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Project by Michelle Roberts AKA Creative Blonde Fabric: Love & Romance Materials to make one name place: 7” x 7” piece of sage green fabric from the collection 7” x 7” piece of hessian 7” x 10” piece of interfacing 2” x 1 “piece of brown cardstock for the label Fat eight of the ‘love and romance’ fabric on white Gutermann thread Haberdashery items: Quilter’s ruler Rotary cutter/scissors Iron Cutting mat Basic sewing supplies Lets get creative… Take your piece of hessian, and create a triangular bunting flag. Fuse the sage green fabric to the 7” piece of interfacing. Use the cut hessian piece as a template for the fabric, once cut out, trim ½” from each edge. Stitch in place, sew around twice using a white thread. Roughly cut around the ‘love’ wording, and fuse to interfacing. Carefully cut out. With feed dogs dropped on your sewing machine and darning foot attached, free motion quilt around edge of applique, to secure in the centre of name place flag. Sew label in place in top left hand corner. If you prefer to print the names, do this on the cardstock before cutting out the labels. If you have a Die cutting machine, you could cut out a gorgeous flower shape, see my other tutorial for how to make these lovely wedding invitations. To see more from Michelle, follow her on Instagram @creativeblondegifts or Facebook, and don't forget to visit her website creativeblondegifts.com. Made by Michelle Roberts for The Craft Cotton Co 2022.

Project by Michelle Roberts AKA Creative Blonde Fabric: 'Abstract Jungle' Grab yourself some of the stunning new monochrome collection. Follow my tutorial to make a super cute 38” square lap quilt. Materials: ¼ yard of Terrazzo black ¼ yard of Droplets black ¼ yard of Spots black ¼ yard of Herringbone black ¼ yard of Giraffe black FQ Dash Geranium Pink ½ yard solid grey ¼ yard solid white 40” square Vlieseline Soya Mix batting 278 Aurifil Thread grey Haberdashery items: Quilter’s ruler Rotary cutter/scissors Iron Cutting mat Basic sewing supplies Lets get sewing… Using ¼” seam allowance throughout Cut: Nine 2 ½” squares from the pink Seven 2 ½” squares from each of the Abstract collection plus 1 more (total 36) Seventy-two 2 ½” x 1” strips from white Thirty-six 3” x 1” strips from white Thirty-six 2 ½” squares from grey This quilt is made up of 9 blocks (each block containing 21 pieces), follow the instructions below to create your first block. The following photo shows the block laid out in pieces. Begin by joining the white 2 ½” strips to the grey squares, then add the 3” white strips The centre panel can also be sewn together now. Join the remaining left panel squares together and then complete the right panel. Sew together to complete your first block, trim to measure 7 ½” square (make 9 in total). Cut from grey: Six 2 ½” x 7 ½” Four 2 ½” x 26” Two 2 ½” x 30” Join the shortest grey strip to one side of six of the blocks, join these together as shown below to create 3 rows. Add a 26” strip between each row, and finish with a 30” to each side. Cut two 30” x 4 ½” strips and two 38” x 4 ½” strips – one from each of the collection. Join the two shorter pieces either side of the top quilt, and sew the remaining two strips top and bottom to complete the top quilt. Create the backing by using strips of the remaining Abstract collection. Baste the top quilt to the Vlieseline soya mix 278 batting using the wonder pins. Quilt using your preferred method, trim away excess batting. Cut 1 ½”strips of grey for the binding, or buy pre-made bias binding. Your lap quilt is finished! To see more from Michelle follow her on Instagram @creativeblondegifts or Facebook @creativeblondegifts and don't forget to check out her website creativeblondegifts.com. Made by Michelle Roberts for The Craft Cotton Co 2022.

Project by Kimberley Hind Put your own stamp on the popular patchwork fashion trend this summer with these adorable patchwork shorts. Not only is it a fun way to use up small pieces of fabric, but it also means that each item you make is totally individual and unique! This tutorial can be applied to any sewing pattern you choose ranging from kids to adults, even accessories such as bags. The amount of fabric needed will differ depending on the size of the pattern pieces so make sure if you’re making larger items, you have enough fabric! I’ll be explaining how to make kids shorts from a pattern from Etsy using a 5 fat quarter pack of cotton fabric. What you’ll need: Fabric - I’ve used a 5 fat quarter pack of Snoopy cotton Lining fabric – this can be a lightweight cotton or a soft muslin Sewing pattern – I’ve used the Ikatee ‘Dakar Shorts’ pattern Pins Rotary cutting and cutting mat Scissors Fabric glue spray – I’ve used Odif 505 Instructions: 1. Have all your pattern pieces cut out before cutting the fabric. Cut the fabric into 3” squares. Use your first pattern piece to decide how many to cut. 2. Use the pattern piece as a guide as to how big to arrange the squares. Allow an extra 5cm or more around the edge of the pattern to allow for the seam allowances. Remember that if your pattern says ‘cut 2’ then you’ll need 2 mirror images of the pattern piece. 3. Sew the squares right sides together in rows. Press the seams flat. TIP- Press the seams of each row in alternating directions. This will make it easier to line up the seams when you sew the rows together. 4. Sew the rows right sides together, matching the seams of the squares. 5. Pin the pattern piece on top of the fabric panel and cut. 6. Use the pattern to cut the same shape from lining fabric. 7. Use a fabric glue spray to adhere the lining to the back of the shorts panel. 8. Repeat with the remaining main pattern pieces. 9. If your shorts pattern has pockets, cut the pieces from the left-over fabric (this doesn’t need to be patchwork as it isn’t visible.) 10. Cut the waistband piece also from the left-over fabric. (Join the fabric together to create a long enough piece if needed.) 11. Construct the shorts as per the instructions of the pattern. Use an overlocker/serger on the seams if possible, alternately use pinking shears or zigzag stitch over the raw edges to avoid fraying. To see more from Kim follow her on Instagram @whatkimberleymakes. Made by Kimberley Hind for The Craft Cotton Co 2022.

Project by Stephanie Marsh You will need: 1 Fat Quarter - Main Fabric (A) 1 Fat Quarter - Inside Main Fabric (B) 0.5m - Wadding 1 Fat Quarter - Binding and Zip Strip (C) 1 Fat Quarter - Tie and Handing Loop (D) 0.5m - Clear Sewable PVC 0.5m 90cm - Continuous Zip with 3 pulls 2 - D Rings 1” Instructions: 1. Cut the following: Fabric A - 1 off 30cm x 48cm – main back. Wadding - 1 off 30cm x 48cm. Fabric B - 1 off 30cm x 48cm – main lining. Fabric C - 2 off 32cm x 5cm for top and bottom Bindings, 2 off 50cm x 5cm for side bindings, 6 off 30cm x 5cm for zip strips. Fabric D - 1 off 11cm x 6cm for hanging loop, 1 off 30cm x 6cm for tie. Zips - 3 off 30cm, with a pull on each one. Clear Sewable PVC - 1 off 12.5cm x 30cm bottom pocket, 2 off 14cm x 30cm top and middle pocket. 2. Take the back and main lining pieces and place them on either side of the wadding, right sides facing outwards. Pin and tack together. Put to one side. 3. Make the hanging loop and tie by folding them in half lengthwise with right sides together, using a 0.5cm seam allowance sew along the long edge and one of the short edges on the tie. 4. Trim off the corner of the tie at the sewing edge, just to the sewn line. 5. Turn them right sides out, press and put to one side. 6. Now sew the zip strips onto the top off all 3 and bottom of 2 of the clear pocket pieces. Take the fabric strips and press onto the wrong side 1cm along the long of one of the edges, then match the raw edges of the long side un-pressed strips with the pocket pieces along, sew in place using a 1cm seam allowance. Finger them upwards, do not use the iron, you will melt the pocket pieces. 7. Fold the strips in half lengthways so the folded edge just covers the first stitched line. From the right side stitch in place. 8. Using a zipper foot, stitch 2 zips in place along each of the folded edges of 2 pairs of the zip strips. Sew the 3rd zip along the top of zip strip so it looks like the picture below. 9. Take the last zip strip and fold it half lengthwise and stitch on the last free zip edge. 10. Place the pockets on top of the main front / wadding / lining piece. Using a large stitch matching stitch / tack in place using a 0.25cm seam allowance. 11. On the topstitching of the zip strips create 3 pockets by stitching from one side to another on the bottom of the top 2 pockets. 12. Take the hanging loop and place the 2 d-rings on it and fold in half short ways so that the d-rings are enclosed in the loop. 13. Take the tie and handing loop and place on the back at the top on the main pieces, in the centre. Tack in place. 14. Trim all edges for that they are square and even. 15. Take the side strip and matching raw edges place right sides together on the back of the roll. Stitch in place 0.5cm from the edge. Fold over 0.5cm of the unsewn edge of the side strips, fold over onto the pocket side of the roll so that the folded edge is just covering the first row of stitching, top stitch in place. Trim the end of the strips level with the end of the roll. 16. Do the same with the bottom and top strips, but before you fold them over to the pocket side fold in the raw short edges. To see more from Stephanie follow her on Instagram @stephanie_j_marsh. Made by Stephanie Marsh for The Craft Cotton Co 2022.

Project by Marie Pickles There’s really nothing nicer than a pretty dressed bed; in my opinion anyway! This selection of fabrics from the Craft Cotton Company set my creative cells buzzing and I pulled this design together to brighten the bedroom for the coming Spring days. Requirements: Bolster or cushion pad (mine is 54”) Selection of fabrics to cover the total area (plus spare) Templates Threads, scissors, marking pencils, pins Iron & pressing mat. 1. I had a look on the internet and after looking at some clipart drew a template of a beehive and then transferred it onto a thick cardboard so I could draw round it easily. I decided 4 , two for each side of the bolster would be ideal. 2. The fabric is so fantastic I was able to use the designs and cut large selection of hexagonal shapes in different sizes. I then used finger pressing to straighten edges and turn raw edges under then tacked the sides together on the back to hold. This is the same technique used in English Paper Piecing (EPP) but I did not use any backing paper. 3. Measure the length and width all round your bolster or cushion. When you decide on the fabrics you are using, cut sufficient strips to cover the length of the bolster ensuring the seam allowance is added to both sides of the strip. My bolster was. 54”; I used two strips of each fabric plus a different one for the centre strip, finally the opening edge was a separate strip used double width folded over leaving a folded edge at the opening side of the bolster case. Strips were sewn together using 0.25” seams, press each seam over so they all lay to the same side. 4. When the top is prepared, press well and even off the top and bottom edges. Place all applique where you want it and pin / baste to hold. In order to add definition I used a zigzag stitch all round the beehives. Other applique was placed using a straight stitch. 5. The bolster is quite a big area and in creating the top I made two distinct sides (right and left) and (side 1 and side 2) thereby allowing 4 areas for applique decoration. I have created the bolster with all the beehives sitting in the same vertical position allowing movement to be along the horizontal line. Side 1: Right Hand Side Side 2: Right hand side Side 1: Left Hand Side Side 2: Left Hand Side To see more from Marie visit her website thecraftypixy.com. Made by Marie Pickles for The Craft Cotton Co 2022.

Project by Stephanie Marsh You will need: 51 x 35cm main fabric. 29 x 35cm mesh fabric. 2 fat quarter contrasting fabric (same or different colours). 1 x 35 cm zip (or continuous zip). Bondaweb. Matching thread. Instructions: Cut out the following: Main fabric – 51cm x 35cm - 1 Mesh – 29cm x 35cm – 1 Contrast – strips for sides 43cm x 5cm – 2 Contrast – strips for either sides of the zips 8cm x 35cm – 2 2. On the Bondaweb draw the letters for the LAUNDRY, remember to do these in reverse. Roughly cut them on and iron them onto the wrong side of the contrasting fat quarters. Neatly cut them out. 3. Using a pin score the backing paper of the Bondaweb and place the letters where you want them to sit. Pin in place and using a steam iron set them in place, lightly first, then remove the pin and press in place. 4. Using a close zig zag stitch or a decorative stitch, stitch all around the letter to permanently fix it in place. 5. Now sew the zip strips onto the top of the mesh fabric and main fabric. To do this match the raw edges of the strips and main pieces along the short edges of the main pieces right side strips to wrong side main pieces, sew in place using a 1cm seam allowance. Press them upwards, be careful you don’t burn/melt the mesh fabric. 6. Press over 1cm on the unsewn edge of the strip, the fold it over onto the right side and topstitch in place. 7. Using a zipper foot, stitch the zip in along each of the folded edges of the main and mesh fabric strips. 8. With wrong sides together match the bottom of the mesh and main fabric and stitch using a 0.5cm seam allowance. 9. Press seam from right side, then with right sides together stitch together using a 1cm seam allowance. This is called a French seam and all raw edges are enclosed. 10. With wrong sides together pin the side seams together and stitch or tack in place. 11. Take the side strip and matching raw edges place right sides together on the back of the bag. Stitch in place 1cm from the edge, leave 1.5cm of the strips over the top and bottom of the bag. 12. Press the strips away from the bag. Turn the 1.5cm over hangs of the edge of the strips to the inside of the strips, press in place. 13. Press 1cm to the wrong side of the other edge of the side strips, then fold it over again encasing the raw edge and just covering the first row of stitching. 14. Top stitch in place. To see more from Stephanie follow her on @stephanie_j_marsh. Made by Stephanie Marsh for The Craft Cotton Co 2022.

Project by Stephanie Marsh You will need: 2 pieces of fabric approx. 22cm x 12cm 1 piece wadding approx. 22cm x 12cm 1 strip fabric 54cm x 6cm Elastic 2cm wide x 32cm On paper draw the shape of the face mask (or half then fold piece of paper in half and trace onto other side). If you are not confident with drawing a one you can find them free online of the likes of Pinterest. Instructions: 1. Cut out 3 eye pieces, 2 from the fabrics and 1 from wadding. 2. Take the strip of fabric, fold in half lengthways, sew along the length of the strip using a ½ cm seam allowance. 3. Turn right sides out, press. 4. Fasten a safety pin to one short end of the elastic and feed through the tube of fabric. When the end of the elastic without the safety pin is level with the end of the tube of fabric secure it in place with a few tacking stitches. Keep feeding the elastic through until it comes out the other end. Hold onto the elastic and take the safety pin off. Pull the elastic back in until the end become level with the fabric. Secure in place with some more tacking stitches. 5. Take the wadding eye piece and place it in front of you, place on pf the fabric eye pieces on top, right side up. Place the fabric covered elastic on top, with the raw edges meeting the raw edges of the fabric eye piece. Sew a few stiches through all layers to hold the elastic in place. 6. Take the second fabric eyepiece place right side down on top of the other first piece. Stitch all the way around, using a 1cm seam allowance, leaving a gap at the top on the straight edge. I used a lot of pins to hold this in place to stop fabrics moving. 7. Trim the wadding close to the stitching line. Then trim fabric with pinking shears or clip the curves. 8. Turn right sides out, press and ladder stitch the gap closed. To see more from Stephanie follow her on Instagram @stephanie_j_marsh. Made by Stephanie Marsh for The Craft Cotton Co 2022.

Project by Michelle Roberts AKA Creative Blonde Fabric: Love & Romance Follow my tutorial to make these rustic wedding invitations. Materials to make one invitation: 6” x 9” piece of your favourite cardstock (fold in half) Plus 2 ¼” x 1 “piece for the label (favourite cardstock) 3” x 1 ½” piece of hessian 5” x 13” piece of sage green fabric from the collection 10” natural twine Gutermann thread Haberdashery items: Quilter’s ruler Rotary cutter/scissors Iron Cutting mat Basic sewing supplies Lets get creative... Take your piece of cardstock, measuring 4 ½” x 6” once folded in half. Sew piece of hessian in place to the bottom centre of card (remember to have card open when sewing) Sew piece of card stock in centre of hessian piece. Create the bow, by folding the 5” x 13” piece of fabric in half to create a 2 ½” x 13” piece, sew along raw edge using ¼” seam allowance, leaving a 2” gap in the centre (for turning) With seam in the centre, press seam open. Sew along each short edge. Turn right side out. Hand sew the 2” gap using a blanket stitch. Sew the two short edges together using a blanket stitch. Slip over invitation, and pinch bow together in the centre and secure with a piece of twine, tie into a bow, trim excess length. Add extra applique detail from the fabric collection if desired. To see more from Michelle follow her on Instagram @creativeblondegifts or Facebook, and don't forget to visit her website creativeblondegifts.com. Made by Michelle Roberts for The Craft Cotton Co 2022.

Project by Kimberley Hind This summery bag features a large frill around the edge and a drawstring top for to keep belongings more secure. Fabric used: Voysey – Amongst the Leaves and Ornamental Tree from the Birds of Nature collection. What you’ll need: Bag pattern 68 x 45cm Outer fabric 34 x 31cm Lining fabric 34 x 31cm Vlieseline H630 Two pieces of frill fabric each measuring 85 x 14cm 176cm Ribbon Large safety pin Pins or clips Erasable fabric pen and ruler Finished size: 44 x 38cm Use 1cm Seam allowance unless stated otherwise. Print the bag pattern to 100% scale. Join the 2 pattern pieces together along the ‘join’ line and cut out the shape. Instructions: 1. Cut 2 outer and 2 lining fabrics to the size of the pattern. You’ll be cutting each of the fabric pieces on the fold. Cut 2 strips of fabric from the same outer fabric measuring 10 x 62cm for the straps. You’ll need these later! 2. Adhere fleece to the back of each outer piece of fabric. 3. Draw diagonal lines 2” apart in two directions on the two outer pieces of fabric with your erasable fabric pen. These will be the guide for crosshatch quilting. Sew along each line to quilt. 4. Join the two frill fabric strips right sides together along one short edge to create one long strip. 5. Fold the strip in half lengthways with wrong sides together and press. 6. Sew two rows of gathering stitches along the raw edge side of the strip. Two rows will help the gathering to sit flat. To sew gathering stitches, set your sewing machine to the longest stitch. Leave a few cm of thread at each end. 7. Pull on the 2 bottom threads at each end of the strip to start gathering. Keep gathering until the frill is the size of the outer edge of the outer bag fabric. Sew in place inside the seam allowance. 8. To make the channel for the draw string, cut two strips of outer fabric each measuring 28 x 14cm. Fold the two strips in half lengthways with wrong sides together and press. Fold the short ends over twice by 0.75cm and press. 9. To make the straps, press each strap strip in half lengthways with wrong sides together. Open and press the long sides in to meet in the middle. Fold the strip in half again and press. Sew down each long side of the straps to finish. 10. Pin the strap to the top of the bag facing inwards, 4cm from each side. Place the channel over the top, raw edges together. Adjust the straps so that they sit just under the ends of the channel if necessary, then sew in place. Repeat with the remaining bag piece. 11. Sew the lining right sides together to each outer bag piece across the top. 12. Place the two bag pieces right sides together, lining to lining and outer to outer. Pin or clip in place matching the middle seams. Sew around the entire edge leaving a small gap in the base of the lining for turning. 13. Turn the bag right side out and sew the opening closed. Tuck the lining inside of the bag. Top stitch around the top of the bag. 14. Cut the ribbon in half. Use a safety pin to thread the ribbon though the channels in opposite directions. Tie a knot in the ends to secure. 15. That’s the bag finished! Pull on the ribbons on either side of the bag to close. To see more from Kim follow her on Instagram @whatkimberleymakes or Facebook @whatkimberleymakes or visit her website whatkimberleymakes.com. Made by Kimberley Hind for The Craft Cotton Co 2022.

These bright and bold cushions make the perfect addition to brighten up any room, super easy to store too – just stack them up! Materials Moroccan Bazaar fabric by The Craft cotton Company 6 different colours per cushion Batting Thread Scissors Stuffing Needle Paper Ruler Pencil Pins Compass/something circular to draw around (circumferences: large cushion 28 cm, small cushion 18 cm, circular middle piece 5 cm) Step 1 Draw out your templates by drawing a circle with a 28 cm diameter on to a piece of paper (small 18 cm). Divide this circle into 8 and cut so you have 8 template pieces. Choose 4 of the 6 fabrics and cut out (ensuring you add on a 0.5 cm seam allowance), you will need 16 pieces in total – 4 of each fabric colour. Step 2 Take 8 of the fabric pieces (2 of each colour) and layout so that you have 2 halves consisting of one piece of each fabric colour which matching fabrics opposite each other. To make sewing to together easier split the circle into four sections consisting of 2 fabric pieces, sew the two pieces together making quarters then sew 2 quarters together to make a half then join the two halves together. Repeat this with the remaining 8 pieces to make the back. Step 3 Cut out 2 pieces of batting the same size as the front and back pieces place behind the patchwork piece and add quilted detail. Step 4 To make the circular middle piece draw a 5 cm diameter circle onto paper and cut out. Cut out 2 circles from one of the remaining 2 unused fabrics. Hand sew a line of stitching 0.5 cm from the edge and pull tight, sew to secure. Sew on to the middle of the front and back patchwork pieces. Step 5 Cut a strip of fabric from the remaining unused fabric piece and piece of batting 7 cm wide (5 cm for the small cushion) and 88 cm long (57 for the small cushion) to form the middle of the cushion. Place the batting behind the fabric piece and fold the batting and fabric strip in half down its short edge right sides together and sew down the short edge. Step 6 Placing right sides together pin the middle piece to the front piece of the cushion, sew to secure. Repeat for the back ensuring to leave an 8 cm gap for turning. Step 7 Stuff the cushion and slip stitch close the gap. Your cushion is now complete! Made by Lesley Foster at Hook, Stitch Sew for the Craft Cotton Company 2018 #sprocket #cushion #moroccanbazaar #fatquarters #freesewingtutorial #home

We all have some sort of gadgets and I often find I have my IPad propped up while I’m sewing so I can watch something on the screen at the same time, so I thought I’d make myself a small beanbag so that I could position it in at the best angle. Of course you could make this for any size of tablet or phone and it’s equally great for propping a book on! What you will need: Pencil Ruler Paper Scissors Pins Needle & thread Bean bag filling 0.5m of The Craft Cotton Company’s Mr Fox Cotton Print First, make your patterns: To get the size of the base, I measured the width of the tablet and used this as the size of the square (13cm in my case). Add 1cm seam allowance lines around the square. The crosses in the corners show where to start/stop the seam when sewing. For the side panels of the bag, use the width measurement of the square (13cm in my case) and use this to draw the base of the rectangle. To get the height measurement for the rectangle, measure the height of your tablet and add 10cm. Use these measurements to make your rectangle. To provide space in the bean bag for the gadget to sit resting against the support, this panel needs to increase in width in the lower half and reduce towards the top to produce a petal shape as illustrated in the picture. Measure the top edge of your curved piece and make a small square to fit this size, then make a narrow strip 10cm x 2.5cm for the handle. Next, cut the fabric and sew: On the wrong-side of your fabric, draw around the patterns. You will need to cut 4 side panels, 1 large square, 1 small square and 1 handle strip. Taking two side panels, place the fabrics with right sides together and pin. Sew along 1 long edge with a 1cm seam allowance. Repeat this with the other side-panels so that they are all joined. When all 4 pieces are joined you will have a sort of tube. Now make the handle Next, take your narrow strip fold in half lengthways, right-sides together, and sew along edge. This can then be turned in the right-way. Take each end of the strip and sew the ends to opposite sides of the small square to make the handle. Carefully pin the small square to the smaller opening of the tube piece. Be careful not to catch handle in seam, then sew in place. I have pinned all the way around the square, but if you find it easier you could pin and sew each side at a time. Finally, sew the bottom and fill: Repeat the steps of how you sewed in the top square with the bottom square. Make sure to leave a 6cm opening in one seam so you are able to turn through to the right-way and fill the bag. When the bag has been turned through, it can be filled with bean bag filling! Tip: I made a paper funnel to help with this bit. Fill almost to the top but don’t overfill as you want to be able to sit gadget into it (about ¾ full should do it). Finally, close the opening using a slip-stitch and its ready to use! Why not make a smaller one for your phone too. © By Nick Broom at Sew and Snip for The Craft Cotton Company 2016 #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco

Project by Helen Bowes In this tutorial we look at how to create a RaRa (or layered) skirt. I decided to make this as a present for one of my nieces. My daughter loved (still does love) her RaRa skirt so I thought I’d make one no one else would have. As always start with gathering your equipment together. Equipment needed: 1-inch wide elastic Material of your choice – you may want patterned or plain or a mixture Sewing machine, needle and thread Pattern marking device such as tailor’s chalk Cutting mat and rotary cutter or scissors Iron and ironing board Tape measure Child The first stage is to choose a fabric that will work for the character of the child you are making for. So, in this case the fabric that will form the ruffles is made from a Minnie mouse fabric. The connecting layers are made out of a base pink. The idea is that when the child spins the skirt layers will separate and you will see the pink under the Minnie mouse fabric. So, in order to make your skirts you need to know how big your child is!!! Measurements should be made where you want the skirt to sit. So, you can measure around the child’s waist or, if you want it to sit slightly lower then measure around the hips or anywhere between their waist and hips. In this case the skirt will sit on the girl’s hips. In terms of fabric the elastic is width +1. The connecting pieces are width x 1.5. The ruffle pieces are the length of the connecting pieces x 2. Next you want to work out the length of the skirt. This skirt was going to have a drop of 10 inches. Once you know the drop, you need to decide how many layers the skirt will have. As most RaRa skirts have three layers we will be sticking with convention. So, your maths will be 10/3 to know the width of each layer. Factor in for the waist band being an additional inch. Skirt Width Maths: Child’s measurement = 20inches Elastic: 20 + 1 = 21 inches Connector: 20 x 1.5 = 30 inches Ruffles: 30 (connector length) x 2 = 60 inches Skirt Length Maths: Ideal drop = 10 inches Number of layers wanted = 3 To allow for allowances aim for each layer to be 4 inches. Final Measurement: Elastic = 21 x 1” 3 x Connector pieces = 30”x4” 3 x layer pieces = 60” x 4” Once you have your measurements you can cut out your fabric. For the ruffle pieces, I needed to join two lengths of 30” material together to get a piece long enough. Sew a seam by placing the pieces right side together and sewing along one short edge. Once sewn press this edge flat. The next stage is to hem the bottom edge of your ruffle pieces. It is easier to do this at this stage before you create the ruffles. Using a standard sewing machine, the best way to hem is to fold the edge over ¼ inch and press with an iron. Then fold over ¼ inch again so in total you’ve turned over ½ inch of material. Press with an iron and then sew along the edge. Once this is all complete you can make the flat material into ruffled material. To create the gather set your stitch length on your machine to the longest possible. This is usually around 4 or 5. Sew from one end of your fabric to the other following these rules: · Do NOT back stitch at either end · Have long tails of thread · Do more than one row with a few mm between each row · Don’t cross your sewn lines Once you have sewn your lines you can start the gather. Split your threads at one end into the thread that sits on top of the fabric and the thread that sits underneath (on the wrong side) of the fabric and chose which strands you will use. I used the threads sat on top of the fabric. Now pull on these threads and you will see the fabric start to gather. Move the gather along the fabric as you create more. The aim is to have the gathered fabric be as long as the connector piece of fabric. Once you are happy turn the fabric, so the right sides are together and sew a ½ inch seam joining the two short edges together. The next step is building the skirt. Place the ruffled piece inside your connecting piece with the right sides facing each other. Use plenty of pins or clips to hold the pieces together. The aim is to get the ruffles evenly spaced around the piece. Once you are happy sew ½ inch seam around the skirt layer to bring the two layers together. If you have an overlocker you can then use this on the seam – I don’t so I used a box stitch to go over the seam to secure all the stitches in place. Once sewn into place turn the right way around and press your seam. This bottom tier is the only tier where you are stitching two pieces together. Now to create the next layer you need to sandwich three pieces together. Place your ruffle piece with the wrong side facing the right side of the previous connecting piece. Then place your next connecting piece over the top of this with the wrong side facing out. So, you end up with your ruffle piece sandwiched between two connecting pieces. Once sewn together and you are happy, turn the right way around and press the seam as you did with the first piece. Repeat this until all your layers are sewn together. In my case I have three tiers, so it looks like this with it all sewn together: With your layers all complete, you can look at creating the waist band. Cut your elastic to the length you need. The top connector piece will turn into your waist band. Create a hem on this top piece by folding over ¼ inch and pressing down. I found it easiest to turn the whole skirt inside out and press down over the end of my ironing board. Now fold this whole top layer in half so you are creating a pocket through which the elastic will fit. Press this down with your iron to create a crisp edge. Before you sew, check that your elastic will comfortably fit in this pocket and is not too wide. Once you are happy, turn the skirt so it is the right way away. Top stitch along the bottom of the waist band so you capture your turned edge. Leave a 2-inch gap where you do not sew as you will thread your elastic through this gap. Double check you have caught your edge on the wrong side of the skirt. I had to go back and restitch as I managed to miss a section of the seam on the inside. To thread the elastic, the easiest way I have found is to place a safety pin on one end of the elastic. Place this end into your pocket and use the safety pin as your guide as your move it through the pocket. Safety pin the other end of your elastic to the fabric so you don’t lose it into the pocket. Slow and steady wins this one…... if you rush you risk losing the safety pin off your elastic and will need to start again. Once you have threaded the elastic through, sew the two ends of the elastic together. Place the completed elastic loop so it is within the pocket. Top stitch your opening closed. Press the skirt one final time. You now have a completed RaRa skirt! To see more from Helen, visit her on Instagram! Made by Helen Bowes for The Craft Cotton Company 2020