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Project by Helen Bowes When I saw this fabric the first thing that sprang to mind was a stuffed elephant sat in the corner of a baby’s cot or toddler’s bed. Step 1: Find your materials. For this project you will need the following supplies: · Material – I used a selection of 3 different patterned materials. · Thread · Soft toy stuffing · Wadding · Sewing machine · Pins and clips · Card, pen and fabric marker · Template - download here Step 2: Prepare fabric. Decide which fabric you are going to use for which part of the elephant. Print out the template – you will need to match the two body parts and two underside parts together and tape. Place your templates on your fabric and mark around them. For the body, head and underside, you will need to cut out two pieces which match when placed together. The easiest way to do this is to fold your fabric with right sides facing and then mark around your template staying away from the fold line. This way, once cut out, you will have two pieces that are the opposite way round from each other. The same needs to be done for the body and ears. You will need 4 ear pieces cut out as well as two pieces of wadding cut out in the ear shape. 4 circles for the feet will be needed too. Step 3: Make ears. Cut out 2 ears from the wadding; this will be sandwiched in the centre of your elephants’ ears to allow them to stand on their own once sewn in place. Put your two fabric pieces with right sides facing and then place your wadding on top. Pin or clip in place so they don’t move. Sew the curved edges together, leaving the straight edge open, with a seam allowance of 3/8th inch. Once sewn, turn the ears the right way round through the opening you have left. Sew a line of stitching about 1cm in from the edge following the line you have already sewn. You can either leave the ear like this or to give a more 3D effect, you can use toy stuffing and put this in the tunnel you have just created. This takes patience and the use of something like the blunt end of a pencil or paintbrush. Step 4: Make the head: Lay the two head sections with right sides facing. Sew around the head using a 3/8-inch seam allowance bar that straight edge. Set aside once sewn. Step 5: Make the underside. Lay your two pieces with right sides facing. Sew along the long straight edge with a 3/8th inch seam allowance. Leave the central 10cm of this side raw so there is a gap. Once sewn your two lines, press with seams flat. This opening is important in later stages for turning the elephant the right way round. Step 6: Place the back strip. For your elephant to have a 3D effect, you need to insert a strip of fabric at the back to expand this space. Lay down one piece of your body right side up. Pin the insert right side down to this panel, lining up points A and B. Lay the second body panel right side down on top of the first panel. Now pin the insert to this piece with right sides facing together. Once in place, stitch together with a 3/8th seam allowance leaving the top and bottom 1 cm unstitched. With both sides sewn, the top of the body can be sewn together. Step 7: Join underside piece. Place your elephant so the legs are apart and the material has the right side facing upwards. Place your stitched underside between the legs right side face down. Pin all the way around and stitch in place. You will have excess material at the back end of your elephant. Do NOT stitch the feet closed as you will close these later. Clip around the edge to allow it all to sit neatly. Step 8: Attach the head. Lay your elephant out flat with the head next to it. The body of your elephant will have the wrong side facing up whereas the head is right side facing up. Insert the head into the neck opening keeping the right side facing up. Line up your top and bottom seams and pin in place. Sew together – you may need a slightly smaller seam allowance. Once sewn, clip the edge. Step 9: Turn the right way round and stuff. Through the opening in the underside, pull the fabric through and turn your elephant the right way round. Now you can stuff your elephant through this hole starting with the trunk, then head, legs and finally body. Once stuffed to your satisfaction, sew the central hole closed. Step 10: Finish feet and ears. The 4 circles insert one in each foot. Fold the edge of the leg over and pin in place. Tuck each circle into the opening and pin. Complete by hand stitching them in place. Sew the ears onto the elephants head. Step 11: Make a tassel tail. Find some wool that matches the colours on your elephant. I selected two colours and wrapped these around my hand about 25 times. Once this is done, you need to place a small length of wool in one end and tie this to hold all the threads together. Take the wool off your hand and cut it at the opposite end to your holding thread. With more wool, create a head to your tassel. Wrap the wool multiple times around the whole of your wool around 1/3 down from your holding thread. Secure by tying at multiple stages including your first few wraps around. Or look at a gathering knot such as is used in macrame. Once complete, trim so the lengths are all the same and stitch onto your elephant. Step 12: Name your elephant. Your elephant is now complete and just needs one more thing…… a name! To see more from Helen, visit her on Instagram @phoenix_crafting

Project by Anna at LetsGetSewing As evidenced by the large number of plain t-shirts that I have sewn over the years, I’m a big fan of making wardrobe staples. I prefer using plain fabrics to prints because I know that these will get a lot of wear and they’re easy to pair with clothes that I already own. I recently made a couple of sleeveless turtleneck tops using Craft Cotton Co’s cotton jersey range and I’ve worn them so much (finally, a top that goes with more than one pair of trousers!) that I wanted to make another plain white t-shirt. I realise that most people probably don’t want to reuse exactly the same fabric immediately after completing a sewing project, but like I said I’m a fan of wardrobe staples and I’d rather make five tops from the same fabric that all get worn than five tops in different prints that I don’t like so much. Obviously I didn’t want to make something too similar out of the same fabric, and the great thing about jersey t-shirts is the ability to make something that looks completely different with just a few tweaks to the base pattern. For example, this top looks completely different to my turtleneck one as the sleeves, hem length, looseness of fit and neckline have all been changed. A design that I’ve been wanting to try for a while is a square-necked t-shirt. It’s a really lovely neckline shape, probably used more commonly in woven blouses and dresses but adding it to a jersey t-shirt makes it feel more casual. I also love how it looks in a white jersey; I think it’s a t-shirt that I’ll be able to dress up or down depending on what I pair it with. Hacking a basic t-shirt pattern into a square neckline was pretty simple. I started by measuring how far along I wanted the square to go, and also how deep. When it comes to hacking a pattern like this I’d always recommend taking out less fabric rather than more, you can always make the square cut out larger but the reverse isn’t possible! I’m pretty pleased with the depth of the square that I ended up with and I like the slight trapezoid shape of the bodice, meaning that the angle is obtuse rather than a sharp right angle up to the shoulder. The only thing that I would change next time is that I made the neckline a bit too wide at the shoulder and the sleeve slips down slightly from time to time, although it isn’t a massive problem. After cutting out my bodice pieces I also drafted a 1.5” deep facing which I sewed around the neckline and flipped to the inside. I then topstitched around the neckline to secure the facing, leaving a deep hem that I really like the look of and taking care to keep the stitches neat around the corners. I initially wasn’t sure what the back of this top should look like, but decided to copy the front and make this bit square too. It actually goes down a bit deeper than the front, and I think a nice alternative could be to have a high front neckline with a square cut-out only at the back. I tend to always finish sleeves in the same way but for this top I chose to make them a bit longer than usual, ending them just above the elbow. It’s a good way to balance out the lower neckline, and I think it also makes the top a bit smarter. I left a 1.5” hem on the sleeves and on the bottom to mimic the neckline, the kind of detail that to me really finishes a top. To see more from Anna, visit her on Instagram @letsgetsewing1 Made by Anna for The Craft Cotton Co 2021

This peg bag is the perfect accessory for your washing line this summer, keeping all those pegs easily accessible in one place along with the added bonus of looking great too. Materials Dark blue cotton denim fabric by The Craft Cotton Company: two pieces 40 x 40cm for the front and back (one piece 80 x 40 cm cut in two) Batting: two pieces 40 x 40 cm (one piece 80 x 40 cm cut in two) Fabric strips: 2 40 x 2cm strips, a fat quarter from the Paisley bird fat quarter set was used in this tutorial 2 fat quarter pieces in your chosen pattern/colour, 2 quarters from the Paisley bird fat quarter set by The Craft Cotton Company were used in this tutorial Scissors Pins Needle Thread Pencil Coat hanger: 30cm along the base Step 1 Take your coat hanger and lay it out on the denim fabric, draw a line around the coat hanger leaving a 2cm gap. Draw a line 24 cm down from the bottom of the coat hanger for the bottom of the bag. Next draw a line to connect the line around the coat hanger and the bottom of the bag. Cut out for your front peg bag piece then use this as the template to cut the back of the peg bag. Step 2 On the front peg bag piece draw a line across the bag 20 cm up from the bottom and cut so you have two pieces for the front of the bag. Step 3 Using the front and back denim pieces as a template cut out the lining and batting so you have lining and batting for the front and back of the peg bag. Step 4 Take the front pieces of denim fabric lining and batting, laying the lining fabric down first followed by the batting then the denim fabric, take the fabric strips (35 x 2cm) and place them right sides together against the denim fabric along the top edge of the bottom front piece and bottom edge of the top piece. Sew a line 1.5 cm from the edge of the strips, then fold the strip over to the back. Fold the raw edge over then fold again to make a hem then slip stitch along to hold in place. Step 5 Take the top front piece and fold the top edge over inwards by 1 cm, repeat for the back piece (making sure to fold the top of back batting and lining piece with it) and pin to hold. Step 6 Place the front and back pieces right sides together and sew around to secure, making sure to leave the top edge where the top of the coat hanger will come out unsewn. Turn the bag out the right way and your finished. Step 7 Place the front and back pieces right sides together and sew around to secure, making sure to leave the top edge where the top of the coat hanger will come out unsewn. Turn the bag out the right way and your finished. © by Lesley Foster at Hook, Stitch, Sew for The Craft Cotton Company 2017 #sewing #freesewingtutorials #denim #home

Project by Sarah at SJStitchery These gorgeous hair scrunchies and drawstring pouches are a quick summer project and are super handy to throw in a bag and head out. You will need One selection pack of fat quarters ¼ inch elastic Scissors/Rotary Cutter and Mat/ Pins/Thread/Needles METHOD SUMMER SCRUNCHIES 1. Using your rotary cutter, cut a strip of fabric measuring 22 inches long by approximately 3.5 inches wide. 2. With right sides together, fold the fabric strip in half and stitch a seam to join the 3.5 inch ends together. You should now have a loop of fabric. 3. Keeping right sides together, fold out the seam to the centre of the fabric. Fold the top loop of fabric inside the middle of the fabric, as shown below. Fold the two outside edges of fabric together and start to sew along the raw edges, ensuring you keep the middle piece of fabric tucked inside as you go. 4. Keep sewing along the outside seams, gently pulling through the inside fabric until you have formed a whole tube. 5. Pull the tube inside out and press seam flat with an iron. 6. Cut 9 inches of elastic and thread it through your scrunchie tube. 7. Tie a secure knot in the elastic and sew up the gap. Enjoy your summer scrunchie! METHOD DRAWSTRING BAGS 1. Using your rotary cutter, cut a strip of fabric measuring 14x6 inches. 2. Stitch a small hem on both of the 6 inch sides. 3. With right sides together, fold the fabric strip in half. 4. Make a drawstring casing on the top of the bag by folding the two hems back about ½ an inch. Pin into place. 5. From the edge of the casing, stitch down the two sides of the bag. 6. Sew the casing in place, leaving a gap at the top of the bag for the drawstring to be threaded through. 7. Turn bag out the right way and press with an iron. 8. To make the drawstrings for the bag, cut two strips of fabric, measuring 1.5 by 22 inches. 9. Fold the strips to make a bias binding. 10. Sew down the open sides of the bias binding to make a string. 11. Thread half of the bias string through one side of the casing of the bag and then thread the second strip through the other side of the casing to make a drawstring. Make a knot in the ends. Pull the strings to drawstring the bag. Your bag is complete. To see more from Sarah, visit her on Instagram @sjstitchery Made by Sarah Holliman for The Craft Cotton Company 2021

Project by Rebecca Cole The prints on these garden themed fabrics are so delicious they are just crying out to be turned into an apron. Whether you use this for cooking in the kitchen or pottering around the garden, you will be able to do it in comfort and style! Time to Make: 1-2 hrs Skill Level: Beginner You Will Need: · In The Garden Metre pieces x2 · Sewing machine · Complimentary sewing thread · Fabric pen · Ruler · Straight pins · Tape measure · Fabric scissors · Iron Method: 1. Fold your main fabric over lengthways, right sides together, approx. 36cm. Draw a line with your fabric pen 36cm along the bottom edge of the fabric starting from the folded edge. Mark a point 12cm along from the folded edge along this same line and then draw a vertical line parallel to the fold 85cm up and top this off with a 12cm line to create an 85cm x 12cm rectangle along the folded edge. Next, draw a vertical line up from the end of the bottom line, 58cm up. Draw a 24cm horizontal line across to meet the other vertical line, creating a 24cm x 58cm rectangle sitting alongside the first one. Now draw a line at 45 degrees from the point where the smaller rectangle meets the longer rectangle. Make this line 8cm long. Now using the lines as a guide, draw a curve the joins the top of the long rectangle, the end of the 45-degree line, and the end of the smaller rectangle. Once completed, cut out your shape. 2. From your second fabric, cut strips for the neck strap and waist straps. You need two at 2cm x 85cm and one at 2cm x 54cm. Using your iron, press in 0.5cm along each long edge and then fold them in half and press, lining up the folded sides. Top stitch along the open side on each strip. 3. Stitch a 5mm roll hem around the curved sides of the apron and press them. 4. Press down 1cm along the top edge and then 2cm to make a large hem. Place the ends of the shortest of the three tapes you just stitched underneath the hem and pin in place. The neck strap will be laying downwards towards the inside bottom of the apron. Stitch along the folded edge, trapping the ends of the neck strap inside. Finally, fold up the neck strap and top stitch along the top edge to hold the straps in the right place. 5. Next place one of the ends of the side tapes at the top side edge. Create a 0.5cm roll hem over the end of the straps and stitch all the way down, neatening the side edges and enclosing the side tapes at the same time. 6. Turn the raw ends of the straps over 0.5cm twice and stitch down to neaten the straps. 7. To make the pocket cut 2 panels 44cm x 22cm. Place them right sides together and stitch a 1cm seam all the way around leaving a turning gap along the bottom long edge. Trim off the excess from the corners and turn through. Pull out the corners and press the edges. 8. Position the pocket piece centrally onto the apron and pin in place. Stitch all the way around the two sides and bottom edges a few mm in from the edge, closing the turning gap at the same time. Reverse stitch at the start and end for added strength. Mark and draw a vertical line down the centre of the pocket piece and top stitch along this line turning one large pocket into 2 smaller ones. Your apron is now complete. To see more from Rebecca, follow her on Instagram @becky_cole_sews Made by Rebecca Cole for The Craft Cotton Company 2021

"The Festival of Quilts was launched in 2003 in partnership with The Quilters’ Guild as a hub for people from all over the world to come together and share their passion for quilting. 17 years on and it is now the biggest quilting show in Europe attracting over 26,000 quilting fanatics each year. It is also home to the largest open quilt competition in the world." We had a fabulous time at this years Festival of Quilts. It's one of our favourite craft events of the year and it was so lovely to be able to walk around and soak up all of the talent and creativity from quilters around the globe. The festival felt especially Covid safe and there was a clear trend of 'lockdown' amongst many of the designs. It's inspiring to see how something bleak like staying indoors because of a virus can be interpreted into something so imaginative and beautiful. It was especially wonderful to see some of our amazing bloggers, awesome customers and sewing friends that we have missed so dearly. Here are some of our team's favourites from the day, we forgot to get credits from some of them so if you know who made them please let us know! Talia's favourites - Graffiti Gang - Moira Neal and William Pengelly Histon, Cambridge, UK Find out more about this quilt here Perpetual Emotions - Paula Steel Coventry, UK @paulasteel.quilts Keeping The Homeless Warm - Bethan Ash @queenstgallery "The material content in the conception of a Welsh blanket, brings to light many of the uncomfortable truths of todays society" Harmony Between the Selves - Selby Hurst Inglefeld selbyhi.com Los dos años de Paula - Juana Castañeda Romera Alex's favourites - Meet me Today - Pascale Michalski www.pascalemichalski.com Vicky's Favourites - Floating Village - Lena Meszaros Orsay, France Some special mentions... we loved this 2020 Reflections - A Community Group Quilt by The Rainbow Quilters (from Lincolnshire) and we spotted some of our gardening fabric! Jewish New Year Fruits and Honey mini quilt by Andrea Brooks @dressmakingbyandrea Prejudice to Pride in Cheshire - Molly Brown and Stan Hill thefestivalofquilts.co.uk

Project by Rebecca Cole As the weather is warming up and we are eating outside more, these gorgeous bowl cosies are a great way to make your table look great! They are super practical too as they make carrying hot bowls straight from the microwave a breeze! Time to Make: 1 hr Skill Level: Beginner You Will Need: · Camil Cotton FQ pack · 25cm square of thermolan or similar heat proof wadding · Sewing machine · Complimentary sewing thread · Fabric pen · Ruler · Straight pins · Tape measure · Fabric scissors · Iron Method: 1. Cut out 2 x 25cm squares for each bowl cosy you are making, and one 25cm square of thrermolan. 2. Take the fabric squares and press them diagonally. Lay one of the squares (the fabric you want for the inside of your bowl cosy) on top of the thermolan, right side up. Pin and top stitch across the diagonal lines, through both layers. Repeat the process with the outside fabric, press and top stitch, but only through the fabric. There is no thermolan for this second layer. 3. Fold the thermolan layer in half widthways and pin along the folded edge. Using a ruler and fabric pen, mark a dart 2.5cm along the short edges and 5cm along the folded edge. Join these two points with a diagonal line. Stitch across this line. Once you have done this on both the left and right sides of the fold, unfold the fabric and refold in the opposite direction. Repeat the darting process so you should now have 4 darts, one on each side. Repeat this process with the outer fabric layer. 4. Snip along the thermolan darts so that they open flat. Press the darts to one side on both fabric layers. 5. Sit the thermolan layer so that you are looking at the right side of the fabric. Lay the other fabric layer face down so right sides together, lining up the corners and darts. Pin together. 6. Stitch 1cm seam allowance around the outside edge all the way round, leaving a small gap down one edge between a corner and a dart. Snip into the darts seam allowance and trim away the excess from the corners. Turn the whole thing through the gap and press the edges. 7. Top stitch all the way around the outside of the cover a few mm in from the edge. Ta-da! Made by Rebecca Cole for The Craft Cotton Company 2021

Project by Katie Done at The Fabric Squirrel It gets harder and harder to think of new things to create that I haven't written about before. Since I had gone for a seaside theme with my other Snoopy makes, I thought about what other seaside makes I could come up with. I had plenty of fabric to play with and so I thought I would give a windbreak a go. It was so easy, and I cannot wait to take it with us for extra wind protection and shade the next time we are able to visit the seaside. You will need Pink Fabric 120cm Green Fabric 120cm Blue Fabric 120cm Lining 360cm Wooden Steaks 1.5m x 30mm Drill Interfacing Offcuts Sewing Machine Loop Turner Fabric Marker Ruler Pins Method 1. Measure and cut your fabric. In each colour they will need to be 120cm and the full width of the fabric which is usually around 112cm wide. I did some research, and this seemed to be the average height of most windbreaks. You could of course make yourself a smaller version. Cut the lining to the same size. I have used a lovely pale yellow. Measure the width of your fabrics and trim one if needed so they are both the same width. TIP: I sell fabric by the long quarter, as do many fabric shops so you could order 1m + 1 long quarter for 125cm pieces rather than round up to 1.5m if you don't need it. OR you could make the matching beach bag with the extra fabric. 2. This was such a large project, it was really hard to get good pictures on my kitchen floor. Sew the three parts of the lining and the three main fabrics together at the side seams so you have two large pieces. 3. With right sides together pin the lining to the front, matching up at the seams. 4. Sew the sides and top with a 1/4" seam allowance. 5. On the seams where the lining and front meat, iron on some pieces of interfacing. This will add strength to the fabric where the steaks will be. 6. You will need 4 ties. Cut 4 2" wide x 18” long strips. I have done this in the pink. Sew them along the long edge with right sides together and then turn them out. I have used my trusty loop turner. 7. Turn over the ties twice at one end and top stitch. 8. Press the bottom edge of the windbreaks by 1" all the way around the front and lining. Make a mark 2" either side of each seam and 3" from each end. Top stitch and backstitch at the marks you have made. 9. Place a tie where the fabric meets on the front and back and stitch in place. Do this on the front and the lining but on the two ends, stitch two in place. 10. Use a fabric marker and a ruler to mark 3" from the ends. Mark 2" either side of the middle seams. Add some pins to keep the fabric from slipping. Sew with a straight stitch over the line you have made. Backstitch at the start and end. 11. Pin the bottom edge together, match up the seams. Top stitch all the way along the bottom up to the top stitching you have already done. You need to leave a gap for the steaks to be threaded though. 12. Put your wooden steaks into the channels you have created and mark the end. You will need to drill some holes at this point to thread the ties through. This will prevent it from riding up. Once you have your holes, thread one of the ties in and tie a bow. Your windbreak is now complete! You are going to look fabulous on the beach with your one of a kind windbreak. I would love to hear from you if you give it a go. For more free tutorials, special offers and new fabric arrivals, make sure you subscribe to my mailing list. www.thefabricsquirrel.com @thefabricsquirrel Made by Katie Done for The Craft Cotton Company 2021

Project by Nicola Hills You will need: A 10” zip 4” of elastic Erasable pen Basic Sewing kit Sewing Machine Stabilser/Bosal Foam 2 x Half Metres of Fabric Cut 2 - 8” x 4” 2 for the outer, 2 for the lining and 2 bosal foam (fold fabric in half long side, draw a curve for the bottom of the case see picture below) How to: To place the zip sandwich it between the outer and lining fabrics like below. Use the zipper foot to sew close to the zip. * I did not use stabiliser in between but you would need to to protect the glasses Repeat for the other side. Open out and press. Top stitch down each side. With R/S together clip or pin the two outer pieces, then the lining pieces. Sew all around but leave a 1.5” gap in the lining section to turn out *Top tip* Un-zip the zip before sewing around! Turn rightsides out. Press flat. Sew up the gap in the lining. Top stitch around the outer fabric and add a zipper pull. To see more from Nicola, visit her on Instagram @bobbincottagebodkin Made by Nicola Hills for The Craft Cotton Company 2021

Project by Rebecca Cole The Camil fabrics feel so summery and a wraparound skirt is perfect for those hot summer evenings or to wrap around a bikini on the beach. This skirt is one size fits all and requires some measuring and simple sums to make sure it fits you perfectly. Time to Make: 1-2 hrs Skill Level: Adventurous Beginner You Will Need: · Camil Metre pieces + 1 matching FQ piece · Sewing machine · Complimentary sewing thread · Fabric pen · Ruler · Straight pins · Tape measure · Fabric scissors · Iron Method: 1. Fold a metre piece of fabric in half lengthways and cut it in half. Seam the two short ends together and press the seam open, creating one long length of fabric. Repeat with a second metre piece. Trim one to 50cm wide (this will be the bottom fabric) and one to 46cm wide (this will be the top fabric). 2. Lay the fabrics on top of each other. Layer them so that the seams are sitting in different places to prevent bulk. Layer them so that the ends sit 4cm apart. This should create a 4cm frame of bottom fabric all the way around the top fabric on the outer wrap. Stitch along the top lined up edge 0.5cm from the edge to hold both fabrics together. 3. Measure at the widest part of your hips, measure from one hip bone to the other hipbone across the front. This is to measure the crossover. Mine measured 38cm (I shall reference my numbers in brackets, just adjust accordingly for your own numbers.) Halve this measurement (19cm) and mark this from each end of your skirt. Line up the marks and this should then form the centre front of your skirt. Place a pin in the centre back points and also at the side points to mark the 4 quarters of the skirt. Measure from one side to the other and then double it to get the circumference of the skirt when worn (142cm). 4. Next measure the size of your waist (this is the line at which you would like your skirt to sit) and add on 2 cm to create some ease. (104cm + 2cm = 106cm). Take this measurement away from the total circumference you measured in step 3. (142cm – 106cm = 36cm). This tells us how much excess we need to remove from the waist to make it fit us. 5. Forming the darts: Keeping the skirt pinned closed, turn the fabric through so that the wrong side of the fabric on the outside. Lay it so that the side pins are at the sides and the opening is facing you. Using a ruler and a fabric pen, mark 4cm in from the sides along the top of the waistband and 27cm down the sides. (In the photograph I have only marked 16cm down but on fitting I realised that this wasn’t a long enough dart for a smooth fit.) This will have removed 16cm from the excess in the waistband. Take this number away from your excess measurement (36cm -16cm = 20cm) and the divide this number by 4 (20cm ÷ 4 = 5cm). Each of your 4 remaining darts need to be 5cm wide. Measure 17cm from the side edges in along the waist edge on both sides. Draw lines perpendicularly down from these points 15cm. Next measure half of your dart width either side of these lines (for me with a dart width of 5cm this is 2.5cm either side of each line). Next join these points to the bottom of the dart to create your dart shapes. Stitch along each of the side darts and then fold the waist darts along the middle line, pin and stitch these also. Press them to the sides, away from the centre front and centre back. 6. Turn the skirt round the right way and lay it so that you are looking at the front part of the wrap. Trim the corners of the two fabrics into nice even curves. Run a line of top stitching all the way around the outside edges of both layers, 1cm in from the edges, this will allow the edges to fray in a controlled way. 7. Using the matching FQ piece, cut strips 6cm wide. Join them together to form one long strip 3.5-4m long in length. 8. Press along both the long sides of the strip 1cm in and then fold it in half and press again. 9. Find the centre point of the waist of the skirt and match it with the centre point of the tape. Fold open one of the sides of the tape and stitch along to attach it to the waist of the skirt on the inside. Turn up the ends of the tapes and press. Press the waistband up along the seam you have sewn. 10. Fold over the ties along the pressed fold and, starting at the turned up ends, stitch all the way along closing the tape. When you get to where the waistband is attached to the skirt, fold over the waistband a stitch right along the edge, covering the line of stitching already sewn. Continue along to the other end of the tape and finish by stitching the other end closed. Your skirt is now ready to wear. To see more from Rebecca, visit her on Instagram @becky_cole_sews Made by Rebecca Cole for The Craft Cotton Company 2021

Project by Katie Done at The Fabric Squirrel With five fabulous prints of Snoopy off on his holidays, I needed to make a beach bag with them. I thought a nice size bag that was big enough for a towel plus all your usual handbag bits. Alongside a beach bag I have made a smaller zip pouch to clip inside. I always worry about smaller things being loose in a bag but pockets within the bag can be a bit of a pain to get to. This is the perfect solution. Seam Allowance: 1/4" Finished Size: 50cm x 38cm Approx. WOF = Width of Fabric You will need Purple Fabric - 1/2 metre Green Fabric - 1/2 metre Pink Fabric - Long Quarter Cream Fabric - 1/2 metre Bosal Fusible Foam - One pack Sewing Machine Iron and Ironing Board Pins D Ring Method 1. Cut your fabric (width x height): Purple Fabric: 2 - 55cm x 42cm Green Fabric: 2 - 55cm x 42cm Pink Fabric: 4 - 5cm x WOF 1 - 3cm x 30cm Cream Fabric: 2 - 55cm x 30cm Fusible Foam: 2 - 55cm x 42cm 2 - 5cm x 55cm 2. Following the instructions on the brand you use, fuse the foam to the wrong side of your main front pieces. I have used Bosal single sided foam interlining. I love this product for bag making, it gives your bag a beautiful structure. If you don't have it, you could use your regular wadding and add some quilting to it. When I cut out the foam for the main bag, I had a 5cm wide piece left so I have used this offcut for the bag straps. Find the centre of two of the pink bag straps and fuse it to the reverse in the centre. 3. I have done some batch sewing and ironing in this project to save time. Fold over a double hem on the top of the cream fabric, press, pin and sew. Pin a fused and unfused bag strap, right sides together. Sew the two long edges. Fold the smaller pink strap in half-length ways, right sides together, pin and sew. 4. Turn the pink straps to the right way. Press. 5. On the smaller strap, top stitch close to both edges. On the bag straps, top stitch up to the fusible foam and then backstitch. 6. Layer the purple, cream and straps as shown below. Pin. 7. Top stitch the straps down over the cream area and up to the part you have already top stitched. Reinforce this area with a cross. Repeat on both sides. 8. Pin right sides together and sew the three edges. 9. To make the box base, bring the side seam and bottom seam together. Mark a line across 2" from the corner. Sew, backstitch at the start and end. Trim and repeat on the opposite side. 10. Fold the inside strap in half and pin to the edge of a lining piece around 15cm from the top and with a D ring linked in. Baste in place. 11. Place both lining pieces right sides together, pin and sew around the three edges but leave a gap around 4" wide on one of the side edges to turn it out. 12. Repeat step 9 on the lining. 13. With the outside the wrong way and the lining right side facing out, place the lining inside the main bag. Match up the seams and pin all the way around the edge. Sew all the way around. Trim and turn it out through the opening you left in the lining. 14. Sew the opening together. I have used my sewing machine as it will be hidden inside the bag, but you could do a hand slip stitch if you prefer. Your bag is finished! I hope you have enjoyed this pattern and I would love to hear from you if you have given it a go. I have also made a handy bag to fit inside this one and you can find the pattern here. www.thefabricsquirrel.com @thefabricsquirrel Made by Katie Done for The Craft Cotton Company 2021

We were lucky enough this week to take a visit round the newly refurbished Manchester Jewish Museum. The museum first opened in 1984, and is housed in a Grade II listed 1874 (former) Spanish and Portuguese synagogue in Cheetham Hill, one of the most diverse areas in Manchester, and where our warehouse and offices are! The museum holds over 31,000 items in their collection, documenting the story of the Jewish migration settlement in Manchester. The aim of the museum is to connect Jewish stories to the world and our society, exploring both the differences and similarities and celebrates that which makes people unique and that which connects us all. Here's some of our highlights: The Hamwee family were from Aleppo in Syria. This card advertises their textile business, which was established in Manchester by Abraham Hamwee in 1876. Abraham settles in Cheetham Hill Road and his wife Reina, sons Joseph and Raphael, and daughter Esther joined him from Syria. The family exported Manchester cotton to a network of relations and friends in Syria, Egypt and Lebanon. This dress was made for Helen in 1943 by Yadwiga, a Polish maid who helped her hide in a coal cellar underneath her employer's home. Helen wore it on her weekly trips to buy bread. When hiding in the cellar Helen wore the same clothes for months on end. You can see here the multiple attempts to mend her socks again and again. The mass production of cheap waterproof garments in Manchester was a Jewish immigrant invention. Many companies started as small domestic workshops but by the 1890s some were major factories employing large Jewish workforces. Joseph Mandleberg started operating in 1856 producing 'macks', which were more stylish than the previous waterproof garments. The first trademark of the company was FFO (Free From Odour) indicating a problem with earlier designs! The Slazenger brand dates from 1881. Ralph and Albert Slazenger's family were one of the earliest Jewish families to settle in Manchester, when Mordechai Slazenger Moss, an umbrella maker, arrived from Germany in 1800. The family became involved in tailoring and later diversified into sportswear. In 1902 Slazenger was appointed as the official supplier of balls to Wimbledon, a relationship which continues today. Daniel Segovich (later Levy) was born in Poland and came to Manchester in the 1920s, aged 18. He made waterproof garments in Dalton Street, Cheetham, calling his business Dannimac (from Daniel and Mackintosh). Inspired by time in America, Daniel's son Ralph had a vision of making rainwear not just practical but also fashionable. New manufacturing techniques allowed Ralph to produce coats in lighter fabrics. Ralph's creations featured in publications such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, modelled by fashion icons including Twiggy. Photos of the synagogue: This piece was made by the Manchester Jewish Museum's Womens Textile Group. www.manchesterjewishmuseum.com