Search Results

Project by Gill Rich Why not make this lovely pinwheel cushion for your outside furniture, it will brighten up any chair for the summer.. What you will need :- Three co-ordinating fabrics. I chose Tea Party by Craft Cotton Co Co-ordinating thread Rotary cutter and cutting mat Piece of cardboard and a ruler and pencil 1m piping cord, mine was 5mm in width Small piece of Bondaweb or similar Two self cover buttons 30mm in diameter (or similar) Polyester filling First you need to make your template from the cardboard. Draw a rectangle 6cm x 27cm then find the middle of one short edge, draw a line from the centre point to each corner and cut out your triangle shape. Using your template, cut out 22 triangles from each fabric, 33 for each side. Take one triangle and stitch to another triangle using a scant 1/4" seam allowance. Take the third patterned fabric and stitch that in the same way. Continue until you have 16 or 17 triangles sewn together (about half). Repeat to make the second half making sure your fabrics are in the same order. Don’t worry too much about the points at the end, we will deal with those later. Once you have your two halves, stitch them together from the outside edge to the centre on each side. Repeat for the other side of the cushion. Press flat with your seams to one side and give the top a good press too. To complete the middle section, adhere a piece of bondaweb approximately 6" x 3" to one of your fabrics. I chose the same fabric as the piped piece. Cut two circles of fabric 2" in diameter. Peel off the backing paper and press the circle over the middle pointed bits. Zig zag stitch all the way round both of them. Cover your two buttons following the instructions on the packet. Attach one to each side by sewing through the loop on the base of each button. Cut a strip of one of your fabrics 1.5" wide and 1m long. Take your piping cord and place in the centre of the fabric strip, fold the long edges together with your cord wrapped inside. Stitch along the strip as close to the cord as you can. Take one of your pinwheels and with raw edges together pin the cord casing to the cushion top. Stitch all the way round, again as close as possible to the cord taking care not to sew over your pins! With right sides together, repeat for the other side of the cushion ensuring you leave a gap of about 4-5" to insert the polyester filling. Take your two buttons and stitch one each side so that they are attached to each other through the centre section of the cushion. Now you need to fill the cushion with your polyester filling you can make it as hard or as soft you prefer. To finish off slip stitch the gap closed making sure that the ends of your piping cord are neatly tucked inside. And there you have your finished cushion ready for the summer, why not make them in different summer fabrics! To see more from Gill, visit her on Instagram @designbygill66 Made by Gill Rich for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

This project is from the Search Press book “Patchwork Bags” by Cecilia Hanselmann. It is one from the ‘Love to Sew’ series of books which I really like and retails at £7.99. I chose to make the Summer Spots bag in the Craft Cotton Company ‘Under the Sea” fabrics as I think it is a lovely fabric range, perfect for a handy beach bag. The book is full of different style of bags, perfect for any occasion. The book includes a useful section on sewing techniques to help you through making the 18 projects and all patterns are included too. To find out more about the book visit www.searchpress.com I’ve had this book on my bookshelf for a few years and the bag on the cover always caught my attention but I never knew which fabrics to use! I used all of the fabrics in the collection and followed the pattern in the book with a few additions. I always thought patterns were there to be followed to the letter, but now as I’m more confident in sewing, I’m more than happy to add my own variations to make it suit me and the fabrics I’m using. I added some complementary pom-pom trim to the top and bottom of the central patchwork panel on the bag front and back and quilted the bag pieces to add a little more substance to the overall design. I love the circular handles that feature on the bag and they’re so comfortable to carry. The bag is the perfect size for a towel, book, water bottle and sun cream! To see more from Angela, visit her on Instagram @angerellas_crafts Made by Angela Harkness for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Lesley Foster Get ready for the festive season with this wintery patchwork Christmas tree cushion. Materials Snowy Woodland fabric by The Craft Cotton Company - Snowflake: 50x25cm piece - Pine cone: 50x25cm piece - Mistletoe: 50x25cm piece - Woodland lodge: 50x25cm piece - Pine Forest: 2 45x50cm pieces Pencil Ruler Pins Thread Scissors Needle Paper Tape measure 45x45cm cushion pad 1- Take the Pinecone, Mistletoe and Woodland Lodge fabric and cut into 4.5cm wide strips. 2- Using the tree outline as a guide cut the 4.5cm strips to the right lengths. 3- Take the first two top left pieces place right sides together and sew along the bottom edge to join. Repeat with the remaining strips that make up the left hand side of the cushion. Next repeat with the right hand sidepieces. 4- Place the left and right sides together and sew down the seam to join. 5- Take the snowflake fabric and cut into 45x5cm strips, fold the strips in half so you have 45x2.5cm wide strips. 6- Lay the patchwork front right side up, and place the folded snowflake strips raw edges against the raw edges of the patchwork cushion front. 7- Fold the 2 pine forest 45x50cm pieces in half so you have 2 pieces 45x25cm, place on top of the patchwork front so they overlap slightly in the middle. 8- Sew around the edges of the cushion, turn out the right way. Your cushion is complete! To see more from Lesley, visit her on Instagram @hookstitchsew Made by Lesley Foster for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Marie Pickles My brief was to create an outdoor cushion to relax with in the garden, the fat quarters were fabulous nature colours with a birdcage theme. Lots of gardens have paving to shape and divert the eye and the visitor to enjoy the beautiful plants and landscapes created, there many types of paving stone including hexagonal ones so taking a sewing and quilting theme from this I choose to use a half hexi template for my main design. You can find many on the internet for download, stick it onto some cardboard or buy as a plastic template. Cut using a rotary cutter, scissors or if you have access to an electronic cutting machine you may use one of those. I used a plastic template 2.5” by 5” and a rotary cutter. I had 5 fat quarters but any fabric cut could be used even a jelly roll if you have one. I chopped my fabric into 2.5” strips then sub cut into the 5” hexi shapes. I did have a play for a while deciding what pattern to use, these shapes are so versatile i was playing for quite a while before I finally made up my mind. I used 2 squares of fairly dense wadding as I wanted a stable backing for my cushion and a 2o” feather cushion inner as its lovely and plump but holds its shape well, the wadding was cut at 24” x 24” to allow for the sewing and quilting and still allow me some fabric to grip as I moved the work around. I decided to use a different pattern on each side to increase interest. Pic 3 Pic 4 The first side was made lining hexi’s across the wadding in a horizontal line one up one down and the next line followed by either matching a ‘down’ hexi with a matching hexi and an ‘up’ hexi with a different hexi pattern. The primary stitching sews the short diagonal then each horizontal strip of hexi’s is sewn to the following completed row. By stacking them row on row, you create an overall quilt of full hexagons. It is important to keep an iron ready and press each line you sew and ensure all the seams lie in the same direction. **This is a critical step when quilting and especially when there are many points all finishing at the same location. Some sewing machines may have difficulty if there are too many layers** Pic 5 Pic 6 I followed a pattern using a central windmill of matching hexes using triangles to put them together, a row of triangles with a coloured windmill at the centre (Photo 8) was then sewn to the row below keeping the pattern correct by referring to my coloured drawing (photo 7) As before the need to press each team is critically important and the triangles are sewn together with Y seams - this is where 3 shapes all meet at one central point. (Photo 9) the flat seams allow for the triangles to be set together without a large lump of seams distorting the quilt top. Pic 7 Pic 8 Pic 9 The completed sides are then trimmed and pressed ready for stabilising onto the wadding. I used a zigzag stitch to hold the seams onto the wading and outline the hexi shapes. (Photo 10) Pic 10 To put the cushion together, I used a ruler, rotary cutter and mat and resized both sides the same. As I was Using a 20” feather inner, I cut the fabrics to 21”. With both right sides facing and using a large stitch size I sewed one side with a 1/2” seam, this was flattened out and lightly pressed in preparation to accommodate a plastic zip. Once the zip was pinned place, I put a small square of fabric over both ends of the zip (Photos 11 & 12) ensuring it would be right side facing. This is to ensure the zipper head did not push right to the edges of the cushion. Having sewn around the zip using a zipper foot, I then unpicked the stitches to open the zip. Pic 11 Pic 12 Pic 13 With the zip inserted, I reset the stitch size to a neat medium sized stitch, turned the cushion cover inside out and sewed round the remaining 3 open sides. The fabrics were trimmed to slightly more than a 1/4” and then turned through to right side out. To complete the cushion I top stitched around the 3 closed edges keeping the distance comparable to the distance on the zip placement stitches. Pic 14 Finally I made big tassels from oddments of wool I had lying around and some cardboard as a 5” template. Tassels were hand sewn using another large darning needle and doubled wool for extra security. They add some colour and pizazz to your outside cushion. You could spray some waterproof coating on the fabric if you wanted to leave it outside (but perhaps not in heavy rain) Hope you enjoy making your own cushion. Marie x @thecraftypixy Made by Marie Pickles for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Katie Done Years before I started The Fabric Squirrel, I had my little Crafts by Katie business. I needed a good excuse to sew so I made lots of things to sell at craft fairs and eventually on Etsy. When my eldest was younger he was a real dribbler and I made him lots of bibs. They proved popular on my craft stalls and I made them day in day out. It has been a long time since I made a dribble bib but I am still sure I could do it with my eyes closed. Now Alfie is teething and soaking through his clothes, it is time I dusted off my template. While at a craft show at the NEC in 2017 I picked him some teethers that can be sewn into bibs and taggy blankets. I don't know the name of the company now but if you do a search for "sew on teethers" there are a lot available, just make sure you purchase ones that are BPA free and passed EN71 safety standards. I didn't get around to using it before he stopped dribbling, but I have known the exact draw in my craft room they have been in all this time waiting for another excuse to use them. In this tutorial I will talk you through how to do one with and one without the teether. You can easily get it finished in 20 minutes. IMPORTANT - Always remove any bibs before you put a baby down for a sleep. YOU WILL NEED Long quarter of fabric Brushed cotton Iron KAM snaps METHOD 1. Make your template. I made it easy making it 25cm tall, so I could buy long quarters and get the most out of the fabric. On some card draw a 25cm vertical line, 90 degrees from the top draw a 22cm line, join the two ends together to create a triangle (the template below is just an example and is not to scale). Line the long side against the fold of the fabric and cut one in the cotton of your choice and one in the brushed cotton. I use a brushed cotton sheet to back my bibs. It worked out cost effective and is super soft. Although it may not be the most absorbent material, it is enough to keep his clothes dry, when it gets too wet it needs changing anyway to avoid a red chin. I have used 100% cotton for the patterned print on these ones, but I have used jersey in the past just as successfully. 2. Pin your triangles right sides together. Sew, pivoting at the corners, leaving a gap to bag it out. For the regular one I left a gap on the side. For the teether I have left a gap around the size of the teether on the bottom corner. 3. Trim the seam allowances and corners. Turn it out, push out the corners with something pokey and give it a good press. 4. For the one without a teether, top stitch around all three edges. For the one with a teether place it in the gap you left. Sew slowly over the teether ensuring you catch the fabric on both sides. Continue to top stitch all the way around. 5. Add one popper, I use KAM snaps, to one side, and two to the other so you have a choice of size. Simple as that, now you can make a bib for every occasion. I would love to hear from you if you are feeling inspired. For more free tutorials, news on new fabrics and special offers, make sure you sign up to my mailing list. To see more from Katie, visit her on Instagram @thefabricsquirrel Made by Katie Done for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Jo Hart Todays blog post is all about Ice dying, its something I've wanted to try for ages, I have admired for such a long time the beautiful pieces of fabric people create with this technique and I’m super excited to give it go myself! So lets get started… Supplies: Fabric Dye – I used Dylon handwash dyes, theses were £3 each and i picked mine up from Dunelm and The Range. Soda Ash – this I couldn’t find in any stores but Amazon had it! (Amazon has everything!) Something to dye your fabric in, You will need a bucket and something like a colinder or a bath rack, anything with holes in really so the excess water from the ice melting can drip through the fabric and into the bucket. These are the things I had to hand… 100% cotton fabric – The wonderful folk at Craft Cotton Co sent me 3 mtrs of their Homespun plain cotton in white and I cut it apart into 6 half metres for the dying. And finally some Ice – you could make your own, I was feeling lazy and bought a bag from co-op Step 1, Prewash your fabric, this step is important as there may be a coating of some kind on the fabric from the manufacturing stage and could affect how the dye applies. Step 2, Prepare the Soda Ash by mixing 1 cup with 1 gallon of water and soak your fabric submerged in the solution for around half hour. Ideally you want to put this in a container with a lid as it can be kept and re-used until it’s gone. (I’ve dyed around 10 mtrs of fabric so far and there is still some left so this stuff does go a long way!) Step 3, Squeeze the excess liquid from the fabric, arrange the fabric into the dying rack and cover with ice. Now the fun part! start sprinkling the fabric dye over the ice and watch the magic happen! As the ice melts you will start to see all the wonderful colours and parts of the fabric where colours have mixed together. Step 4, Once the ice has fully melted you need to rinse the fabric until the water runs clear and wash twice in the washing machine with a few colour catchers each time and voila! you have beautiful new one of a kind fabric! The green and blue were so vibrant when dying as you can see in the pics above but came out super muted once washed… still very pretty though. The pink, orange and purple dyes on the other hand stayed pretty vibrant!… I have to say I have absolutely loved this whole process, The end results are beautiful and I’m totally addicted, It really is quite easy and I cant wait to do some more maybe with different types of cotton next time like poplin, seer sucker and double gauze. Now all that’s left to do is to make some pretties with these! watch this space xx Thankyou so much for reading, I hope you will give this a go too! Until next time.. Happy Sewing! xx Jo xx To see more from Jo, visit her on Instagram @unicornharts Made by Jo Hart for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Jo Hart Supplies: 2 Fat Quarter Bundles or 7 corresponding Fat Quarters 1 Pack of Bosal Double sided fusible foam I set of Kam snaps Cutting out: 4 pieces 10 ½” x 14 ½” of fabric (2 outer and 2 lining) 2 pieces 10 ½” x 14 ½” of bosal foam 2 pieces 2 ½” x 15” of fabric (top binding) 1 piece – 2 ½” x 36” of fabric (outer Bias binding) Step 1, Layer one piece of Bosal double sided foam in between one inner fabric panel and one outer fabric panel and fuse together using an iron. Repeat with the remaining outer pieces and quilt each panel using your preferred method. (We used straight line quilting in a grid design) Step 2, Mark curves on each of the bottom corners using a plate or hoop as a template and trim around the lines to create the curved bottom edge. Step 3, Fold both pieces of Top Binding in half length-ways and press. Sew each piece to the top outside of each panel using ¼” Fold the binding over to the inside and machine stitch or hand sew to secure each piece down. Step 4, Place both panels on top of each other with lining sides facing and baste together using ¼” seam allowance. Open out the folds of the bias binding and line up with the outer edge of the pouch, fold the edge of the binding over the top of the pouch to enclose the raw edges and stitch all the way around using 3/8” seam allowance repeating the folded edge at the other end. Step 5, Find the centre of the pouch by folding it in half and mark using a temporary marking tool, Measure 1” down from the centre and mark again. Repeat on the other side. Attach the kam snaps following the manufacturers guidelines (we used Prym colour snaps) Your Pouch is now finished. To see more from Jo, visit her on Instagram @unicornharts Made by Jo Hart for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Katie Done Leggings are a wardrobe essential when you are under a year old. I have attempted a few different styles, but I am finally happy with this one I have come up with and I have already made several pairs to team up with t-shirts and vests. It is for ages 3-6 months and should take around half an hour. You can use the pattern to create a romper over on a separate post here. I have used a few different jerseys from my collection and also some I found in my stash that I bought when my now 4 year old was a baby. In this tutorial I have used grey and white cloud jersey which is organic cotton. You can make a pair of leggings in a fat quarter of jersey making these less than £2.50 to make! The jersey is from the Craft Cotton Company and is a dream to work with. I have made clothes for the whole family with it and it has been really popular with all my customers. I have been loaned a Janome 6234XL overlocker which I have been taking full advantage of. I have not got a lot of experience with overlockers, using just one before. It has been really easy to get it up and running and I have sewn up at least 4 pairs of leggings and several rompers in a very short space of time compared to what I could achieve on my regular sewing machine. YOU WILL NEED Jersey - Fat Quarter Overlocker (or sewing machine) Pattern Rotary Cutter and Mat Pins Pattern Weights METHOD 1. Cut out your pattern. You can pair this pattern up with the romper to save you printing lots of pages. To print, save the picture and copy it into word, make it fit a full a4 sheet. There is a 1" guide to check when it is printed. You will need: x2 cut on the fold x2 14.5cm squares (cuffs) x1 40cm x 14cm (waistband) I have taken a picture of how I have cut the fabric to show you how I got this out of one fat quarter. I have used the small amount that was left to make reusable wipes (mini tutorial at the end of this post). 2. Batch sew the following, all with right sides together using a 3/8th seam allowance throughout. Front and back legs Waistband, short sides together Cuffs with sides together 3. Fold the cuffs and waistband in half horizontally, wrong sides together. Now fold them in half and half again to work out where the centre point is and use a dissolvable pen or notch to mark it. Do the same with the leggings. You can just about work out a pink mark on mine below. 4. Now pin the waistband to the leggings matching up these 4 markers. It won't fit and will look a bit odd, don't panic. 5. Sew the waistband, pulling and easing them as you go, avoiding folds. Repeat the same process with the cuffs. The leggings are complete! It was a wonderful coincidence that these leggings coordinate so well with the Peter Rabbit quilt, you can find the pattern for the quilt here. For more free tutorials, new fabric arrivals and special offers, you can sign up to my mailing list. I mentioned the reusable wipes I made with the leftovers. It is very satisfying to have used every last scrap. I have tried a few different methods to make these. I have tried jersey on both sides with some bamboo wadding in the centre. I found the jersey slipped too much when using it on both sides. This time I tried jersey on one side and fleece on the other. I often use regular fleece from The Range to back quilts, so I have lots of offcuts. I have layered them up roughly and taken advantage of the overlocker to trim the edges for me. If you are using a zig zag or overedge stitch, you will need to neaten your edges first. Simply sew all the way around. Go slowly around the corners, lifting your foot when you need to, to round off the edges. Leave a long enough tail so that you can sew it in afterwards. They certainly aren't perfect but they are ideal reusable wipes for nappy changes. I try to use cloth nappies at least a few times a day (and biodegradable ones when I don't) so they just go in the wash with the nappies. To see more from Katie, visit her blog The Fabric Squirrel Made by Katie Done for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Paula Milner Why should something practical be boring?! Choose fun prints that make you smile for this day-to-day household make. Using the Bosal Poly-Therm fleece allows the ‘heat to be reflected back to source’ – what a clever product! This how-to uses an existing oven glove as a pattern, but you could also make a ‘mitt’ shape using your hand as a guide. Ingredients: Fabric Thread Bosal Poly-Therm Fleece Tools: Pencil Fabric scissors Sewing machine Pins Needle Iron and ironing board Method: 1. Choose and Measure Choose your fabrics and press if required. Lay out an existing oven glove and draw round allowing for additional seam allowance of around 1 inch all over. You will need two layers – one for either side of the glove and additionally two layers of fabric for the lining. Make sure your you do ‘opposite’ sides with your fabric to account for the direction of the ‘thumb’ section of your glove shape. If you want a ‘pair’ of gloves, cut everything out twice for an additional mitt. If you don’t have an oven glove to use as a shape, you could use your hand as a guide to draw around – but use plenty of extra space to allow the glove to be used effectively. 2. Bosal Poly-Therm Fleece You will need two layers of Poly-Therm Fleece per SIDE of your oven glove (so four layers of fleece per glove). Cut these out using the fabric you’ve already cut out as your pattern guide. Just like your fabrics, ensure to cut these out with ‘opposite’ sides to account for the direction of the ‘thumb’ section of your glove shape. As detailed below, you need the foil side of this fleece to be at the nearest point of the heat source to ensure this works effectively. 3. Construct - OUTER Lay 1 layer of your fleece with the metal/foil side facing UP. Add a layer of your fabric glove right side UP. Next, add a layer of your fabric glove right side DOWN (so right sides together) before 1 layer of your fleece with the metal/foil side DOWN. So you have in order: fleece foil UP, fabric UP, fabric DOWN, fleece foil DOWN. This ensures that when you turn the glove out the right way after sewing that the fabric will have right sides out and the metal protective side will be nearest the point of heat source. 4. Sew – OUTER Pin these layers together to secure and sew around the edge using ½ inch sewing seam allowance. 5. Trim and turn out – OUTER Cut small snips into the seam allowance to allow movement on the rounded edges. This will make it easier to turn out and remove ‘puckering’ of the outer fabric. Turn your outer glove out the right way. 6. Construct and Sew – LINING You will need to repeat the above, exactly the same again to create the lining – the difference here, is that you need to do the opposite with your foil lining. Lay 1 layer of your fleece with the metal/foil side facing DOWN. Add a layer of your fabric glove right side UP. Next, add a layer of your fabric glove right side DOWN (so right sides together) before 1 layer of your fleece with the metal/foil side UP. So you have in order: fleece foil DOWN, fabric UP, fabric DOWN, fleece foil UP. This ensures you have the foil side in the direction of the heat source. After you sew together – you won’t be turning out your glove the ‘right’ way. 7. Put Together Once you have sewn your lining layers, insert the lining glove inside the outer glove. Push the edges as far together as you can. 8. Cuff Turn in the cuff edges about 1 inch and pin into position before sewing around the cuff using a ½ inch sewing seam allowance. Repeat with your second glove. Et voila! Oven gloves… Enjoy! The Crafty Lass® www.thecraftylass.com @thecraftylass Made by Paula Milner for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Helen Bowes My daughter has been pestering for a new headband and with COVID-19 hitting and my hair growing exponentially, I decided it was time to create a blog so others could make their own too. The first steps as always is gathering your equipment and materials: · Sewing machine and thread · Material · Elastic ½ to ¾ inch width · Cutting mat · Thick paper – I use wallpaper to make templates if needed · Scissors or rotary cutter, embroidery scissors · Pins or clips Stage one: create your pattern To get the best fit you would ideally want to measure your recipients head along the line at which the headband would sit. In some cases, this is not possible and so generic measurements are necessary. I found the following worked well but can easily be tinkered with. Large: top of the head piece (the thickest section) = 3.25 inches Bottom of the head piece = 2 inches Edges from top to bottom = 7.75 inches Elastic covering = 5.5 x 2 inches Small: Top of head piece = 2.55 inches Bottom of head piece = 1.75 inches Edges = 7 inches Elastic covering = 6 x 1.75 inches Stage two: Cut out the pattern The top of the head piece needs to be placed along the fold in the material. Trace your pattern onto your material and cut out two main pieces and two elastic covering pieces. Place your two main pieces with patterns facing inwards and do the same with you elastic covering piece and clip or pin in place: Sew the long edges of both pieces leaving the short ends open. The seam allowance in ¼ inch. With the pieces sewn, they can now be turned the right way around. To do this, I turn one open raw edge, so the right side is visible. I then use the end of an old child’s paintbrush to turn the material all the way around. Stage 3: Complete the elasticated section With the narrower of the two pieces this will form the casing of the elastic. For a larger sized head band, you will need 6 inches of elastic, for a smaller size you will need 5.5 inches. These sizes can be varied to fit the person the best. Some will prefer a narrower band, others a larger band of elastic. Once your elastic has been cut place it on top of your covering and mark where the edges fall. Give yourself a little allowance and then top stitch along these two lines. The aim is that you are creating a gutter along which the elastic will thread and remain flat rather than having the space in which it can twist. Once the stitching is complete you can thread the elastic. For this you will need two safety pins. Attach one pin to each end of the elastic. Start threading the elastic through the sleeve you have created for it. To prevent it being pulled all the way through, pin the one end to the material. As you thread the material will ruffle around the elastic. Once the opposite end is reached, pin this end to the fabric. With both ends pinned, ensure there has been no twisting of the elastic, and sew each end together incorporating the elastic. Stage 4: Assembly Turn the edges of the main piece so that the raw edges are tucked inside the material, so it forms a neat edge. Now insert the ends of the elastic sleeve into each end of the main piece and top stitch over the join. If desired, you can top stitch along all the edges of the main piece of the hair band. Larger headband Smaller headband To see more from Helen, visit her on Instagram @phonenix_crafting Made by Helen Bowes for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Gill Rich Summer wouldn't be summer without a sunhat, these hats are easy to make and you can use some lovely summer fabrics. You will need the following: Two different fabrics, I chose two fat quarters from the Ice Lolly range from Craft Cotton Co Co-ordinating thread Tape measure/Ruler Sewing needle Print out of template 1. Using the template attached, cut out 6 pieces each in your main fabric and your lining fabric. Cut a strip for the brim using your main fabric, measuring 30" x 5". 2. Taking your main fabric, sew two of the hat pieces together using a 1/4" seam allowance. Press seams flat. Add another piece to make three in total stitched together. Repeat to make another set of three. 3. Sew the two halves of the hat together. Press seam allowances and topstitch. 4. Repeat this process for lining. 5. Next you need to make the ruffle brim. Fold the long strip in half with long edges together with wrong sides together. Press. Open the strips fold in half with short edges together and with right sides together and stitch the ends. You now have a circle. 6. Set your sewing machine to the largest stitch length and stitch the raw edges together at 3/8”. Repeat about 1/4" in to form two lines of gathering stitches. 7. Mark the halfway point opposite the seam, this will help you to attach the top of the hat. Pull bobbin threads to gather brim and evenly distribute the gathers around the brim. Line up the seam of the brim with one of the seams of the hat and pin the brim to the hat. 8. Sew the brim using a 1/2" seam allowance. Pull out your gathering threads and give the brim a press. Insert the lining inside the hat with the wrong sides together. Fold over a small hem on the lining and attach to the brim hiding your raw edges. 9. Using a small slip stitch, hand sew the lining to the brim. You can if you wish, stitch in the ditch from the outside of the hat.. And there you have it, you can make lots of these using really cool and funky fabrics!! Made by Gill Rich for The Craft Cotton Company 2020 To see more from Gill, visit her on Instagram @designbygill66

Project by Lesley Foster Add some summer brightness and fun to a room with this slightly crazy hexagon patchwork cushion. Materials Sunshine Fat Quarter set by The Craft Cotton Company Paper Ruler Pencil Thread Needle Pins Scissors Cushion pad 40x40cm 1. Take the white fabric with sun pattern and cut out a piece 42x42 cm. This is the front piece. 2. Take the white fabric with flower detail and cut out two pieces 42x26 cm. These are the back pieces. 3. Cut two strips of fabric 42x6 cm from the orange fabric, and fold in half lengthways. Next place the strips with raw edges against the raw edge of the top of the back pieces, pin and sew to secure. Fold over the folded edge to the other side of the fabric, pin and slipstitch to secure. 4. Using the paper draw out two hexagon templates, one slightly bigger then the other. 5. Using the paper templates and leaving a 1cm seam allowance cut out 6 of the smaller sized hexagon and 14 of the larger sized hexagon. Place the paper template into the middle of one of the fabric pieces fold the fabric edges over the template and using a tacking stitch sew around the hexagon. Repeat with the remaining hexagons. 6. Place the hexagons onto the front fabric piece into the positions you want them. Sew adjoining hexagons together by placing right sides together and slip stitching down the seam. 7. Once all hexagons that require joining are joined remove all the paper templates by taking out the tacking stitching. 8. Place the joined and single hexagons onto the front fabric piece, pin to secure and sew around the hexagons 0.5cm from their edges. 9. Cut out 4 strips 40x3cm, fold them in half lengthways and place the raw edges against the raw edges of the sides of the front piece. Pin to secure. 10. Take one of the back pieces and place right sides down on top of the front piece, repeat with the second piece overlapping the two back pieces. Pin to secure. 11. Sew around the edge of the cushion, then turn out the right way. To see more from Lesley, visit her on Instagram @hookstitchsew Made by Lesley Foster for The Craft Cotton Company 2020