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- Dresden Cushion
Project by Angela Harkness Create a traditional Dresden plate cushion with a delightful button centre piece to add a burst of pattern and colour tones to your home decor. Ability/skill level of project: Intermediate Supplies: Fat Quarter pack 1/2 metre of white fabric for cushion front and backing EZ Quilting Dresden Acrylic Template Wadding 20” x 20” Calico 20” x 20” Button selection Directions: Step 1: Cut out all fabrics as required: -Fabric strips 6.5” wide in each of the five patterned fabrics (to avoid wastage, cut the fabric strip from each of the five fabrics then top and tail the template to fit) -From each of the strips, cut 4 Dresden blades out of each fabric Step 2: Sewing the points of the Dresden blades: -Fold the fat end of the blade with right sides together, pin in place -Sew the short seam. Chain piecing here is really useful as it saves time and thread (cat in the background is optional) -Trim the corner, turn through the point carefully and press -Repeat for all 20 blades Step 3: Sewing the blades together: -Decide on colour/pattern layout then start stitching -Match up two blades, right sides together, sew along one edge using ¼ “ seam -press seam to one side -Repeat until all five patterned blades are stitched together Step 4: Repeat until there are four sets of five blades stitched together -Sew two together to create a half-circle Step 5: Repeat this to give a second half-circle -position both half-circles together and sew along joining seams -press carefully Step 6: Cut cushion front 18.5” x 18.5” -Layer up with wadding and calico backing, spray baste these together -Find the centre of the cushion front and mark with a cross with a temporary marker -Position the Dresden onto the cushion front, using the marked lines to centralise then pin or spray baste in place Step 7: Quilt the cushion front as desired then secure the inner circle with a zigzag stitch Step 8: Choose a selection of complementary buttons for the centre of the Dresden and stitch in place (cuppa is optional!) Step 9: Preparing envelope back of cushion: - Cut cushion back pieces 18.5” x 12.5” Carefully fold over a double turned hem along the inner side edge of each back fabric piece and press -Topstitch the hem in place, adjusting your needle position to stitch close to the turned edge Step 10: Making the cushion cover: -Lay out fabric pieces: front facing up with back panels on top facing down, overlapping each other for the envelope back -Clip or pin in place -Sew around all four sides of the cushion cover then finish with overcast stitch -Trim corners, turn out and press Ta da! To see more from Angela, visit her on Instagram @angerellas_crafts Made by Angela Harkness for The Craft Cotton Company 2020
- Merry and Bright Patchwork Christmas Wreath Cushion Cover
Project by Angela Harkness Showcase your patchwork skills using this Christmas wreath cushion design. Ability/skill level of project: Intermediate Supplies: ½ metre of the Merry and Bright fabric range 20” x 20” wadding 20” x 20” calico Red pompom trim Temporary fabric spray adhesive Download template Directions: Step 1: Cut out your fabrics as required - Stripe fabric: 24 pieces 2.5” x 2.5” 8 pieces 2 7/8” x 2 7/8” 6 pieces 1.5” x 1.5” 2 pieces 1 7/8” x 1 7/8” - Leaf fabric: 9 pieces 2.5” x 2.5” 8 pieces 2 7/8” x 2 7/8” 6 pieces 1.5” x 1.5” 2 pieces 1 7/8” x 1 7/8” -Text fabric: 4 pieces 1.5” x 1.5” 4 pieces 1 7/8” x 1 7/8” 2 strips 1.5” x 14.5” 2 strips 1.5” x 16.5” -Patterned fabrics: 2 back panel pieces 19” x 13” 2 strips 1.5” x 16.5” 2 strips 1.5” x 18.5” -Calico: 20” x 20” -Wadding: 20” x 20” Step 2: Creating half square triangles (this technique is the same for creating both sizes of half square triangle using the 1 7/8” squares and the 2 7/8” squares): -to determine which pieces get stitched together, refer to the layout chart -Place two squares of fabric right sides together -Draw a line diagonally from one corner to the opposite corner -Sew along the drawn line -Cut ¼” from the line -Open up the seam and press the seam open and flat Trim down the pieces to give the correct size square (2.5” and 1.5” in this case) **chain piecing here saves time and thread** Step 3: Continue sewing the half-square pieces together with the1.5” square pieces to give a 2” pieced block. Step 4: Keep referring to your layout and return pieces to your board to keep them in order Step 5: Sew the pieces together to create each row: Step 6: Continue sewing until all the rows are sewed together. Keep referring to your layout and return pieces to your board to keep them in order Step 7: Adding the borders to the centre patchwork piece - Position the 1.5” x 14.5” red text strips on opposite sides of the centre panel, pin in place then stitch using a ¼” seam allowance. Press seams open and flat. - Position the 1.5” x 16.5” red text strips on the top and bottom of the centre panel, pin in place then stitch using a ¼” seam allowance. Press seams open and flat. Step 8: Adding the borders to the centre patchwork piece: - Position the 1.5” x 16.5” patterned strips on opposite sides of the centre panel, pin in place then stitch using a ¼” seam allowance. Press seams open and flat. - Position the 1.5” x 18.5” patterned strips on the top and bottom of the centre panel, pin in place then stitch using a ¼” seam allowance. Press seams open and flat. Step 9: Layer up the cushion front with wadding and calico backing. Spray baste these pieces together then quilt the front of the cushion as desired...as simple or as complex as you wish! The photograph of the calico backing shows the quilting design used as an example here. Step 10: Adding the pompom trim -Position the trim on the top of the cushion front piece. Hold in place with quilting clips around the edge, overlapping where the two ends join. -Make sure the pompoms are sitting on the inner fabric, stay stitch in place on the machine, using a zipper foot helps get close to the edge without stitching over the pompom pieces. Step 11: Preparing envelope back of cushion -Carefully fold over a double turned hem along the inner side edge of each back fabric piece and press -Topstitch the hem in place, adjusting your needle position to stitch close to the turned edge Step 12: Making the cushion cover -Lay out fabric pieces: front facing up with back panels on top facing down, overlapping each other for the envelope back -Clip in place, being mindful of the pompoms. -Sew around all four sides of the cushion cover then finish with overcast stitch -Trim corners, turn out and press Step 13: Insert the cushion inner pad and fluff up. The cushion is now ready for Christmas! To see more from Angela, visit her on Instagram @angerellas_crafts Made by Angela Harkness for The Craft Cotton Company 2020
- Happy Owls - Stay Safe on the Move Kit
Project by Angela Harkness Make a handy quilted zipper pouch to store face masks, hand sanitiser and wipes for staying safe when out and about. This is also a great pack to keep in your car door so you’re never without a face mask. Ability/skill level of project: Easy Supplies: Happy Owls Fat quarter fabric pack Vlieseline/Vilene Interfacing Iron On H250 Bosal fusible wadding 3mm Soft Elastic Cord White zip on a roll Mask template Directions: Step 1: Cut fabrics as required for zipper pouch: Cut each piece in outer fabric, lining fabric and wadding Back 11” x 9” Front top 11” x 2” Front bottom 11” x 7” **you can get all the front and lining pieces from one fat quarter of fabric** Step 2: Fuse the wadding onto the outer fabric pieces Step 3: Quilt straight lines running across or down the panel, using a straight stitch and walking foot Step 4: Once all outer pieces are quilted, cut a length of continuous zip roughly two inches longer than the width of the pouch -To insert the zip, layer as follows: Outer bottom fabric facing up > zipper facing down > lining fabric right side down on top of the outer fabric, with the zip sandwiched in the middle Step 5: Stitch the zip in place using the zipper foot, making sure the needle position is as close to the zip as possible. Once stitched and opened up, it should look like the second photo here Step 6: Repeat for the top part of the front outer piece. Step 7: Secure the ends of the zip with 1/8” seam allowance to make sure the zipper doesn’t come off then trim away any excess. Topstitch the zip along both sides. Step 8: Attach the front and back panel pieces together, layering as follows: - Back lining piece face up > front pouch piece on top of lining facing up > back outer fabric face down so right sides are together -Once layered up, trim pieces so they’re the same size as when quilting, the fabrics will slightly reduce in size. Sew around the outer edge, leaving a turning gap along bottom edge, trim corners and turn through Step 9: Give a good press and then close turning gap either by hand stitching or topstitching along bottom edge to secure the gap Step 10: From the remaining fat quarters, cut out fabric pieces for face masks, using the pattern piece. For each mask, you need two pieces for outer fabric, two pieces for inner fabric, and two pieces of interfacing Step 11: Constructing the mask -Fuse the interfacing to the outer fabric pieces. Position two outer fabric pieces right sides together and sew down the centre seam. Sew the same seam on the inner pieces. Trim the curved seams with pinking shears so they sit well when turned through. Step 12: Position the lining and outer fabric right sides together and pin together. Sew all around the mask, leaving one short end open. Step 13: Trim the corners and turn through, making sure the seams lie flat. Press well, turning the open end in to give a neat edge. Step 14: Fold over the edge as indicated on the pattern, and sew in place. To give added strength, sew over this sea a couple of times. Step 15: Cut approximately ten inches of elastic and thread through the side seam casing. Repeat on the other side. Tie elastic off in a knot at the appropriate length, then carefully pull through so the knot is hidden in the seam casing. Step 11: Repeat with the other mask pieces to create your ‘full set’ to go in your sipper pouch To see more from Angela, visit her on Instagram @angerellas_crafts Made by Angela Harkness for The Craft Cotton Company 2020
- Reversible Christmas Placemat
Project by Helen Bowes The supermarkets have got the chocolates out, gifts are arriving in stores, emails are being sent inviting you to discount or preview events. Guess what? Christmas is on its way!! So, what better way to get into the Christmas spirit than to make some reversible placemats to have your Christmas dinner on. This tutorial will show two different methods (hand stitched and machine stitched) of English Paper Piecing to create a beautiful placemat. Step 1 – gather equipment As always, the first stage of any project is to gather your equipment. For this project you will need the following items: · Stiff paper or card (I used wallpaper as it was what I had to hand) · Pen, pencil, fabric marker · Ruler · Material · Sewing thread, sewing/embroidery needles · Sewing machine · Iron · Glue pen (this was the most amazing purchase I have made in recent months) · Double sided fusible fleece (I didn’t have this so used quilting wadding instead) · Scissors or rotary cutter Step 2 – template making One of the beauties of this project is that you can make your own pattern for your mats depending on your sewing level. You can completely personalise it – no one else will have placemats like yours. Start by choosing the overall outer shape of your placemat. It could be square, rectangular, hexagonal. Now decide how big you want it to be. We don’t have much space, so I made mine to fit the dinner plate on but not much bigger. Draw the outline of your shape onto your card. Now make the rest of your design using easy interlinking pieces with straight lines. My design featured a star in the middles with various sized triangles radiating out. You could feature the initials of your family members in the centre for an example. Draw your design out twice being accurate that the two templates are identical. They need to be identical as you will use one template for one side of the mat and the other template for the other side. Number each piece so you know which pieces go with which and then cut them out. Sometimes it is of benefit to have a smaller hand drawn picture of the template design with the numbers written on, so you have something to refer to. Step 3 – cutting fabric Once you’ve decided which fabrics will be for which pattern piece, place you pattern piece on top of your fabric. Use you glue pen to secure it in place. Now cut around you piece giving yourself a little margin – I aimed for around 1/8th to ¼ inch. Using you glue pen draw around the edges of your template leaving a layer of glue on your template piece. Fold the margin of fabric so it sits on this glue strip and firmly press down. Repeat this for all pieces. Fabric under template The blue line is the glue pen Overlapped fabric glued down Completed fabric stuck to template Step 4 – Sewing The English Paper Piecing means that this project can be hand stitched or machine stitched. To demonstrate both methods the tartan side was hand stitched and the post box/robin side was machine stitched. For both methods I started by laying all my pieces out on the table, so I knew which piece went next to what. Once this was in place, I started by sewing from the middle piece and working my way out to the sides. Hand Stitching – using a needle and thread of matching or contrasting colour, sew the pieces together using a running stitch. It is perfectly fine if you sew through the card – it is designed to be this way. I found it was best if you hand sew the wrong sides of the fabric as this way most of your stitching is hidden and out of sight. If you use a thimble to protect your fingers now is the time to grab it. If you don’t use one, now is the time to consider trying one out. Machine stitching – with your material laid out use pins to join pieces together. Start at the centre and work your way out with pieces. If you pin the whole thing together and try machine stitching it won’t work and your piece will just pull a part. You want to choose a stitch which will work across two fabric pieces and suit the project. For mine I used a zigzag stitch which worked perfectly. With machine stitching you want to sew with the right sides of the fabric facing you and make the stitch an accent to your design. Step 5 – Assembly With both sides of your placemat sewn together, you can now assemble it. The first thing to do is remove all of the card template. The advantage of using a glue pen is that it is easy to peel the fabric overlap off the card. With all pieces removed, you can now iron the folds of material flat. If using fusible fleece, cut to fit the placemat size then iron this onto the wrong side of one of your mats. If you are using wadding cut out a piece to the correct size and lay on top of one of your pieces. Place your two sides together, right sides facing, so that the wadding or fleece is uppermost. Pin it altogether and sew around the edge leaving a 2-inch gap on one side. Once sewn you can now bring the material through the gap to turn the piece the right way around. To close your opening, fold the edges in so they are hidden and top stitch. If using a machine practice with a decorative stitch going around the edge. Your placemat is now assembled and ready to use. To see more from Helen, visit her at @phoenix_crafting Made by Helen Bowes for The Craft Cotton Company 2020
- Christmas Table Runner
Project by Gill Rich Why not adorn your table with a bright and cheerful Christmas Table Runner. This easy to make project is fun to make and you can make it any size to suit the size of your table. What you will need:- Fat Quarter bundle – I used 'Santa and Reindeer' Co-ordinating threads Quilting square Scissors or rotary cutter and mat Wadding Backing fabric Stick and spray temporary adhesive (optional) All seam allowances are a ¼” 1. Firstly you need to cut your fabric. I cut my squares at 4.5” and used 37. This made a table runner approximately 17” x 46”. To start the runner, you need to place two squares next to each other for the first row. For the second row you need four squares. For the remaining rows you need 5 squares in each row until you reach the desired length of your runner. You then need to finish off with the four squares and two squares to match the other end. I had 5 rows of 5, 2 rows of 4 and 2 rows of 2. 2. Once you are happy with your placement of the squares, you then need to stitch them together as follows. Stitch the two squares together, then stitch the four squares together. Press the seams open. Stitch the two rows together so that the row of two is in the middle of the row of four. Take the next five squares and stitch together, again press seams open. Now, place these five squares in line at the top with the four squares and stitch together. 3. With the next row of five squares, place the first square next to the second square of the previous row, this will give the zig zag effect. Carry on in this manner until you have added all your rows of five squares. 4. To finish off, repeat the last two rows as you did for the first two rows. When you add each row, press the seams to one side as opposed to pressing them open. You now have your finished table runner top. Give it a good press. 5. Now to add the backing and wadding. Place your table runner on top of your wadding and backing fabric and cut around with a generous few inches either side. Make your quilt sandwich by placing your wadding on the bottom, your backing fabric right side up in the centre and your runner on top, facing down. Pin generously to avoid slipping whilst stitching. You can, if you wish, use a temporary spray to hold them in place. 6. Stitch around your quilt sandwich ¼” from the edge. I started on the two squares on the end and left a gap of approximately 6” in the middle for turning right side out. Once you have finished stitching, you will need to clip into the corners to give a crisp edge when turning out. You will also need to cut off the corners on the outside edges of the squares. Turn right side out through the gap and give your quilt a good press ensuring that all the outside corners are turned through and the inside corners are neat. Now to finish it off. Top stitch all around your table runner ¼” from the edge. 7. Finally, decide how you want to quilt it. I decided to just stitch in the ditch in all the seams. And there you have your finished Christmas Table Runner. The fabrics look great in this style runner and will brighten up any table during the festive season. To see more from Gill, visit her on Instagram @designbygill66 Made by Gill Rich for The Craft Cotton Company 2020
- Multi Purpose Zipped Pouch and Roll
Project by Steph Not an exciting name, I know! But I couldn’t fix it to just one purpose. You could use this for pencils and pens. Paints and brushes. Sewing tools. Make up and brushes. So many other things! So whilst Zipped Pouch and a Roll might sound a bit boring, this project is anything but! What you need: For the pouch: 4 pieces of fabric measuring 27cm wide x 25cm tall. 2 outer and 2 lining. For the roll: 2 pieces of fabric measuring 53cm wide x 25cm tall. 1 outer and 1 inner. 1 piece of fabric measuring 53cm wide x 15cm tall. Pocket. Sewing Machine (you’ll need your normal sewing foot and a zip foot) Thread Scissors Pins 13” (33cm) Zip 13cm length of elastic. ¼ inch wide would be great, but any will do. I’m actually using a hair bobble! 2 Buttons. Hand needle and thread to attach the buttons. Either an iron and ironing board OR a seam roller (or similar) Optional: Interfacing. This would make the pouch and roll stiffer. Follow the manufacturers instructions if you chose to use it. Making the zipped pouch Step 1. Take one of your outer pieces. Lay it in front of you remembering 27cm is the width. You need to measure a 4cm x 4cm square in each of the 2 bottom corners and then cut them out. Repeat for the other outer piece and 2 lining pieces. Step 2. Lay one of the outer pieces right side up in front of you. Put the zip on top, teeth down. Make sure the zip pull is on your left. Now put one of the lining pieces on top, right side down. Step 3. Pin these all together, sandwiching the zip in the middle, and then sew together. Make sure you are using your zip foot. Then repeat this with the other side. In the photo you will see I have put the part already sewn flat underneath the part I am about to sew. This is important. We don’t want to catch it as we sew the second half. So I have my outer piece right side up. The zip (with the just finished half attached) teeth down. Then I have put the lining piece right side down on top. Make sure you have aligned the fabric edges with the zip tape and pinned securely. If you like to top stitch your zips, now is the time to do that. This is really important. Open your zip half way!! Step 4. Open the pieces out in front of you with the 2 lining pieces on one side, the 2 outer pieces together on the other side. Step 5. We’re going to pin all the way around the outside now. For the moment, ignore the cut out corners. All will become clear eventually! Leave yourself a 5cm gap in the bottom of the lining piece. This is how we will turn the pouch in the right way. Step 6. Once pinned, sew. I use a 1cm (¼ inch) seam allowance throughout. Make sure you have put your regular foot back on your sewing machine. Step 7. Now, those pesky corners. Open them out so that the seams match. A bottom seam will match with a side seam. It is important to make sure your seams are flat when you do this step too, otherwise when finished the sides and bottom will be very bulky. Pin these. Step 8. Repeat this until you have pinned all 4 corners and then sew. Step 9. Turn the pouch through the hole we left in the lining. You’ll now discover if you remembered to leave your zip half way open. Push the corners out with a chopstick or similar. Be careful not to pop the stitching though. Pull the lining back out through the top, don’t disturb those corners! You can either hand sew the hole closed or you can machine stitch. That’s your pouch all finished. Making the Roll Step 1. Taking the 53cm x 15cm pocket piece. Lay it wrong side up. We need to fold down 1cm along the top edge. Either iron this or use your seam roller. Now fold it down another 1cm. This time we will pin it and stitch it down. As before, I’m using a 1cm/ ¼ inch seam allowance. This piece will now be 53cm x 13cm. Step 2. Grab your inner 53cm x 25cm piece. Lay it in front of you, right side up. Place the pocket piece we just finished on top. Step 3. Line the bottom corners and edges up. Pin along the sides and bottom. To make the channels for ‘things’ we need to measure along and make a mark every 3.5cm. I just use pins to mark where I intend on sewing. I am yet to find a reliable erasable pen, pencil or chalk. But that is my personal preference. You use whatever you find easiest. Measure in from one edge and go along until we have gone the full length of the 53cm. You will find a small section left over. Don’t worry about that. N.B. You can make the channels as big or as small as you like. I find 3.5cm is a good average size to fit in most things. You could also mix the sizes up. Do some smaller and some bigger. Step 4. Next, we have to sew them all in! Just a straight line of sewing from the bottom of the pocket to the top. Step 5. Repeat this for all of those lines we just marked. Step 6. Pin your loop of elastic to one end of the outer 53cm x 25cm piece. Find the centre point of the 25cm side. Have the fabric right side up, pin the elastic. The raw edges will be pointing out into the air, and the loop will be facing towards the middle of the fabric. Make sure a little is overhanging the edge. If you want to, you can tack this in place. Pin the outer to the inner. Make sure you leave a 6cm or so gap in the bottom to turn the roll through. Once pinned you can sew. Step 7. Trim off the 4 corners. Not too close to your stitching, but this will help with nice crisp edges when turned. Also trim down the overhang of the elastic now but not too short. Turn the roll through the hole. At this point I like to iron the whole thing. It’s usually a little creased from turning. Step 8. Once ironed you can either just close the turning hole (by hand or machine) or top stitch all the way around the edge. Step 9. Now attach your buttons with your hand needle and thread. To find out where to put them I roll the roll up, and mark with a pin where the button will go. I also attach a second button for if I put the pouch in the middle. To find the placement for this one I do the same as above. Obviously make sure you put the pouch in the middle before you roll it! That’s the roll finished now too! Well done. I think this makes the perfect present for anybody of any age. Or of course, you could always make it for yourself. Self gifts are always lovely. Made by Steph for The Craft Cotton Company 2020
- Tropical Leopard Curtain
Project by WhatKimberleyMakes Add character to you home with your own home-made curtain. It is the focal point for any room and is a great way to coordinate your décor. This curtain can be adapted to fit your window perfectly. Why not try adding a trim to really personalise your curtain? This tutorial will show you need to how to make your own and a matching curtain tie. To work out how much fabric you will need for your curtain, start by measuring your window. Mine is a small window so I’m making one curtain using eyelets. My window measures 20” across and 50” deep including the frame. You will ideally need DOUBLE the width of your window in fabric, this will ensure that when your curtain is pulled back, it will form pretty pleats. If you are making 2 curtains, both curtains will need to measure the width of the window. The drop of the curtain will depend on how long you would like it to be! I think a curtain looks best when it drops lower than the window, so I’d like my curtain to be approximately 57” long. Consider the seam allowance when working out your measurements. (I’ve use ½”) Cutting your fabric – If you’re using a border at the top and bottom, allow 10” in length for each border and twice the width of the window. Take the measurement of the drop you require, deduct 19” to allow for the borders and cut your centre fabric to this measurement. Cut the lining 2” shorter than the length of the curtain and 4” narrower to allow 2” return of the outer fabric. This basically means the outer fabric will wrap around to the lining so that the seams sit on the lining side. TIP- use a blackout lining if you’d like your curtain to block out light coming in from the window. 1. Sew the top and bottom border panels right sides together to the centre fabric. Press the seams open. 2. Hem the bottom of both the outer and lining fabrics by folding over by 1.5” twice and sewing. 3. Sew the lining and outer pieces right sides together along the sides. Turn the right sides out and press, now you’ll see why the lining is slightly shorter than the outer fabric! 4. Sew across the top of the curtain to hold the two layers in place. Fold over by ½” and press. Sew the eyelet tape across the top of the curtain, folding the ends inwards to make neat. Cut out the holes, a pair of curved scissors helps here! TIP- use an even amount of eyelets if possible so the curtain pleats evenly. 5. Push the eyelet rings into the holes until they clip. 6. That's the curtain finished! Curtain tie What you’ll need: · 20” x 10” outer fabric · 20” x 10” lining fabric · 2 x 1” D rings · 22” Pompom trim (optional) 1. Fold your outer fabric in half width ways. 2. Mark 5” on the fold and 1.5 inches on the opposite side, slightly higher. Draw a curved line from the top and bottom on the 5 inches across the fabric curved upwards to 1.5” Cut out this shape. 3. Fold your lining fabric in half and place the tie, also in half, on top. Cut out the same shape. 4. Place outer and lining right sides together and sew all the way around the edge with a small seam allowance. Leave a gap of about 4” to turn the tie out. 5. Turn out and press. 6. Top stitch along the top and bottom of the tie, making sure to close the gap in the bottom with this stitch. 7. Wrap the small end around a d ring and sew in place. Repeat with the opposite end. 8. If you are adding a trim, glue that to the bottom of the tie with textile glue. And that's the curtain tie finished too! To see more from Kym, visit her blog WhatKimberleyMakes and on Instagram @whatkimberleymakes
- Button Bunny Tutorial
Project by Sarah Holliman at SarahJaneStitchery This little button jointed fabric bunny makes a gorgeous gift for any occasion. The pattern can be easily adapted and enlarged to create your very own version – just add imagination! You will need: Small amount of different fabrics from a Fabric quarter pack of choice for bunny and dresses Small amount of felt for paw pads Long darning Needle and strong thread Embroidery floss in desired colours for nose, eyes and blanket stitching around the feet Toy Stuffing Buttons x4 for joints Doll turning tool – I actually use a very fine crochet hook and a straw, which works equally as well. Pins Scissors Click here for templates METHOD 1. Cut out the pattern pieces from the template along the thick black line. 2. Place the cut out pieces onto your fabric, you may wish to use different fabrics for the ears or limbs etc. Make sure you take time to place the pattern pieces, avoiding wastage of fabric. If you are using patterned fabric make sure you pay attention to the direction of the pattern. If your fabric is patterned make sure the body and legs templates are also in reverse to avoid two legs facing the same way ! 3. When you are satisfied your piecing is correct pin in place. 4. Cut around the templates ROUGHLY leaving enough space to stitch directly up against the pattern. 5. Take the pinned pieces to the sewing machine. Make sure right sides are together and sew around the template line. If you sew over the paper template it does not matter as it can be easily removed. Make sure you leave gaps along the dotted lines so that the pieces can be turned inside out. 6. I double stitch around the templates for extra strength. 7. When all the pieces are stitched, cut around each piece leaving just a small seam. 8. Turn all the pieces inside out – I use a 3mm crochet hook and a straw, but a doll turning tool will also suffice. Take time to turn the pieces as they are very small. The rounded end of a crochet hook is useful for making sure the pieces are completely turned out. 9. Using toy stuffing, firmly stuff all the pieces (except the ears) . 10. On the legs you will need to attach a felt sole to the bottom of the foot. I used a blanket stitch all around the pad, adding more stuffing as needed to make the foot firm. 11. Sew up the gaps in the ears and arms using small slipstitches. 12. Gather up the bottom of the body, using small gathering stitches and pull into place. 13. Attach a button to the top of each leg and sew in place before attaching to the body. I use pins to guide the placement of the legs on the body. When you are happy these are in the correct position, attach the legs to the body. I use a long darning needle or a doll needle to sew through the body, pulling the thread tight and sewing through the buttons as you go. I also recommend using double thread for extra strength. 14. Attach the arms in the same way. 15. Attach the ears to the head, making sure they are level and sew in place. 16. Using a small amount of embroidery thread, embroider a little nose on the bunny using a few satin stitches. 17. Using pins as a guide as to where you want to place the bunny’s eyes, embroider two French knots using a dark colour embroidery thread. 18. For the bunny’s dress cut 2 pieces of fabric 14cmx14cm 19. Sew a small 5mm hem at the top and bottom of the dress 20. Sew up two thirds of the side of the dress leaving the top third open (this is the armhole). Side the opposite side of the dress to match. 21. Turn back the two edges of each side of the top of the dress, as shown, and stitch in place. This creates a dress shape. 22. Turn the dress inside out and sew the top neck edge of the dress onto the bunny using tiny gathering stitches. Your bunny is ready to accessorise as you wish! To see more from Sarah, visit her on Instagram @sjstitchery Made by Sarah Holliman for The Craft Cotton Company 2020
- Moon Gazing Hare Quilt
Project by Daisy Lawn You will need:- Stencil of your choice to make your appliqué, I have used “Moon Gazing Hares” Fat Quarter Bundle for Piano Key Sashing 3 different mts of fabric Wadding to fit Binding or use Backing Fabric as Binding also Bondaweb/Iron on Bonding Sewing Machine Sewing Tools Single Size Bed Runner Skills incorporates:…Appliqué..Quilting..Plain Sashing..Piano Key Sashing. Preparing: 1) Press all fabric. 2) Outline your stencils on to your fabric using a frixion pen or a suitable removable pencil….or 3) Outline your stencils on to the back of pre placed bonding on the back of your fabric 4) Cut all out…place to one side. 5) Cut strips for Piano Keys 1” wide using the pieces in a fat quarter bundle 6) join all together using a ¼” seam allowance, Iron the now piece of fabric, cut into 2 1/2” strips, join the ends together, this gives a roll of Piano Keys. 7) Cut main number 1 fabric for Blocks to your choice of sizing, I used 10” x 10” .. 10” x 5” .. 5” x 5” but you can size to your choice 8) Cut strips from main number 2 fabric into 2 ½” strips for sashing 9) Use main number 3 fabric for backing Start Sewing:- 1 Set stencils to blocks by removing the paper back of bonding and ironing down onto your blocks 2 Use a Blanket Stitch or Satin Stitch and Appliqué them down 3 Sew sashing to sides of Appliquéd Blocks 4 Sew Piano Key Strips to Blocks 5 Join all together (add detailing to your stencils if needed by free motion sewing) 6 Cut wadding 2” larger than the sewn piece 7 Lay out backing Fabric..Lay wadding on top..Lay your finished piece on top 8 Quilt the complete sandwich as you see fit 9 Trim excess wadding 10 Bind edges 11 Finished Made by Daisy Lawn for The Craft Cotton Company 2020
- Puff Quilt
Project by Stephanie Marsh You will need: Approx 4 x 1m fabric Approx 2M plain fabric Approx 2m plain sheeting Matching Thread Toy Stuffing Equipment: Sewing Machine Pins and Needles Scissors Rotary Cutter (optional) Cutting Mat (optional) Quilters Ruler (optional) Iron and Ironing Board 1. First of all you need to decide how big you want the quilt to be, each puff is 4” square. The finished size will be divisible by 4 with ½ inch on all sides for the binding. 2. Once you have decided on the finished size work out how many puffs you need by dividing the finished width by 4 and then the length by 4, times theses and that will be how many puffs you need. 3. Now work out how you would like the layout of your puffs, see below. Mine was 13 x 10, totalling 130 puffs. Using 4 fabrics I cut out 33 squares in 2 of the colours and 32 squares in the other two colours. A. Feathers – 33 B. Gingham – 33 C. Flowers – 32 D. Commets – 32 4. Cut out 130 6 inch squares from the plain sheeting and 5 inch squares in the 4 fabrics (see numbers above. For quickness and accuracy I found it best to use a rotary cutter, mat and quilters ruler. 5. Take one of the back squares and place it in the back of one of the front squares, wrong sides together. 6. From the right side of the front square match and pin the corners together. 7. Take up the excess of the front square fabric by forming a pleat, pin into place, ensuring you fold all the pleats in the same direction throughout. Pin all the patches, or a row at a time as it can use a lot of pins. 8. Now lay them out as the finished design. 9. Sew each patch together to form the rows, you also need to sew closed the edges that don’t have any patches on any of their sides, this is to keep the stuffing in place. Press all the seam allowances in once direction. On the following row press them in the other direction and continue in opposite directions from the row above, this is so you can lock the patches together when sewing the rows together. 10. Now sew the rows together, checking that you have them in the right order. 11. Make a small cut in the back of every back patch, only about 1.5 inches. 12. Stuff each patch with the same amount of toy stuffing, to make sure I had an even stuff over all the puffs, I used 10g in each one. You can vary this, depending on how firm you want them. 13. Stitch each slit closed by hand, this doesn’t have to be neat, an overstitch will be enough. 14. Place the plain fabric, right side down on a flat surface, lay the quilt on top of it, right side up. Pin in place in-between the puffs. You may find it easier to work with if you either use safety pins or tack in place between some of the puffs. 15. Place to one side. 16. From the remaining top fabric cut 4 inch wide strips, enough to go around the outside of the quilt. You may need to join some strips. 17. Fold the strips in half lengthways, wrong sides together. Pin and stitch these around the quilt enclosing, raw edges matching. Due to the bulkiness of the quilt, I found it easier to sew these on by hand using a back stitch. 18. Fold the strip over, enclosing all the raw edges then hand stitch in place. I found it best to do the long edges first, then the short edges. At either end enclose the raw edges. To see more from Stephanie, follow her on Instagram @stephanie_j_marsh Made by Stephanie Marsh for The Craft Cotton Company 2020
- Infinity Scarf with Secret Pocket
Project by Steph What you need: Sewing Machine (you’ll need your normal sewing foot and a zip foot) Thread Scissors Pins 9” (23cm) Zip 8 pieces of fabric measuring 52.5cm wide x 24cm tall (Main scarf) 2 pieces of fabric measuring 23cm wide x 20cm tall (Pocket) When cutting out your fabric, if it’s a directional print like mine you need to make sure the pattern runs along the width. Optional: Hand needle and thread for closing. Let’s start! First we need to pin together the 8 pieces of fabric. We’ll pin these together along the longer edges to make one long piece of fabric. Then we need to sew them. I use a ¾ inch seam allowance all throughout. You can finish the edges with an overlocker if you want to, or an over casting foot on your sewing machine. Personally, I don’t. Now fold this in half, holding the 2 short ends together. Pop a pin in either side to mark the middle and then unfold the fabric again. Lay the fabric right side up, and pop your zip, teeth down, on top. Make sure the pin you put in as a marker is in the centre of your zip and that the edge of the zip tape is against the edge of your fabric. Pin the zip to the fabric. Next, take one of the pocket pieces and lay that right side down on top of the zip. Again, make sure you align the edges and then pin this too. In effect you will have sandwiched the zip in between the fabric. On your sewing machine you will need to swap over to your zip foot. Sew along the full length of the zip. We now need to attach the zip to the other side of the scarf. Flip your fabric over. Make sure the part you’ve just sewn is out of the way. Fold the fabric in half almost so that the 2 long sides are close together. (You need to make sure your seams all match at this point!) Align the sides and repeat as above for the other side of the pocket. Once the zip and pocket pieces are attached we need to pin all along the length of the long side. Make sure as you go that all of the seams match and that the seam allowances are all going in the same direction. It is also helpful to open the zip half way. Swap back to your regular sewing machine foot. Sew all along the long edge and around the pocket. Remember we are using a ¾ inch seam allowance. We’ve now got a long tube of fabric with a pocket sticking out of the side! This bit is really important. We need to reach in and pull through one short end up to meet the other. But as you do this you need to make sure not to let it twist. Or you’ll end up with a twist in your finished scarf. Make sure you keep the seam aligned. Pin the 2 short edges together and then sew, but remember to leave a gap of around 5-8cm. We will be pulling the scarf through this after this step. Pull the scarf through the hole you just left! Last job is to close the turning hole. I close mine on the machine as my hand sewing is terrible! But if you are able to, closing it by hand gives a much neater finish as you can make the stitches more discreet. And that’s it. An infinity scarf with a secret pocket. Ideal for popping your card, some cash, keys or even your phone in! I myself like to keep a Twirl in mine. You never know when you might need one. You could add more pieces to make an even longer scarf! Made by Steph for the Craft Cotton Company 2020
- 'A Christmas Tail' Place Mats
Project by Kimberley Hind Here's a step by step guide to make your own Christmas presents place mat which you can make into a table runner and even coasters to match! The fabric I've used is the new 'A Christmas Tail' collection from Craft Cotton Company that was designed by Debbie Shore. I love this collection because its a story of the mice on Christmas eve and what they get up to before the big day, Debbie wrote the story herself! This Christmas project is great for beginners and is an easy way to decorate your table around the festive period! Alternatively, you could use bright fabrics instead and use as table decorations for a birthday party. I've made a video tutorial on how to make the table runner. It is the same steps as the place mat but obviously joined together., so take a look at that if you'd like to see how it's made - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnhBuK6ROvs&t=412s What you'll need for the place mat: 14.5" x 10.5" of - top fabric backing fabric fusible fleece - use thermal fleece of you plan to put hot plates on these mats for extra protection for the contrast ribbon - 2" x 14.5" strip 2" x 10.5" strip for the contrast bow - 2" x 9" strip 2" x 4" strip How to make: 1. Cut out all the pieces you'll need as stated above. 2. Fold long edges of all the contrasting strips by approx. 1/4 inch and press. (fold twice if you'd prefer) 3. Sew the 2 long strips on to the top fabric in the position you want the ribbon to be. I placed mine off centre. 4. Top stitch down both long edges of the strips of fabric which will be the bow. 5. Fold the short edges of the 9" strip back to meet in the centre and tack (small stitch to hold in place.) 6. Wrap the 4" strip around the middle of the bow you just made. You can pull this slightly tighter to make the bow more 3D or keep flat if you want a more even base to put plates on. Trim back any excess fabric. 7. Sew the bow in place on the mat. I've placed it over the cross where the ribbon meets. Sew over the top stitching to keep it looking neat. 8. Place the backing fabric on top of the place mat, right sides together, and sew. Leave a gap in the bottom for turning. Snip off the corners, making sure not to cut through the stitches. When it is turned out the corners will be less bulky. 9. Turn the place mat right sides out, making sure to push all the corners through. Give the mat a good press with a hot iron to flatten. Fold the opening in and press so that when you top stitch, the opening will be sewn closed. 10. Top stitch around the entire mat to finish. Sew close to the edge to make sure you sew the opening closed. And that's your finished mat! Make these in any size and colour you like, you could make 5" square ones for coasters too. Happy Sewing! Kym @whatkimberleymakes












