must be 2 pieces of fruit I needed to add something else for an eligible entry.

After some thought and a false start making a tangerine that proved rather more complicated than I anticipated (and would be unable to complete in the time available) I decided to do a raspberry embroidery. When I had completed it I wasn't sure what to do with it yet, so I put it aside and started on the strawberry.

Once this was done I spent some time thinking what to do with them. I finally had the idea to make the strawberry into some sort of sewing kit and the raspberry would be the needle book. After completing the needle book, I still hadn't decided what to make with the strawberry so I went on and made 3 little berries together for a scissors fob and a cherry (though it looks rather more plum like) for a scissors case. I then had the idea to make a box out of the strawberry and created a box that opens out fully when the lid is removed.

The patterns from the 4 other pieces of fruit came from the same magazine and are part of what was supposed to be a table cloth. As I only have the patterns but no other information pasted into a scrapbook I no longer know where this pattern came from. I do know that it's one from the late 80's or very early 90's.

All items you see fit inside the box.

Edit: I won Second prize in the contest! Thanks Judges!!

Further information per item:
Apple Pincushion:

This is the pattern that started it all. It is from a magazine called Ariadne way back in September of 1989 and I've been keeping this magazine for this very pattern ever since. I always looked at it and thought - this is too difficult - I can't do this. The main reason being that it's 3 threads over 2 on 24 count even weave, not just any old 3 threads but 1 - 3 different colours of floss per 3 threads that get used. With just 11 base colours I created 30 colours of blended thread and only 2 of the 30 blended colours were 3 threads of the same colour together. As a result it used a LOT of thread and I used more than 1 1/2 skeins of one of the reds and used a lot of all the other colours too. Towards the end when I had again ran out of red I was looking at the bits of leftover floss from the other combined colours to find enough to finish - I had the same issue with the orange, however I wasn't able to find enough of that so, as I didn't want to wait till several days later when I'd have more money for floss I decided to look at what I did have and use an alternative to the orange.

I dyed a bit of leftover corset rope (as I call it - it's a really thin cotton rope) with coffee to make it brown and used that as the "stalk" I used black floss to make the "fluff" you find at the base of apples. I filled the apple with rice.

Colours: 11 DMC colours blended together to create 30 different colour groups.
Fabric: White 28 ct Even weave
Size: 2 1/2" wide x 1 3/4" high / 6,35 x 4.45 cm

Berry Scissors fob:

The berry embroidery is actually just a small section of a larger string of red berries but as I only had a little bit of fabric available I made just 3 of them instead. I took 2 of my 1" hexagon papers and cut 1/4" off 2 opposing sides to create an elongated hexagon and used these to make the little fob. I used 3 of the colours of red thread that I'd used in the berry to create a tassel and used a scrap of ribbon for the loop. I stuffed it with leftover scraps from cutting fabric for this project.

Colours used: 6
Fabric: White 28 ct Even weave
Size: 1/ 3/4" x 1 1/4"

Cherry Scissors case:
The cherry is just one of a pair of cherries on stalks but as I only had a little bit of space to put something for the case I decided to do just the one and a bit of stalk.

I made the pattern for the case by drawing it out on pattern paper and then using that to cut the outer and inner fabrics which I then sewed together. You can't see it but the case is lined with white fabric with little red cherries. I used a flower shaped bead with a little green bead as the button and I made a buttonhole loop to close it with. I probably should have added the beads to the case before sewing things together but I'd forgotten to do so and had to fiddle quite a bit to sew it on afterwards.

Colours used: 6
Fabric: White 28 ct Even weave
Size: 2 7/8" x 4 1/4"

Raspberry Needlebook:

The needle book is indeed in pink even though I really dislike the colour.
After completing the embroidery I sewed it between 2 strips of Barbie pink batik, I folded the pieces so that the raspberry was towards one side and sewed around the edges of the fabric. I added a piece of cotton quilt batting and turned it right side out. I hand sewed the book shut. Then I sewed a piece of thick red felt along the middle "spine" to make 2 pages to keep needles in.

I used a flower shaped bead with a little green bead along the edge as the button and I made a buttonhole loop to close it with.

Colours used: 7
Fabric: White 28 ct Even weave
Size: 2 7/8" square.

Strawberry Sewing box:

The box has 2 red and 2 white panels on the lid and 2 red and 2 white panels on the base. the bottom of the box is covered in red felt. The embroidery has been padded with 2 layers of cotton quilt batting.

It is made with 3 mm thick (0.1 inch) cardboard. The outer fabric was first stretched over the cardboard in the same one as one might stretch an embroidery when one is about to frame it, then the inner fabric placed over the "lacing" , the seam allowance folded in and it was then sewn in place. 2 pockets were added to 2 of the inner panels.

Once all the panels were made they were sewn together with red perle variegated thread and a large needle - it took a bit of work to get the needle through and it was rather painful on the fingers but I eventually managed. I left the side panels of the box part open as I wanted the box to open out completely when the lid was removed.

Colours used: 10
Fabric: White 28 ct Even weave
Size: 5 1/4" wide x 5 1/4" deep x 3 1/4" high