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This is a really simple tutorial to make a gorgeous cushion cover using our Floral Sketches Collection. This make is perfect to vamp up any room! What you will need: Scissors Pencil Ruler Sewing machine Cushion The Craft Cotton Company's Larger Rose and Silver Sprig cotton prints First, cut out your fabrics: Measure the length of your cushion cover and x2. Then plus 10cm for the overlap. Measure the width of your cushion cover and +4cm for seam allowance (to accommodate 2cm seam allowance on both sides) Take your measurements and cut out x1 main fabric piece and x1 lining piece. Next, sew your fabrics together: Place fabrics rights sides (r/s) together and sew using a 1cm seam allowance. Leave a 15cm gap at one of the top edges to turn through. Trim your seam allowance down to 0.5cm. Turn through fabrics to r/s and push out the corners with a blunt object. Press your seams to ensure that they lie nice and neat. Turn the remaining seam allowance through on the unfinished edge and press in place. Using an edge stitch, close the seam and carry on sewing across the top. Finally, make the envelope: Place the panel flat with the main fabric facing upwards, find the centre of the panel. Take half of the measurement of your cushion cover and measure out each way from the centre, put a pin to mark the measurement. This will mark your fold lines for the overlap. Fold in both sides making sure that the edge stitched edge is on the top. Sew up both edges using a 1cm seam allowance. Turn through and now you have your finished cushion cover! © by Victoria Louise for The Craft Cotton Company 2016 #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco #home #backtoschool

Last week was the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace in London. It’s one of the biggest craft fairs in the country with over 400 exhibitors, and a whole host of demonstrations, lectures, workshops and fashion shows to keep you entertained. The stands are spread out in three main halls, and you definitely need a whole day to go round everything properly, we got there just after it opened at 10am and didn’t leave until about 4.30pm – if you wanted to do some workshops too you could easily spread it over two days. Also, there are plenty of places to refuel with coffee, cakes, or a cooked lunch. It’s incredibly easy to spend an absolute fortune very quickly as there is so much inspiration and so many amazing crafters to talk you through how to do something. My top tips would be to go with a shopping list and a bag on wheels – you will end up carrying tonnes of stuff and it will help save your arms! Mum and I didn’t do any workshops this time, but we did watch the Make it Coats/Rowan fashion show which showcased some of the yarns and patterns from Patons and Rowan, and some of Coats dressmaking fabrics by designers like Zandra Rhodes. The absolute highlight was the collaboration Rowan have recently released with Swarovski – a collection of beads and crystals to work into your knitting with a capsule collection of stunning patterns, the star of which is the dress which apparently uses over 2000 crystals! They’re not cheap but for a special item would be worth the cost and effort. All the big companies were there including sewing machine brands Janome, Singer and Brother, as well as dozens of designer-makers showing off their crafts and selling kits so you can recreate their style at home. With my own shopping list in mind, one of my top picks of the show was the Black Sheep Wools stand. They bring hundreds of packs of yarn and just pile them up on the floor for you to wade through and find what you want! Next up is Fabrics Galore who stock a massive range of dressmaking, quilting, homeware and ‘fun’ fabrics. There’s always a queue round this stall but the staff move really quickly and everyone stays happy! Moving on, the girls at the Sew Over It stand helped me pick out this gorgeous purple crepe to make their new Joan dress (I bought the pattern from them too). This will be my most advanced dressmaking project yet as it’s fully lined, and I’m determined to iron out some fitting issues I’ve had previously. I also stopped at the Sew Me Something stall where I grabbed the new Imogen top pattern, and some wool blend fabric to make a second pair of their Portia wide leg trousers having had success with the pattern last year. Jules who owns the business was wearing the Imogen top in this fab yellow crepe which looked really sunny and cheerful, I might have to look out for something similar. A few other purchases I made were some chunky yarn from Abakhan and some giant knitting needles from Rachael John Extreme Knitting to make a big snugly blanket, four balls of Patons baby wool from Lady Sew and Sew Knits to knit a cardi for my baby cousin for Christmas, some beautiful floral ribbon trim from Aarti J (no idea what I’m going to do with this!), a big pink cutting mat from Sew 2 Go (yes, pink!) and a patchwork ruler to go with it. It was a bit interesting getting home on the tube and the train carrying everything! Another great thing about the Knitting & Stitching Show is the textile artist galleries, of which this year’s star for me was Kate Jenkins’ The Stitchmongers – a whole shop full of knitted, crocheted and sequinned fish! It looks absolutely amazing, and incredibly life-like if you take a step back. Mum and I both had a brilliant day out, and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in to all my new projects. The show also goes to Dublin and Harrogate and I’d definitely recommend going along if you can, I’m already booking out the days for the Spring show next year! #craftcottonco

Last week was the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace in London. It’s one of the biggest craft fairs in the country with over 400 exhibitors, and a whole host of demonstrations, lectures, workshops and fashion shows to keep you entertained. The stands are spread out in three main halls, and you definitely need a whole day to go round everything properly, we got there just after it opened at 10am and didn’t leave until about 4.30pm – if you wanted to do some workshops too you could easily spread it over two days. Also, there are plenty of places to refuel with coffee, cakes, or a cooked lunch. It’s incredibly easy to spend an absolute fortune very quickly as there is so much inspiration and so many amazing crafters to talk you through how to do something. My top tips would be to go with a shopping list and a bag on wheels – you will end up carrying tonnes of stuff and it will help save your arms! Mum and I didn’t do any workshops this time, but we did watch the Make it Coats/Rowan fashion show which showcased some of the yarns and patterns from Patons and Rowan, and some of Coats dressmaking fabrics by designers like Zandra Rhodes. The absolute highlight was the collaboration Rowan have recently released with Swarovski – a collection of beads and crystals to work into your knitting with a capsule collection of stunning patterns, the star of which is the dress which apparently uses over 2000 crystals! They’re not cheap but for a special item would be worth the cost and effort. All the big companies were there including sewing machine brands Janome, Singer and Brother, as well as dozens of designer-makers showing off their crafts and selling kits so you can recreate their style at home. With my own shopping list in mind, one of my top picks of the show was the Black Sheep Wools stand. They bring hundreds of packs of yarn and just pile them up on the floor for you to wade through and find what you want! Next up is Fabrics Galore who stock a massive range of dressmaking, quilting, homeware and ‘fun’ fabrics. There’s always a queue round this stall but the staff move really quickly and everyone stays happy! Moving on, the girls at the Sew Over It stand helped me pick out this gorgeous purple crepe to make their new Joan dress (I bought the pattern from them too). This will be my most advanced dressmaking project yet as it’s fully lined, and I’m determined to iron out some fitting issues I’ve had previously. I also stopped at the Sew Me Something stall where I grabbed the new Imogen top pattern, and some wool blend fabric to make a second pair of their Portia wide leg trousers having had success with the pattern last year. Jules who owns the business was wearing the Imogen top in this fab yellow crepe which looked really sunny and cheerful, I might have to look out for something similar. A few other purchases I made were some chunky yarn from Abakhan and some giant knitting needles from Rachael John Extreme Knitting to make a big snugly blanket, four balls of Patons baby wool from Lady Sew and Sew Knits to knit a cardi for my baby cousin for Christmas, some beautiful floral ribbon trim from Aarti J (no idea what I’m going to do with this!), a big pink cutting mat from Sew 2 Go (yes, pink!) and a patchwork ruler to go with it. It was a bit interesting getting home on the tube and the train carrying everything! Another great thing about the Knitting & Stitching Show is the textile artist galleries, of which this year’s star for me was Kate Jenkins’ The Stitchmongers – a whole shop full of knitted, crocheted and sequinned fish! It looks absolutely amazing, and incredibly life-like if you take a step back. Mum and I both had a brilliant day out, and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in to all my new projects. The show also goes to Dublin and Harrogate and I’d definitely recommend going along if you can, I’m already booking out the days for the Spring show next year! #craftcottonco

This target beanbag game is great fun for all the family. Perfect for in the garden or on the beach - it's handy drawstring storage bag means it can easily be taken out and about for lots of fun wherever you go. See who can become the ultimate beanbag target champion this summer! Let the challenge begin... What you will need: Filling for the beanbags (dried beans, rice, beanbag pellets) Scissors Needle & thread Tape measure Pins Pencil Paper Compass to draw your circles, or something round such as a plate the size you need The Craft Cotton Company’s Funky Dot and Brights fat quarter sets and 2 pieces 75x75 cm Bunting cotton print First, make the beanbags: Make a paper template 10 x12cm, this includes a 0.5cm seam allowance. Cut 10 pieces of fabric from 4 different fat quarter colours. This will give you 5 beanbags from each colour. Place two pieces of the same fabric right sides together and sew around leaving a 5cm gap for turning. Turn out the right way and half-fill with your choice of filling. Slip-stitch the seam close. Making the drawstring bag: Take the remaining fat quarter and fold it in half (right sides together). Cut off the bottom part to make it 35cm long. Starting 6cm down from the top, sew down the side and then along the bottom. Turn the bag the right way around. Fold in the top edge of the bag by 1cm. Next, fold over the side edge seam over the folded top edge. Now fold over the top edge again, this time folding it so that it touches where you started sewing down the side of the bag. Pin as you go and then sew along the bottom of the folded top edge. Thread your ribbon through- I used the ribbon that came with the fat quarter set. To seal the raw ribbon edges fold over the end a few times and sew to seal, repeat for the other end. Next, make the targets: First, cut out the target shapes. Making paper templates by either drawing around an object of the correct size (I used different sized plates) or using a compass. Big circle target: Circle 1: diameter 42cm Circle 2: diameter 28 cm Circle 3: diameter 16 cm Medium circle target Circle 1 diameter 28 cm Circle 2: diameter 18 cm Smaller circle target Circle 1: diameter 18 cm Circle 2: diameter 8 cm Single target Circle: diameter 16 cm Position your circles on the bunting fabric. This is the positioning and colours I opted to use: Finally, put the mat together: Lay out the biggest circles of each of the target sets in place on the mat making sure you don't put them too near to the edge, and pin into place. Sew around the edge of these targets with a zigzag stitch. I opted for quite a tight zigzag stitch to minimize any fraying of the target edges. Sew the remaining targets into place working from the biggest to smallest circle on each target. You could sew point values on to the circles if you like, I opted not to so that I could vary the points for each target. Now place the front and back mat pieces right-side together. Sew all around the edge leaving a 5 cm gap for turning. Turn through and slip stitch closed. Now its time to get playing and have some fun! © By Lesley Foster at Hook, Stitch, Sew for The Craft Cotton Company 2016 #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco #summer #quilt #kids

This target beanbag game is great fun for all the family. Perfect for in the garden or on the beach - it's handy drawstring storage bag means it can easily be taken out and about for lots of fun wherever you go. See who can become the ultimate beanbag target champion this summer! Let the challenge begin... What you will need: Filling for the beanbags (dried beans, rice, beanbag pellets) Scissors Needle & thread Tape measure Pins Pencil Paper Compass to draw your circles, or something round such as a plate the size you need The Craft Cotton Company’s Funky Dot and Brights fat quarter sets and 2 pieces 75x75 cm Bunting cotton print First, make the beanbags: Make a paper template 10 x12cm, this includes a 0.5cm seam allowance. Cut 10 pieces of fabric from 4 different fat quarter colours. This will give you 5 beanbags from each colour. Place two pieces of the same fabric right sides together and sew around leaving a 5cm gap for turning. Turn out the right way and half-fill with your choice of filling. Slip-stitch the seam close. Making the drawstring bag: Take the remaining fat quarter and fold it in half (right sides together). Cut off the bottom part to make it 35cm long. Starting 6cm down from the top, sew down the side and then along the bottom. Turn the bag the right way around. Fold in the top edge of the bag by 1cm. Next, fold over the side edge seam over the folded top edge. Now fold over the top edge again, this time folding it so that it touches where you started sewing down the side of the bag. Pin as you go and then sew along the bottom of the folded top edge. Thread your ribbon through- I used the ribbon that came with the fat quarter set. To seal the raw ribbon edges fold over the end a few times and sew to seal, repeat for the other end. Next, make the targets: First, cut out the target shapes. Making paper templates by either drawing around an object of the correct size (I used different sized plates) or using a compass. Big circle target: Circle 1: diameter 42cm Circle 2: diameter 28 cm Circle 3: diameter 16 cm Medium circle target Circle 1 diameter 28 cm Circle 2: diameter 18 cm Smaller circle target Circle 1: diameter 18 cm Circle 2: diameter 8 cm Single target Circle: diameter 16 cm Position your circles on the bunting fabric. This is the positioning and colours I opted to use: Finally, put the mat together: Lay out the biggest circles of each of the target sets in place on the mat making sure you don't put them too near to the edge, and pin into place. Sew around the edge of these targets with a zigzag stitch. I opted for quite a tight zigzag stitch to minimize any fraying of the target edges. Sew the remaining targets into place working from the biggest to smallest circle on each target. You could sew point values on to the circles if you like, I opted not to so that I could vary the points for each target. Now place the front and back mat pieces right-side together. Sew all around the edge leaving a 5 cm gap for turning. Turn through and slip stitch closed. Now its time to get playing and have some fun! © By Lesley Foster at Hook, Stitch, Sew for The Craft Cotton Company 2016 #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco #summer #quilt #kids

Why not have a new bag for summer? This tutorial will show you how to make a beautiful ombre quilted bag- perfect for the beach. The bag is lovely and sturdy with its quilted size and has a lovely summery look for the beach! 'This bag is a super useful size and shape. We’ve got big plans to stuff it full of yarn and other craft projects to take with us when we travel! The ombre effect is created by clever placing of different toned prints – we think it makes it look really modern. Best of all, it’s really quick to make up and the stripping of the fabric means you don’t need to do any fiddly measuring or cutting. What a bonus!' Have a go at this tutorial to make a lovely summer bag. Click here to see the tutorial. By The New Craft House for Hobbycraft. #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco #hobbycraft #bag #patchwork

Why not have a new bag for summer? This tutorial will show you how to make a beautiful ombre quilted bag- perfect for the beach. The bag is lovely and sturdy with its quilted size and has a lovely summery look for the beach! 'This bag is a super useful size and shape. We’ve got big plans to stuff it full of yarn and other craft projects to take with us when we travel! The ombre effect is created by clever placing of different toned prints – we think it makes it look really modern. Best of all, it’s really quick to make up and the stripping of the fabric means you don’t need to do any fiddly measuring or cutting. What a bonus!' Have a go at this tutorial to make a lovely summer bag. Click here to see the tutorial. By The New Craft House for Hobbycraft. #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco #hobbycraft #bag #patchwork

Name: Jennifer Cockcroft Blog: http://www.knitsewgrow.blogspot.co.uk/ Where did your love for crafting start? Where did you learn your skills? I think I’ve always enjoyed crafting since I was little – although my Mum would probably call it making a mess! I used to like doing drawing and collages at school, and did a term of textiles in secondary school, but more than that was just making things at home or with my grandparents. I’ve tried all sorts of different crafts over the years, and love baking and cooking when I get time too. Now, I tend to pick things up myself by reading magazines, blogs and watching online videos for tips. What is your favourite craft activity and why? I’d probably say knitting at the moment, although dressmaking is a close second! I could never get the hang of knitting when I was younger, I’m left handed and Mum would despair at trying to show me things ‘the wrong way round’, so I never got further than the good old garter stitch scarf. But about three years ago I saw a knitted cable owl motif in a magazine and really wanted to make it – so I did! I think with a different mind-set and practising things on my own I’ve got to grips much better than with someone teaching me. Now I knit cables, lace, intarsia, socks, but mainly jumpers and cardigans for myself, with the odd baby gift thrown in. What is your favourite craft item to make? I’m enjoying sewing my own clothes a lot at the moment as I can choose fabrics and styles that I love and that suit me. I’m still working on getting the fit of some things perfect and I am learning about different types of adjustments. How do you choose the materials that you work with? For knitting I like good quality yarns in natural fibres, and similar for sewing I suppose – good quality cotton has been my friend so far though I’ve got some gorgeous Italian silk that I’m saving for something special. Describe your crafting space. My sewing space is my bedroom – I’ve got a little side table that my sewing machine sits on and I tend to sit on the side of my bed with all my fabric and tools spread out around me. I’ve got two big bookcases in my room, on top of which is stored my stash of fabric and yarn. Knitting generally happens on the sofa whilst watching TV. Where do you get your inspiration from? Lots of magazines, books, blogs, Pinterest, Instagram, sewing shows on Create & Craft TV, seeing other people when I’m out and about...the possibilities are endless! Which items can you not live without when crafting? A good pair of dressmaking scissors, lots of pins, tape measure, and the iron for sewing. For knitting, my ‘clicky’ row counter. Out of all of your projects you have made which one are you most proud of and why? I made the ‘Walkaway’ dress earlier this year (after seeing it on The Great British Sewing Bee) from some vintage M&S curtains liberated during a clear-out of my Nan’s house. It’s the biggest thing I’ve made in terms of fabric (5 metres!) and I’m chuffed to bits with how it turned out. Do you have any top tips that you would like to share? Use your iron lots when sewing or dressmaking – it makes such a difference during construction and to the final finish. Do you have any favourite designers or brands that inspire you? I love Liberty fabrics, and try to go and have a wander round the haberdashery department in the store whenever I’m in London – if they’ve got a sale on I might be in there a while! Rowan yarns are the loveliest to knit with, and their patterns are always beautiful – I have to be a bit careful with my budget though as a jumper can end up costing a huge amount if you don’t look for bargains! What are your crafty plans for the future? I’ve just bought the yarn to knit a ‘Santorini’ from Rowan Magazine 53 with this gorgeous intarsia rose design on the front, so I think that will keep me occupied for a little while. I’m going to be making some Christmas decorations this year, and would like to do some more patchwork, possibly English paper piecing. Working through some of the fabric in my stash would probably be a good idea too as I’m running out of space to keep things! #craftcottonco #meettheblogger

Name: Jennifer Cockcroft Blog: http://www.knitsewgrow.blogspot.co.uk/ Where did your love for crafting start? Where did you learn your skills? I think I’ve always enjoyed crafting since I was little – although my Mum would probably call it making a mess! I used to like doing drawing and collages at school, and did a term of textiles in secondary school, but more than that was just making things at home or with my grandparents. I’ve tried all sorts of different crafts over the years, and love baking and cooking when I get time too. Now, I tend to pick things up myself by reading magazines, blogs and watching online videos for tips. What is your favourite craft activity and why? I’d probably say knitting at the moment, although dressmaking is a close second! I could never get the hang of knitting when I was younger, I’m left handed and Mum would despair at trying to show me things ‘the wrong way round’, so I never got further than the good old garter stitch scarf. But about three years ago I saw a knitted cable owl motif in a magazine and really wanted to make it – so I did! I think with a different mind-set and practising things on my own I’ve got to grips much better than with someone teaching me. Now I knit cables, lace, intarsia, socks, but mainly jumpers and cardigans for myself, with the odd baby gift thrown in. What is your favourite craft item to make? I’m enjoying sewing my own clothes a lot at the moment as I can choose fabrics and styles that I love and that suit me. I’m still working on getting the fit of some things perfect and I am learning about different types of adjustments. How do you choose the materials that you work with? For knitting I like good quality yarns in natural fibres, and similar for sewing I suppose – good quality cotton has been my friend so far though I’ve got some gorgeous Italian silk that I’m saving for something special. Describe your crafting space. My sewing space is my bedroom – I’ve got a little side table that my sewing machine sits on and I tend to sit on the side of my bed with all my fabric and tools spread out around me. I’ve got two big bookcases in my room, on top of which is stored my stash of fabric and yarn. Knitting generally happens on the sofa whilst watching TV. Where do you get your inspiration from? Lots of magazines, books, blogs, Pinterest, Instagram, sewing shows on Create & Craft TV, seeing other people when I’m out and about...the possibilities are endless! Which items can you not live without when crafting? A good pair of dressmaking scissors, lots of pins, tape measure, and the iron for sewing. For knitting, my ‘clicky’ row counter. Out of all of your projects you have made which one are you most proud of and why? I made the ‘Walkaway’ dress earlier this year (after seeing it on The Great British Sewing Bee) from some vintage M&S curtains liberated during a clear-out of my Nan’s house. It’s the biggest thing I’ve made in terms of fabric (5 metres!) and I’m chuffed to bits with how it turned out. Do you have any top tips that you would like to share? Use your iron lots when sewing or dressmaking – it makes such a difference during construction and to the final finish. Do you have any favourite designers or brands that inspire you? I love Liberty fabrics, and try to go and have a wander round the haberdashery department in the store whenever I’m in London – if they’ve got a sale on I might be in there a while! Rowan yarns are the loveliest to knit with, and their patterns are always beautiful – I have to be a bit careful with my budget though as a jumper can end up costing a huge amount if you don’t look for bargains! What are your crafty plans for the future? I’ve just bought the yarn to knit a ‘Santorini’ from Rowan Magazine 53 with this gorgeous intarsia rose design on the front, so I think that will keep me occupied for a little while. I’m going to be making some Christmas decorations this year, and would like to do some more patchwork, possibly English paper piecing. Working through some of the fabric in my stash would probably be a good idea too as I’m running out of space to keep things! #craftcottonco #meettheblogger

There are lots of places where you can find inspiration but Pinterest is one of our favourites! Pinterest is a great way to find and share inspiration for all of your creative projects. With people all over the world contributing their unique ideas, there will never be a shortage of fresh concepts, projects and designs. You can follow hundreds of boards, trends and other people to see what inspires them and to see what ideas they have. Our favourites are; Design Seeds, Hobbycraft and It's Always Autumn, they provide plenty of projects, colour palettes, pictures and tutorials that we love to share with our followers! We are proud to have 47 Pinterest boards packed with over 3.8k ideas. We have several boards full of sewing projects, patterns and tutorials for every occasion and boards showing colour palettes, nature pictures and top trend's for the season, so there really is something for everyone! Our most popular boards include Interior Design, Sewing Patterns and Sewing Projects. You can also find all of our original and free tutorials on our Pinterest and share them with your followers too! Click here to see our Pinterest Boards and get inspired, we hope you enjoy browsing as much as we enjoyed pinning!! #craftcottonco

There are lots of places where you can find inspiration but Pinterest is one of our favourites! Pinterest is a great way to find and share inspiration for all of your creative projects. With people all over the world contributing their unique ideas, there will never be a shortage of fresh concepts, projects and designs. You can follow hundreds of boards, trends and other people to see what inspires them and to see what ideas they have. Our favourites are; Design Seeds, Hobbycraft and It's Always Autumn, they provide plenty of projects, colour palettes, pictures and tutorials that we love to share with our followers! We are proud to have 47 Pinterest boards packed with over 3.8k ideas. We have several boards full of sewing projects, patterns and tutorials for every occasion and boards showing colour palettes, nature pictures and top trend's for the season, so there really is something for everyone! Our most popular boards include Interior Design, Sewing Patterns and Sewing Projects. You can also find all of our original and free tutorials on our Pinterest and share them with your followers too! Click here to see our Pinterest Boards and get inspired, we hope you enjoy browsing as much as we enjoyed pinning!! #craftcottonco

This dress! I mean THIS DRESS! Sometimes you can have an awesome pattern and awesome fabrics and it's still a bit lacking, but not this time! I love this dress, Rikki likes this one too. I don't normally do colour, but as soon as I saw this fabric, Hawaiian Floral, on The Craft Cotton Company website, I fell in love! I had visions of myself strutting down a sunny street with beach boys playing in the background. It's like someone took the whole of summer (outside of England) and wove it into a print! It's 100% cotton, didn't shrink in the wash, ironed beautifully and no colours ran at all! It was a dream to sew with and to cut out; it doesn't shift and you can finger press a lot of your seams. I didn't bother pattern matching, but I did cut all of my pieces the same way up. The only problem that I have with this dress is that the zip is out by 0.5cm, but I've added a big button and I think it looks quite good to be honest (especially since I didn't have to unpick everything!). So let's get to the nitty gritty! The top of the dress is the Lilou bodice from love at First Stitch by Tilly and the Buttons. However, I hacked the bodice so I could keep with the 60's beach boys theme and have tie shoulders! It was a really simple hack and I think it looks awesome! To see how I made this amazing dress, just visit my blog: KnitWits-Owls Also, you can watch the video I made for this dress: This has to be my favourite Lilou dress so far, and I absolutely love the fabric that I picked- bright, colourful and perfect for Summer! #craftcottonco #summer #dressmaking