Introducing the Orange Peel Sew Along

I’m super excited to announce the Orange Peel Sew Along which starts in two weeks! If you’ve always wanted to make an Orange Peel Quilt or you’re interested in learning a new skill, this is the perfect opportunity. It’s going to be a relaxed, easy and mindful journey that will start April 4, 2025 and last for six weeks.

Weekly lesson links

Each weekly lesson is shared in an email (if you signed up) as well as a blog post. The links will be updated as they are published.

• Week 1 – Basic info & supplies
• Week 2 – Cut & sew background squares
• Week 3 – Make orange peel shapes
• Week 4 – Applique orange peels
• Week 5 – Continue with applique
• Week 6 – Finishing

What is an orange peel quilt?

This quilt design has been around for a long time, and it’s one of my favorites. The history of the orange peel quilt dates back to the late 1700’s. The story goes that a significant French officer was invited to celebrate the colonists’ victory in the American War of Independence. When the French officer was offered an orange, he cut it into four segments before he peeled it. One of the female guests later picked up the discarded peel segments and used them as the inspiration for her next quilt design.

Orange peel quilts contain symmetrical shapes that look like petals (or orange peel segments). They can be made with curved piecing or by appliqueing the shape on top of background fabric. They range from traditional, block-based quilts to more modern interpretations that are often arranged and combined in non-traditional ways.

What to expect in the sew along

• This is a FREE sew along.
• You should know the basics of quilting such as how to use a rotary cutter and what a 1/4″ seam looks like.
• You will learn several ways to create a turned edge for hand applique.
• There will be a machine applique option.
• Short video lessons will be included.
• The size of the quilt is up to you. It’s based on 5″ squares, and you can use as many as you want to create the size quilt you desire.
• Choose your own fruit, I mean color! Oranges, lemons (like me), strawberries or any combination of colors.
• No special rulers or tools are required. A supply list will be given on April 4.
• You will need access to a printer.

About the applique

This is intended to be a hand applique project, but if you don’t like handwork, you’ll have the option to use a sewing machine instead. You don’t need any prior experience with applique to get started.

If you’ve never tried applique before, this project might feel out of your comfort zone. When you see the word “template”, you might be tempted to close the door on this one. I get it; I feel that way about foundation paper piecing. Try to keep an open mind and see where it takes you. You might just love it!

I’ll be showing three different ways to make a turned edge for the applique shape. This means the raw edges will be turned under about 1/4″. If you want to explore this topic further, check out my roundup of turned edge applique techniques here.

Once it’s time to stitch the applique down, I’ll show you how to do it by hand (my preference) and I’ll also show you how to do it with invisible machine applique. You can see one of my first tutorials for invisible machine applique here.

Schedule

Our schedule for the sew along will cover all of the lessons in 6 weeks. The pace will start off slow and then pick up just a little once the applique starts. There is no rushing the hand applique. It’s meant to be a relaxed and mindful project, so we’ll spend two weeks on the applique section.

You’ll be able to choose between several different applique techniques to create a turned edge. Then you can decide whether to stitch the orange peels by hand or by machine. Either way, it may take you longer than two weeks for the applique depending on the size quilt you want to make. I’m hoping this will be the start of an ongoing project that you can keep coming back to as your schedule permits! 

Why a sew along?

I love having a portable sewing project that I can work on when I’m watching TV or traveling about. The genesis of the Orange Peel Sew Along began when I was creating my next hand sewing project and I shared a photo of my progress on Instagram. I mentioned that it might be fun to do an informal sew along. I received many comments from quilters who were interested. After much thought and a little preparation, I decided to dive in.

Sew alongs and quilt alongs are a fun way to make a project with a group of people and stay motivated along the way. Often, more in-depth tutorials and videos are shared that go beyond what a pattern could offer. It’s a great way to dig deep into a project, especially when there is a new technique involved.

Rather than using a pattern, I’m relying on my own idea of what I want. I did some research online and liked having the orange peels arranged on top of the seams rather than in the center of a square. My version (below right) is not as common as some, but that’s what I like about it.

So, there is no official pattern, but I will have pdf’s with instructions and templates that you can download and print. Most quilt alongs and sew alongs are created to promote interest (and sales) in a new pattern. I’m putting the cart before the horse, but eventually I will make an official orange peel pattern.

If I’m smart (and lucky), I’ll have a pattern ready by the end of the sew along and you’ll be so enamored by your project that you’ll want to purchase the pattern! One can dream. 😉

How do I sign up?

The majority of the sew along information will come via my newsletter. It’s the best way for me to share information, pdf’s and videos to a specific group. I’ll continue to add blog post updates for each week of the sew along (but those come with display ads). I encourage you to sign up below for the best experience! You’ll receive a welcome email shortly after.

I’ll post updates on Instagram as well, so use the hashtag #orangepeelsewalong if you want to see what everyone is doing. I don’t use Facebook very much, but for those that do, I am considering a private Facebook group for the sew along.

I hope you’ll consider making an orange peel quilt with me. You can sign up here (or use the button shown earlier). There’s no pressure to keep up with the schedule or to do anything else but learn. It’s all about learning something new and building community.