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Project by Anna I love having the opportunity to try out different fabrics and make things in a style that I wouldn't always choose. This top represents both of those things and is also a reminder of how much fun it can be to make something completely different as I really like the outcome! I've recently been liking fabrics with small floral prints more and more, I like to think that I'm old enough now to wear them without looking too childish! What I like about this fabric is that the background is navy, meaning that it still remains relatively in my comfort zone. It's lovely to find a jersey fabric with a print like this one too, I find that most of them are either striped or plain. The fabric in question comes from Visage Textiles so it's a great quality cotton jersey which is completely opaque. After making one item out of a floral fabric I'm tempted to go all in and make lots more! I really love the tiny flowers of this Craft Cotton fabric and I'm still on the hunt for a perfect floral viscose. Onto the design! I'm so proud of the drafting of this top because I've never made a proper wrap top before. Until recently I would never have seen myself wearing a wrap top but I've liked some of the RTW ones I've seen on the high street and used these as inspiration to draft my own pattern. I'm so happy it worked, I wasn't really expecting it to! It's quite a tricky shape to get without any gaping but luckily jersey fabric is also very forgiving. I really like how the ties come together at the side and I also quite like the little ruffle affect you get at the back from where the tie comes round. I have no idea if mine wraps round the right way but I'm happy with it! There was a slight moment of worry on the way when I tried it on and the wrap wasn't wide enough!  It was so incredibly frustrating and tempting to give up but I dutifully unpicked the edge I'd topstitched under and added a wide neckband to make it that bit wider. Luckily the neckband saved the problem. I'm really happy I went a bit out of my comfort zone for this make because I've found that I really like it! It's also nice to have a challenge to draft something a bit different and overcome a couple of sewing obstacles. Made by Anna for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Stephanie Marsh You will need: Left over quilted fabric from pan handle covers Left over FQ from lining of pan handle covers Thread 1. For the heat mat cut 2 oblongs, the largest you can, from the left overs of the quilted fabric and linings. Place right sides together (if you have any binding you can also add a hanging loop here) and stitch round, using ¼ “ seam allowance, leave a 2” gap for turning. Trim seam allowances and corners. Turn right out, press seams, then press flat, topstitch all around, closing turning gap 2. For the coasters cut 3” squares in quilted fabric and lining fabric. Place wrong sides together, zig-zag stitch around the edges and trim close to stitched edge. To see more from Stephanie, visit her Instagram Made by Stephanie Marsh for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

You will need: 1 fat quarters (FQ) Elastic Thread 1. Decide what size you would like the cover, to do this measure the size of the pot across the top, add 1.5”, then another 1.5” for hem. 2. Measure, pin and press 0.5” onto the wrong side. 3. Measure, pin and press 1” onto wrong side, enclosing raw edges. Stitch in place, leaving a 1” gap for inserting elastic. 4. Measure a length of elastic by placing elastic around bowl and pulling a bit in. Attach a safety pin to one end. 5. Thread elastic through hem (casing). 6. Sew elastic ends together and stitch gap closed. To see more from Stephanie, visit her Instagram Made by Stephanie Marsh for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Bernadette Wainwright I’m often asked how to make a bag with a circular base, it can be a little tricky but if you measure and cut accurately, you should have no problems. The bag can easily be altered to increase in height. Time it takes to make: 3-4 Hours Skill level: Intermediate You will need: Summer Fat Quarter pack from Craft Cotton Co 28½” x 8” (72 cm x20 cm) of outer body fabric, lining fabric and Single sided fusible Bosal In-R-Form or Adhesive Wadding 6½” (16.5 cm) dia. Circular Template 6½” (16.5 cm) dia. Fabric, lining and stiffener as above for the circular base 14” x 1¼” (35.5 cm x 3.2 cm) of two strips of lining fabric 2 x 40” (1mtr) of Ribbon or Cord (I used the ribbon from the Craft Cotton Co Fat Quarters) Bodkin or Safety Pin Air Erasable Pen or Pencil Compass or 6½” (16.5 cm) plate Scissors or a Cutting Mat and Rotary Blade Pins or Clips, Thread, Sewing machine Step-by-step instructions: Before you start your project, gather all your supplies and have a quick read through all the instructions just to familiarise yourself with the terminology. Iron your fabric with a suitable temperature to ensure it is flat and easy to work with. You would be amazed with the difference in size a few creases can make. 1. Create your template with either a compass or a 6½” (16.5 cm) plate. 2. Cut out the outer base and the Bosal In-R-Form or adhesive wadding. 3. Adhere the stiffener to the reverse of the outer base following the manufacturer’s instructions. Adhere the stiffener to the outer body fabric on the reverse side. 4. Take the lining strips and turn under ¼” (0.6 cm) on both the top and bottom of the long edge. Turn under ¼” (0.6 cm) on the short ends, press both strips. Sew the short ends. 5. Mark the centre of the bag with a pin at the top. Mark 1½” (3.8cm) down from the top of the outer bag and ¼” (0.6 cm) from each side. 6. Sew the top and bottom of each strip to the outer bag. 7. Measure 1¼” (3.2 cm) from the lower left side edge and mark with a pin, measure 2” (5 cm) along and mark with another pin, repeat all the way along to the right hand side, marking at 2” (5 cm) intervals finishing 1¼” (3.2 cm) from the edge, you should have 14 pins in total. 8. On the wrong side of the fabric and at each pin, mark for a 2” (5 cm) dart. 9. Sew a dart at each pin, each dart should be 2” (5 cm) long and a generous ¼” (0.6 cm) wide at the edge. 10. Sew the darts in the same way for the lining. 11. With right sides together and using ¼” (0.6 cm) seam, sew the side of the outer bag, taking care to avoid the strip. 12. Repeat for the lining, leaving a 4” (10cm) gap for turning through, remember to backstitch either side of the opening to secure. 13. Press the darts, all in the same direction so they lie flat and the bag takes on a curved shape. 14. Take the outer bag and turn inside out, pin the base in place at the bottom of the bag, you may have to ‘jiggle’ it to fit. I find it helps to have the bag body on top as I am pinning. 15. Sew in place. 16. Repeat for the lining. 17. Turn the lining right side out and drop into the outer fabric bag, having right sides together, match up the seams. Pin and sew all the way around the top. 18. Turn the bag through the hole in the lining, stitch the hole closed. 19. Turn the lining back into the bag. Press the top seam and topstitch all the way round. 20. Thread the first ribbon or cord, through the casing, all the way round using either the bodkin or safety pin. Secure the two ends with a pin. Thread the second length of ribbon or cord through the other side of the casing, again all the way round – this will pass over the first. 21. If you have some nice beads, thread them through the ribbon for extra decoration. 22. Pull the ribbons up for closure. Congratulations! Your Katie bag is now finished. To see more from Bernadette, visit her on Instagram @littlemissdressco Made by Bernadette Wainwright for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Stephanie Marsh You will need: 2 fat quarters (FQ) Heat resistant wadding Thread Instructions 1. Cut out a 6” square in each FQ and the wadding. Sandwich the wadding in-between the 2 FQ 6”’s, right sides outwards. Quilt as mentioned earlier. 2. Round the corners, I used a cup, see below. Trim away any wadding on show and square up the quilted piece. 3. Cut bias strips, 45 degrees from selvedge, 2” wide. 4. Press the strips in half, lengthways, then open up and press raw edges to centre, then fold back up again, as per the loops on the pan handle covers, but do not stitch. 5. Make a loop as the pan handle covers instructions. Pin in place at the edge of the main piece. Unfold the bias binding and lining up raw edges pin and sew around the outside of the quilted pieces, catching in the loop. 6. Wrap the binding over the quilted piece, encasing the raw edges, hand stitch in place. 7. Press lightly Made by Stephanie Marsh for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

1. Hi Alex! We miss having you around in the office. How are you keeping creative and crafty during quarantine? Thank you! I miss seeing everyone in the office too. I have used this period of quarantine to my advantage by practicing my sewing skills. While at Craft Cotton I made a pinafore dress using their Japanese Metallic Cotton Fabric. I enjoyed the process and using the fabric so much I then made a second top with the leftover fabric. I have gone on to make skirts, summer tops and face masks for family and friends using whatever material I can find from relatives and second hand clothes. I have had to be quite creative due to limited access to shops, but it has challenged my skills and creativity. As a beginner to sewing it just proves anyone can succeed and there are lots of tutorials online for people to follow. 2. You did a placement year of fabric design with us, what was your favourite part of the experience and what new things did you learn about the business? I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to design an extensive range of patterns. My favourite experience was learning how to use Illustrator for the first time. It opened up so much creative potential as it allowed me to create more complex patterns which could be easily changed. I learnt an incredible amount from the Head Designer Vicky and I will never go back to making patterns with anything else! As I was working at Craft Cotton for the year I was able to witness and participate in every stage of the design process, which can take a considerable amount of time to complete to ensure every detail from the colours to the scale of the pattern is perfect. It can take months from when you first design a piece to when it comes into the office, which many people including myself might not realise. 3. How did you find working with the Craft Cotton team? I loved working within the team. Everyone was so friendly and there was a great atmosphere in the office. There were times when I would carry out tasks other than designing and I always had someone I could go to and ask questions. It was a great experience to be able to work in different job roles as I got to talk to different team members and gain a greater understanding of how the business is run as a whole. 4. We’ve just launched the gorgeous Bee Happy fat quarters that you designed. What was this process like for you behind the scenes? I am so happy with how they turned out! It’s still surreal seeing my designs on fabric, I don’t think I will ever get used to it. I really enjoyed the design process for ‘Bee Happy’. In the beginning it looked very different to how it looks now. I began by completing market research to see what Bee themed packs were already out there and look at the colour trends and recurring images I saw being used. Pinterest was very useful for collecting the images I wanted to use as inspiration. I knew from the beginning I wanted to use the iconic Manchester Bee, as I am from Manchester and the Craft Cotton office is situated in the city. The colour palette consisted of cool neutral tones so that it was more versatile. I imagined the colour palette would especially suit interior colour schemes due to its simplicity and many people opting for shades of grey to decorate their homes, as it is on trend. I included the bright yellow to add a pop of colour and brighten the pack which made it perfect for the release date in Spring. I also love yellow so it was nice to fit that in too. 5. Who/what do you look towards for design inspiration? I don’t like to stick to one particular style when I create designs, so each time I make a new collection of patterns I search for artists, designers or illustrators that create work based on a certain style I have in mind. I then create moodboards using Photoshop or I form boards on Pinterest to keep all the images together. I also read about the persons work as it gives me some insight into why they have made certain decisions. For commercial work I also look at what other brands have brought out so I can get a picture of what recurring trends and themes there are out there. Catwalk fashion shows also hint at what trends are coming out so I often look at articles reviewing designers shows too. To see more from Alex, visit her on Instagram @aholttextiles

Project by Nicola Hills You Will Need: A set of FQ’s 1/2 Metre of backing Fabric Tools Required: Sewing Machine, Basic Sewing Kit, Iron How to: Take 1 FQ & some backing fabric and cut them in half widthways. R/S together sew across one long side. Press seams out flat, fold in half with r/s out. Repeat the same process with another FQ and lining Layer the second piece on top of the first piece about 1.5” down Trim across the bottom. Now begin to design your other bespoke pockets, think about the garden accessories you need to carry around with you in your apron. On one pocket you can even add loops for holding tools. Start sewing vertical lines to section off the pockets. TOP TIP remember to sew the pockets individually onto the one before so that you don’t lose precious pocket space after sewing the pockets down. Once you have the layers set how you want them, pin or clip to secure then using a long stitch sew around the outside to hold it all into place. I rounded off the corners. Use bias binding around to neaten the edges. Join two 4” strip lengths together to create the waist band. Fold in half = 2” iron then open and iron each edge into the central seam, this will give you a 1” waistband. Place the centre of the band onto the centre of the apron folded over the top edge, pin and sew all the way along the top of the apron and the two lengths of ties. Add a bow for decoration and buttons to personalise. I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial, if you ‘have a go’ please share your makes with us @bobbincottagebodkin @craftcottonco Nicola Hills x Made by Nicola Hills for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Angela Harkness Create your very own positivity hoopies for your potting shed when you make these fun embroidery samplers. Supplies: 5 Beehive fat quarter pack fabrics 4 Felt squares Collall Textile Glue Plus 5 Embroidery hoops of different sizes Stranded cotton embroidery thread in a variety of colours to coordinate with fabric choices Heat erasable pen 50” Ribbon Step 1: Using the embroidery hoop as a guide, position onto the fat quarter to select the chosen fabric design area. Tighten the hoop over the fabric, making sure the fabric sits well within the hoop and there are no creases Step 2: With your chosen embroidery thread, stitch over the chosen fabric design areas with an appropriate embroidery stitch. This example is a lazy daisy stitch Step 3: Continue to highlight different elements of the fabric design with different threads and stitches Straight stitch French knots Backstitch Lazy daisy and back stitch Step 4: Continue with this technique for a second hoop Straight stitch Satin stitch in two colours of thread Step 5: For the positivity slogan hoops, using a heat erasable pen, write your text onto the fabric: “bee kind” “bee safe” “bee joyful”. Using three strands of cotton, stitch over your text with a backstitch. Step 6: TO finish the hoops, first trim away any excess fabric around the outside of the hoop, leaving 1.5-2” around the circle. Using needle and strong thread, stitch a running stitch around the edge of your circle of fabric. Position the embroidery hoop in place, pull the thread to gather in the edges then when happy with positioning, tighten up the screw on the hoop Step 7: Trace around the embroidery hoop onto a piece of coordinating felt. Cut out the circle and glue to the reverse of the hoop to conceal all of the workings, using the Collall textile glue Step 8: Attach a ribbon bow and hanging loop to complete your project To see more from Angela, visit her on Instagram @angerellas_crafts Made by Angela Harkness for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Angela Harkness Create positivity bunting for any occasion, or just to brighten up the potting shed... Bunting doesn’t have to be a triangle! Ability/skill level of project: Beginner Supplies: Beehive fat quarter pack Half metre of contrasting (yellow) fabric for backing and appliqué Heat and bond Bee happy template - Write 'Bee Happy' in size 320 on Word, print Bias binding or cotton tape Step 1: Using the hexagon template, cut 10 pennants in each of the main Beehive fabrics and 10 in the contrasting yellow fabric Step 2: Trace around the chosen letter stencils onto the paper side of the heat and bond. Remember to flip the stencils over to get the correct orientation of the letters on the fabric front. If you are making your own slogan, Century Gothic in bold size 320 fits the hexagon well - Iron the heat and bond onto the reverse of the contrasting fabric - Cut out the letter shapes carefully Step 3: Peel the paper backing off the letters -Centralise the letters on the front of the bunting pennants (alternate the fabric designs for added interest) -press in place -stitch the around the letters either using free motion stitching on your machine, or with a small blanket stitch on the machine or by hand Step 4: Position two bunting hexagons together with right sides facing -stitch around the sides of the hexagon, leaving the top side open -turn through and press -repeat with all remaining hexagons Step 5: Attach the binding to the bunting, leaving a small gap between each hexagon and an extra length at each end for hanging the bunting in place To see more from Angela, visit her on Instagram @angerellas_crafts Made by Angela Harkness for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Stephanie Marsh You will need: 2 fat quarters (FQ) Heat resistant wadding Thread Instructions 1. Measure the length and circumference of the pan handles (s), mine were 6” x 3”. 2. I made a template based on these measurements, the template was 2” x 6.5”. I curved the corners at one end, set to one side. 3. Take the outer FQ and the wadding and place wrong sides (WS) together. Pin and tack to hold together ready for quilting. 4. Using tailors chalk (or erasable pen) mark a line across the fabric where you would like to quilt. Now take this to your sewing machine and sew along the line, then repeat at regular intervals to quilt the fabric and wadding together. Remove the tacking. 5. Taking the template made earlier but out the required amount in the quilted fabric and the lining (the second FQ). You need 2 quilted and 2 in lining for each cover. 6. Place one lining and one quilted piece right sides together and stitch, ¼ inch, along the short straight edge. Press seam allowance to one side. 7. To make the loop cut a strip 2” x 3.5” from the lining fabric, press in half lengthwise, then open up and press raw edges to centre, then fold back up again, stitch along long folded edge. 8. At the curved edge on once of the main pieces place the loop as shown below. 9. Now take 2 main pieces (one with and one without the loop), place right sides together, stitch all around, leaving a couple of inches gap in the lining. 10. Trim the seam allowances with piking shears or clip the curves. Turn right sides out, press seams and stitch closed the gap. To see more from Stephanie, visit her Instagram Made by Stephanie Marsh for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Nicola Hills You Will Need: 1 Set of Fat Quarters Iron on Interfacing A Popper. Tools Required: Iron Sewing Machine Basic Sewing Kit Step by Step: Choose 2 fat quarters from your set for the main outer and lining. The third for your drawstring and casing. Iron them ready. From the Outer, Lining & Interfacing Fabrics , cut 2 large circles (I cut as big as I could go for the size of the Fat Quarter which was my compass outstretched to 8.5”) and a flap piece (3” x 6.5” with one short end rounded off) Iron the interfacing onto the lining piece of the flap. With R/S together sew all around, just leaving a 2” gap at the bottom for turning out. Cut notches out on the curve before turning out. Press with the iron then topstitch round enclosing the turning gap The casing used 3 x 3” strips of another fabric which I joined together to make one long piece. Fold in half and iron. Place the tab on the outer circle piece, pin to secure, a good place would be about 3” in from the edge, mine was placed a little too far in (lessons learned) Sew across the straight end a couple of times. Take the casing you prepared earlier and open out from the centre crease one end, fold in the sort end about 2” finger press back into the centre, this will create a neat edge. Pin the casing all around the edge of the outer fabric circle with the raw edges facing out when you get back to where you started, repeat the above step above, leave a 1” gap between the two casing ends. Now lay the interfaced lining piece face down on top, gradually un-pin and re-pin all three pieces. Sew all around the outside of the circle. Leave a 3” gap to turn out. Turn out and iron smooth. The drawstring was a 1.5” strip taken from the width of the fat quarter x 4 sewn together (as above) R/S together sew down one long side with a 1/4” seam allowance. Turn right sides out and iron. Using a bodkin or safety pin, thread through the opening of the casing. Cinch up your drawstring and mark where the flap sits neatly on the outer part of the bag to place your poppers. I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial, if you have a go at making this project, please share with us @craftcottonco @bobbincottagebodkin Nicola Hills x Created by Nicola Hills for The Craft Cotton Company 2020

Project by Stephanie Marsh You will need: 2m fabric, I chose 50cm of 4 fabrics Wadding 2m plain cotton for back (sheeting will do) Thread Instructions 1. Print off letters from word, choose a style you like and enlarge them to fit inside a 5” block, make the letters approximately 4” in size. Cut them out and work out how many of each letter you want, this is how many I made of each: A – 5, B – 2, C – 3, D – 2, E - 5, F – 2, G -2, H -2, I -5, J- 2, K -2, L -2, M -2, N -2, O -5, P -2, Q -1, R – 3, S – 3, T – 3, U - 5, V – 2, W – 2, X – 1, Y – 2, Z - 1 2. Cut out 5-inch squares in the fabric, wadding and backing fabric, enough to cover your chosen amount of letters. 3. Sandwich wadding between back fabric and main fabric, with the right sides facing out, pin layers together. 4. On the backing fabric, using a heat or water erasable pen trace around the lettering, 1 to each piece of fabric. NOTE: remember to reverse the lettering, you are tracing onto the back. 5. Now, using a matching or contrasting thread, sew on the lines you have traced onto the backing, sewing through all layers. I used a slightly larger stitch due to the amount of layers. When sewing curves works slowly, when turning corners leave the need on the machine in the down position, lift up the foot, turn work, lower foot and continue sewing. 6. When you have finished sewing them all remove the erasable pen marks. 7. Cut around each letter with pinking shears, if available, if not cut approximately 4mm away from sewn edge. Made by Stephanie Marsh for The Craft Cotton Company 2020