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  • Coronation Fabric Envelope

    Project by Nicola Brooks This simple and effective fabric envelope is perfect for using as invites to a street party, holding colouring pages to keep the little ones amused, or as a photo scrap book to commemorate the royal occasion! You will need: (for one envelope) Two pieces of fat quarter fabric in Royal Celebration (Main fabric and lining) 32cm square of light / medium iron on interfacing A paper envelope (I used an 8x6 envelope) 10cm length of elastic Button of your choice Sew On Velcro Small rectangle of white felt (this is for the stamp) Ric rac trim in blue Corresponding thread to match fabric choices This make is based on an envelope for an 8x6 inch card. This project can be done with any sized envelope, you would just need to adjust the amount of fabric / interfacing you need depending on how big or small the envelope is. Step 1: Take apart your paper envelope carefully and lay it out flat- this is going to be our template for our fabric. Step 2: Place your paper envelope on top of your main fabric, and take a moment to double check how the fabric print will look once the envelope is folded. Pin the envelope on the wrong side of the fabric and cut out one from your main fabric, and one for your lining fabric. Step 3: Iron the interfacing to the wrong side of the main fabric and cut around the excess. Iron the fabric again to ensure the interfacing is stuck down right to the edges. Step 4: Fold the elastic in half, and place the ends over the centre of the curve at the top of the fabric envelope flap. Hand sew in place to prevent it from moving when sewing. Step 5: Position two pieces of Velcro on the lining fabric, and carefully stitch them to the side tabs. Step 6: Place the main fabric and lining fabric right sides together, making sure you tuck in the elastic loop. Sew around the edge with a 1cm sewing allowance. Leave an opening on one of the Velcro tabs for later. Step 7: Clip the curves of the envelope and turn the envelope the right way around via the opening on the Velcro tab we left earlier. Roll the edges of the seam in your hands to help flatten it and press. The elastic loop should now be poking out of the top of the envelope. Step 8: Fold the excess material into the gap in the flap to create a neat edge and hand sew it closed. Step 9: Sew the button in place, ensuring it matches up with your elastic when the envelope is folded up. Step 10: Stitch the opposite sides of your Velcro to the inside checking the placement so it lines up with the existing tabs. Step 11: If you’d like to add a stamp, cut out a small rectangle of white felt and stitch the ric rac around the outside to create a border. If you want to add a small embroidered design on the stamp go for it! Step 12: Hand stitch the stamp to the front of your fabric envelope and fold up your fabric envelope. Now your envelope is complete! To see more from Nicola, follow her on Instagram @nikinakimakes! Made by Nicola Brooks for The Craft Cotton Co 2023.

  • Coronation Crown Tutorial

    Project by Bethany Vaughan Fabric: Metallic Royal 3252-08 (exclusive to Hobbycraft). Make this little crown fit for your little queen in less than an hour! Use scraps or match the fabric to a new coronation dress to make it personal. You will need: Fat Quarters in two different fabrics – I've used the visage coronation foil prints in silver Fusible Interfacing – Mine is hemline branded Small amount of round elastic – Also hemline branded Sewing machine and thread Printed template Instructions: Step 1: Print and cut out your template and lay on top of your fabric. Cut the fabric down so it fits the pattern comfortably. Step 2: Press your fabric flat and then iron your interfacing to the back of it. Step 3: Trace your pattern onto the back of your fabric and cut out. Step 4: Take one of your pieces and pin the short sides wrong sides together. Sew. Repeat for the second piece. Step 5: Turn one of your pieces inside out and slip inside the second piece. Pin these pieces together then sew along the side with the points, all the way around. Step 6: Trim all your seams down neatly and chop the tops off the points to reduce bulk and snip into the lower point seams to make the points smooth, making sure you don't snip into your stitching. Once done flip the right way out and press. Step 7: Turn the bottom seams under so all the raw edges are hidden, press this so it's nice and neat and then topstitch. If you’d like to you can also topstitch the top side with the points. The main construction of your crown is now finished! Step 8: Take some round elastic and measure how much you’d like to add. This should go from the top of your model's head to just under the chin like a strap. Sew one side of the elastic to the left of the crown and the other to the opposite side. I’ve done this on the inside of the crown so that it’s hidden. If you’ve done this neatly enough it can also be reversible! You’re all done! Pop onto your model along with their new dress and enjoy your jubilee party! To see more from Bethany, follow her on Instagram @whocraftsbethcrafts. Made by Bethany Vaughan for The Craft Cotton Co 2023.

  • Arles Sunflowers Quilt

    Project by Lucy Picksley Fabric: Arles Sunflowers (3204-00). Due in stores in May. Although you could say that winter arrived late in 2022, it certainly hit hard with ground frosts hanging around for days on end. We didn’t get a white Christmas per-se, but it was crisp and lovely underfoot non the less. January soon came around with the New Year hopes of fresh starts and aspirations for the year ahead. I certainly have lots of sewing plans ahead of me but thought it would be nice to start thinking about summer and what that might hold for me. I started looking through holiday brochures of sea and sand, seeking inspiration for warmth and colour but then the opportunity to work with the Arles Sunflowers range became available and it felt so right and timely to throw myself head on into bright yellows and blues. The colours of the brightest sun and coolest sea! I dug deep into my quilting books and soon came up with a design to use as inspiration aptly called Sunflower Lane by Nannette Berkley. Whilst it wasn’t a direct copy the overall look I just knew that it would suit the fabrics perfectly. I had a variety of 5 x 1metre lengths to make use of, cut up and stitch back together. The design wasn’t too complicated and the fabrics behaved just beautifully. I found that they handled well even when cutting on the diagonal. I used my pretty Singer Featherweight 221 to make the throw up which was an absolute joy. The Singer itself dates circa 1953 and is a petite machine ideal for sewists on the move. Dad has a passion for renovating these beauties and even runs a well attended Facebook group called Singer Featherweights UK – hop over if you want to know more. The fabrics soon came together into a triumph of colour, and the remnants were used to patch together to make a matching backing. I have about 2 half metres left over and have thought about making some plant pot holders or storage baskets so it all matches. The throw will be loved and adored for many years and when spring comes she will move into my summer house and dressed over a chair. Absolutely perfect as I spend so many hours sat out there with the doors flung open adoring all that the wildlife has to bring in my garden. To see more from Lucy, follow her on Instagram @sew_pretty_sew_mindful and check out her Youtube channel!

  • A Royal Celebration: King Charles' Coronation Bunting

    Project by Kim Hind Celebrate the Kings coronation with our Royal Celebration bunting. There are 28 triangles in total which will make 14 double-sided pennants or use a plain fabric on the back for longer bunting. What you’ll need: A Royal Celebration Bunting panel 3.5m of 1” bias binding (double if making longer) Tools: Sewing machine Iron Matching thread 1. Cut out each triangle from the panel. 2. Sew the triangles right sides together in pairs along the long sides. 3. Trim back the seam allowance at the point, care not to cut any stitches. 4. Turn right sides out and press and trim the tops. Repeat with the other triangle pennants. 5. Fold the bias binding in half lengthways and press. Slip the triangles inside the fold, evenly spaced, and sew in place. Neaten the ends of the binding by folding in and sewing. To see more from Kim, follow her on Instagram @whatkimberleymakes, Facebook and check out her website! Made by Kimberley Hind for The Craft Cotton Co 2023.

  • Sounds of the Sea

    Project by Lucy Picksley Nowadays I create my makes designed on what I feel could be my next pattern release and that’s okay, it’s what I do and enjoy. But last week I threw my own rule book out of the window with great gusto and an arm fling that would have taken anyone out. I was tired, I was grumpy, I felt down. That’s real life isn’t it. We have good days we have bad. Mostly we have the ‘in-between’ days. More recently though my days have been misbalanced and slipped more into the ‘down’ days. With this in mind I decided to harness my roots and sew for love and for no other purpose. I decided to abandon my drawing book and make without sketching, following my own groove and seeing where I landed at the end of the day. I had half a metre each of the Reeds and colourful Seaweed to make use of and I’d previously contacted The Crafty Lass (Paula) the amazing designer of the Sea in Colour Range to see if she had some scraps I could make use of to weave into the design which she happily obliged. So what to make? Well! I’m also a bit of a knitter, not a great knitter but a good knitter with a bit of promise to improve over time. My WIPS are growing by the day as are my needles, pins and yarn stash. I do try to keep myself in order with yarns categorized in boxes with patterns to suit the yarn. You get the idea. But my needles – well they are just all over the place with no sense of order at all. So my project with this fabric became clear. I needed an organizer for all types and lengths of needles – simple! In my last project design, the Wintern Collection I started working with apple and red mesh and it looked amazing. I couldn’t help but think it would look absolutely stunning with the Sea collection, reminding me of the fishing nets we would use to catch the minnows on our family holidays at Cosgrove Lakes as a small child. The Make The finished make comes out as slightly larger than A4 when closed (A3 open). On the right hand side there are a number of slots for needles with a large pattern pocket that sits behind them. To the left I have made 2 sizes of mesh zipped pockets to house my circular needles with the largest pocket for the really chunky needles. To the top left there is a smaller flapped pocket that I keep my Double Pointed Needles (DPNs) in and these are closed securely with a popper. I had loads of fun on the front of the organizer using up the scraps from the rest of the fabric collection Paula had gifted me. I created a little heart template and sewed this up using the Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP) method. I added some bright white to make the colours pop and then overlayed the whole piece with some sparkly PU which (imo) was genius. It just sort of adds to that watery theme. Plain green has been added throughout to breakup spaces and create width and depth where needed and the entire organizer was filled with a heavy decovil to give it structure and firmness. What I would change Like I said at the start this make was improvised rather than planned, I followed my nose rather than thinking too far ahead. Had I known my nose was blocked with an incoming cold then I might have slowed down my thinking! The biggest change I would make if I did decide to develop the pattern on would be to create a flap to cover the top of the needles on the right (same as the uppermost flap on the inside left). My fabric choice, whilst amazing did become far too busy for me and I would look to calm things down a little with my outer fabrics, perhaps by introducing more white or solids to the design. Final thoughts The entire make was a joy. It filled my heart with love and I adored working with such bright and joyful fabrics. As always, and as I’ve come to expect the quality of these fabrics are second to non. They handle well, cut smoothly and most important of all, behave for me. Well done Paula on creating such a fabulous collection once again x To see more from Lucy, follow her on Instagram @sew_pretty_sew_mindful, and check out her Youtube channel! Made by Lucy Picksley for The Craft Cotton Co 2023.

  • Thank You, Dr Seuss.

    Written by Jess Unsworth March 2nd was a normal day, until 1904 when everything changed. Dr Seuss was born! Back then however he didn't go by Dr Seuss, that would've been a bit odd for a child. His full name is Theodor Seuss Geisel, or Ted as most people referred to him. Now, as we're on the topic of names, here is where I'm going to drop a bombshell, I'm about to change life as you know it. The correct pronunciation of Seuss is not like 'Bruce', it is in fact pronounced like 'voice'. I can only imagine the deadly silence that fell after you read that sentence, but yes it is true. When his family moved to America, everyone would pronounce it 'Soose', and the family just decided to go along with it! I feel much better now I have shared that fact, it was really eating me up. Dr Seuss kicked of his career writing ads, specifically for Flit Bug Spray writing the ever famous catch line 'Quick, Henry! The Flit' (I have never heard of this phrase but that could either be because I am British, or I am EXTREMELY youthful). He worked writing various ad campaigns for a few years, until finally, after 27 rejections, his first book 'And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street' was published. From there he went on to write 47 children's books, 20 of which have been translated into different languages. When we found out we had the opportunity to collaborate with Dr Seuss, we had to take it. So, our designer Alex created our first collection 'Dr Seuss Books', this features 5 of Dr Seuss' most famous books. Intrigued by this new license I decided to do some more research into the inspiration behind a few of his books, and it made me love him even more! The Lorax The Lorax is the reasoning behind us deciding we absolutely HAD to make sure this collection was printed on 100% organic cotton. The Lorax was written in a time when 'global warming' and 'sustainability' were words only hippies would preach, so to have someone as influential as Seuss writing about the importance of taking care of our planet was just fantastic! This book unfortunately hasn't grown old, and is more relevant now than it was when he first wrote it. Inspired by the chopping down of trees in his neighbourhood and his trip to Mount Kenya Safari Club, Seuss knew he wanted to write a 'non-preachy' book, that even children would be able to read and learn from. He wanted a book that captured the effects of pollution on ecosystems. Which I think he captured brilliantly, with the ending reading; "UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better. It's not." I think it's safe to say he wrote a book way a head of his time. Green Eggs & Ham This is was one of my favourite books in school, and still remains as one of my favourite Dr Seuss books to this day. You've got to admit as a child, you wanted to try green eggs and ham, and to be totally honest if a restaurant added green eggs and ham to their menu tomorrow, I would be straight round with my knife and fork at the ready. For me what makes this book even better, is that it was actually the result of a bet. Seuss' publisher bet him that he couldn't write a book with 50 or fewer words. If only all bets could result in a top selling children's book, with over 8 million copies sold world wide! Mine just end with me owing someone a pint. Cat in the Hat Back in 1930, a popular primer book was released for young children featuring 2 characters, Dick and Jane. Having looked into these books and read a few pages I have renamed them 'Dull Dick' and 'Plain Jane' and I don't seem to be the only one with this opinion. Although educational, these books were immensely boring, even educators and parents knew it! This issue was brought to light more so when an article was written in Life magazine questioning why these books didn't at least feature exciting illustrations for the children. Something fun and playful, maybe by the likes of Tenniel, Walt Disney or Dr Seuss. Well, this article was seen by the Director of Houghton Mifflin's education division, and he decided to not only take this suggestion on board but run with it. An invitation was sent to Seuss for him to join for dinner. Here the Director made the request 'write me a story that 1st graders can't put down'. 'No problem' Seuss thought, 'I can do that in my sleep'. He in fact could not do that in his sleep. He underestimated how difficult it would be to write a story with not only a 200 word cap (give or take a few), but to conceive a story with such a limited word list deemed almost impossible. A frustrated Seuss decided to go along the list, choose the first two words that rhymed and then try to create a story around them. Lucky for us, the first words that he found were 'Cat' and 'Hat', and HAZAR Cat in the Hat was born! The Grinch On the morning of December 26th, Seuss was looking in the mirror whilst he was brushing his teeth, and he noticed what he described as a very 'grinchish' person looking back at him. This isn't how one should feel at Christmas time! Instantly, he was inspired and began to write a story about his sour friend 'The Grinch', to see if he could discover the 'something' about Christmas that he had lost. Finished within a few weeks, The Grinch was one of the quickest books he wrote, (mostly due to the fact that he was able to channel his frustrations with the commercialisation of Christmas into his story). The Grinch is also Seuss' most adapted story to this day, and finding out that The Grinch himself was actually based on Seuss is quite the shock! This wasn't a secret by any means. In fact Seuss owned his grinchness, and rocked around his neighbourhood with license plates that spelled out 'GRINCH'. Now if that isn't iconic I don't know what is. Oh the Places You'll Go Oh! The Places You'll Go, is not only Seuss' best selling book, but it was actually the last book published in his lifetime. Which makes the book even more special! With such a lovely message behind it, this book has become a classic gift for children and adults alike. I remember first arriving at a hostel in Seattle, when I got to the room I was staying in, all of the walls had been painted top to bottom with a mural of Oh! The Places You'll Go, and I instantly felt comforted. That is the kind of effect Dr Seuss books and illustrations have on people. Timeless comfort. Overall, I think it's safe to say the world of Dr Seuss, isn't going anywhere anytime soon! With plays, musicals and films, that little boy who was born on this day all those years ago, would be overwhelmed with how much impact his imagination has had on everyone little or small. Make sure you tag us in all of your Dr Seuss (or should I say Soice) makes! Fabric: Dr Seuss - Books (2962) Written by Jess Unsworth for The Craft Cotton Co 2023.

  • The Grinch Reading Cushion Applique Tutorial

    Project by Emma Taylor Fabric: Grinch - Dr Seuss Books – Organic Cotton Prints (2962-04) What You Will Need: 0.75m of Grinch fabric Scraps of two coordinating colours (I used purple and green) Bondaweb Sewing machine Threads Basic sewing kit 16” x 16” Cushion insert What to Cut From Fabric: 16” x 16” square of main fabric cushion front 2 x 16” x 10” for the envelope back of the cushion 1 x 16” x 8” for the front pocket that will hold the book Cut 3 hearts that are backed with bondaweb cut 1 5” heart 1 4” heart and 1 3” heart Instructions Step One: Cut all the above pieces of fabric and bond where needed. I used my cricut to cut out three heart templates for me to trace. Step Two: On the two back pieces (the 16” x 10” pieces) then sew a half inch hem. Do the same to the 16” x 8” piece. This creates the perfect neat finish that we want on our project. Step Three: Position your three hearts on the front panel and iron into place. I have chosen to layer mine, but you can position yours wherever you need. When they are ironed in place this is when you can sew around them. I chose a lovely blanket stitch to sew around mine. Step Four: Now all your pieces are ready for construction. Lay the main piece pattern facing you. Then lay the appliqued piece on top facing you also. Then take your two back pieces and lay them pattern facing down make sure the folds overlap to make the envelope back. Then pin the whole sandwich together. Step Five: Sew a ¼” seam all the way around the cushion. After you complete the stitching it is optional to go around again with a zig zag stitch. This just means that the inside of your project will look as perfect as the outside. Now you are all done with a lovely applique front reading cushion. Thank you so much for following along to this blog! To see more from Emma, follow her on Instagram @taylormademisfit and Facebook! Made by Emma Taylor for The Craft Cotton Co 2023.

  • Sea in Colour - Cosmetic Bag Tutorial

    Project by Gill Rich Fabric: Ocean Wonders - Sea in Colour (2969-04) You can’t have too many cosmetic bags or zipped bags. This bag can be used for your makeup or for your sewing notions or whatever you want really. It's easy to make and you can make it up in a couple of hours. Approximate size 11” x 9”. You Will Need: Two co-ordinating fabrics. I chose one from Under The Sea Collection Cutting mat, ruler and rotary cutter 12” zip Erasable marker pen Coordinating thread, I used Gutterman Thread Wadding Zip tassel Pins Use a ¼” seam allowance throughout unless otherwise stated. To start, cut your fabrics as follows: 2 x Exterior Fabric pieces 11” x 9” 2 x Lining Fabric pieces 11” x 9” 2 x Wadding 11” x 9” 1 x Exterior Fabric 2” x 3” for the zipper tab Firstly make your zipper tab. Take your zip and cut off most of the two tabs at the end of the zip. Next, fold your fabric tab short edges by approximately 1cm each to the wrong side. Fold the longer edges so that they meet in the middle and give it a good press. Place the zip in the centre of the two long folded edges and fold over in half. Baste or pin in place then stitch all the way around the tab using a smaller straight stitch, I use 2.4mm. The next stage is to attach your zip to the front and back of the bag. Place one of your exterior pieces right side up on top of one piece of wadding and then pin the zip along the top long edge. The zipper pull needs to be facing the fabric (ie upside down). Next, pin the lining piece on top of the other two pieces sandwiching the zip in the middle. Now, fold over the lining piece so that your zip is visible and the right way up. Repeat your fabric sandwich in the same way as the front. Next you need to stitch along both long edges using your zipper foot. At the beginning of the zip, fold over the zip piece that is just before the start of the zip teeth. Stitch from here to approximately 1.5” from the end. Leaving your needle in your fabric, lift your presser foot and slightly move the zip away from the edge. Back stitch a couple of stitches then stitch all the way to the end. Repeat for the other side. Next open out the two sides, lining pieces together and exterior/wadding pieces together with the zip in the middle, partially open. Stitch around all of the pieces leaving a turning gap of about 4” in the lining fabric. Now to do the corners. With your pieces turned wrong side out, line up the bottom seam with the side seam and lay flat. Measure up from the corner and draw a line where it measures 3” wide. Stitch along this line then cut off the excess. Repeat for all four corners. Now turn your bag right side out through the turning gap in the lining and ease into place. Stitch the gap in the lining either by hand or using your sewing machine. To give it a nice neat finish at the top, top stitch all the way around the top of the bag near to the zip and then add your tassel to the zip, give it a good press and there you have a new bag for all your bits and pieces. To see more from Gill, follow her on Instagram @designbygill66, or Facebook, and make sure you check out her website design-by-gill.co.uk. Made by Gill Rich for The Craft Cotton Co 2023.

  • Jurassic Park - Fabric and Pattern Review

    Project by Emma Taylor Fabric used Jurassic park fat quarter pack by Craft Cotton Co. Pattern followed Verity – by living in loveliness Living in loveliness – Sharing Our Passion For Crafting I have to be honest, at the end of 2022 I lost my sewing mojo. My sewing machine broke and my spirit for sewing with it. Christmas 2022 I was gifted a lovely new sewing machine by my mum, and boy oh boy did I want to get on it straight away. So here we are, my first sewing project of 2023! I chose to follow this pattern as I have always wanted to do a project with vinyl. I LOVE Jurassic park so this fabric was perfect for this project. As usual the quality of the fabric is 10/10. The design of these fabrics is perfect, the print is small enough for projects on the smaller side like this one. But big enough to stand alone on a larger project. (My next idea for this fabric would be a shirt or skirt so I need to research how much I need for that!) The pattern was SO easy to follow, I was nervous to start with as it had been six months since I had sewn. But the pattern was written beautifully with very clear labelled photos. This isn’t my first pattern that I have used from this company (Living in loveliness – Sharing Our Passion For Crafting) so it is lovely to see the quality is in every pattern. The hardest part for me personally was binding the project at the end as me and binding seem to be old enemies. But the instructions that were provided helped me through it with only one small mistake. But I am keeping It on the project to remind myself that not everything has to be perfect. I am so happy with this little project bag that I have created and want to send a huge thanks to the cotton craft company for always producing amazing fabrics. If you have liked this little review please give this post a like, if you want I can do more. To see more from Emma, follow her on Instagram @taylormademisfit and Facebook! Made by Emma Taylor for The Craft Cotton Co 2023.

  • Peter Rabbit, Once upon a Time Quilt

    Project by Nicola Hills This adorable Cot sized quilt is created by using the Disappearing 9 Patch Quilting method and 11’’ plain blocks. You Will Need: 1/2 Metre of each of the ‘Once upon a time designs’ 1 Metre of Heirloom Wadding 1 Metre of backing fabric Embroidery thread 8 x 2” Strips of fabric for the border (you will need to join these together) 8 x 2” Strips of fabric for binding (I use the same as the backing fabric for this) *I create my projects using materials I am given so work with what I have for the finished item* Tools: Rotary Cutter or Scissors Basic Sewing Kit Sewing Machine Quilters Ruler How To: Make a block of 9 with 4” Squares using a 1/4” seam. The finished block of 9 will be 11’’ Square. Total needed for this size quilt = 6 x 9 Patch Blocks - 6 x Plain Blocks. * Top Tip: accurate cutting is the epitome of point matching! * Iron down the seams as you go to reduce bulk. Measure 5.5” in and cut vertically. Repeat as above but horizontally. Rearrange the 4 smaller blocks then back sew together. I just placed them randomly, you can often over think placement. Assemble the quilt. Once ironed, lay it onto the wadding leaving an extra 2” of wadding all the way around. Now place the wadding and quilt top onto the backing fabric (make sure the backing fabric is right side out) I like to pin to secure down, then do a stitch all around to hold it in place whilst working on the borders. You can use the 2” strips you cut from the backing fabric for binding by ironing them in half down the long side, then iron each side into the centre. You can join sections by taking two strips and follow diagram below. Add the border down each side, then top and bottom by laying the strips R/S down on the edges, sew down 1/4 in from the edge. Press seams down flat. Trim any excess wadding and fabric. Click here to see my binding tutorial. On this occasion I used the old fashioned way of knotting by sewing through the layers from front to back then back to front, double knot then trim. To see more from Nicola, follow her on Instagram @bobbincottagebodkin. Made by Nicola Hills for The Craft Cotton Co 2023.

  • Dr Seuss Drawstring Toy Sack

    Project by Nicola Hills How to: Main Bag: Cut Two 12 x 18 in Outer Fabric & Two Lining Fabric Pocket: Cut One 8 x 6 Outer Fabric One Lining Fabric Prepare the pocket, lay right sides together and sew all around, leaving a 2” gap in the middle bottom. Turn out & press. Stitch along the top. Pin the pocket to the Front section of the bag. Sew down both sides and the bottom (you will secure the turning out gap with the bottom stitching). Join one outer piece & one Lining piece along the top sections. Press the seams. Repeat for other side. Lay the two joined sections R/S together and match up seams, pin to secure. Mark half an inch from the centre, then another half inch down, either side of the middle seam. This will be the drawstring channel. You will sew all around EXCEPT over the drawstring channel, a 2” gap along one of the lining sides & 2” away from all 4 bottom corners. Once sewn, turn right side out, press with the iron to smooth down. Mark the channels using the measurements we used earlier on the inside and top stitch. To create the drawstring cut a 2’’ strip (enough to go round the channel starting one end and finishing back at the same place with surplus to go down to the bottom of the sack). Fold in half right sides together, sew down one long edge, turn out and iron flat. With a bodkin thread the drawstring through the channel all the way round and back to where you started. To attach the drawstrings put your hand inside the sack to the bottom corner of the outer and grasp the two pieces. Pin to secure, carefully pull the section out so you can stitch the ties in and the rest of the gap. Remember to stitch the lining together too, then repeat for the other side. I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. If you make one please share it was us. To see more from Nicola, follow her on Instagram @bobbincottagebodkin and check out her blog! Made by Nicola Hills for The Craft Cotton Co 2023.

  • Snoopy Pencil Roll

    Project by Emily Roberts Have you ever seen some fabric and that’s inspired your project instead of choosing your project and then choosing your fabric. That’s exactly what happened here. I saw the snoopy fat quarters and instantly knew what I was making. Inspired by a pencil roll my Gran once made me. This quick and easy project can be made for makeup brushes, crochet hooks or even knitting needles. Simply adjust the sizes accordingly. You will need: Snoopy fat quarter pack (I used 4 of the 5) Wadding (optional) 1 metre of ribbon ¼ seam allowance used throughout unless otherwise stated Step 1: Cut out the following pieces. 2 main pieces measuring 40cm by 25 cm ( I used two different fabrics) 2 pocket pieces measuring 40cm by 15cm 2 flap pieces measuring 40cm by 8cm Step 2: Begin by taking your two pocket pieces and place right sides together. Pin and then sew along the top edge. Turn right side out, press and top stitch. Step 3: Take your flap pieces and again place right sides together. Take a round object and trace around at the bottom two corners. It only needs to be a small curve. Cut the curves out. Sew around the curved edge leaving the top straight edge unstitched. Turn the tight side out, press and top stitch the curved edge. Step 4: Choose which main piece you would like as you inside piece and place with the right side facing up. Take the pocket piece and place on top of this, also right sides up lined up with the bottom edge. Take the Flap and place that again right side up along the top edge. Make sure there is an equal gap at each side. Sew in place just within the seam allowance. Step 5: This is where you can decide what’s going into your case. For me I wanted to hold my watercolour pens. Take one of your pens/pencil/brushes and place in the pocket to the far left edge. Take and erasable pen and make a mark where you would like your stitching to go. You want the pen to fit snug but not so it will be hard to get In the slot. Once you have made this mark measure how far away this is from the edge and draw lines equal distance all the way along. Step 6: Sew down all the lines that you have just made and then make sure you give it a good press as if you have used a heat erasable pen like me it will disappear. Step 7: Take your final main piece and place down on the inside piece that has your pocket and flap on. Make sure it is right sides together. Sew all the way around the edge but leave a gap for turning. I left the gap along the top edge about 10cm in width. Clip the corners to reduce bulk and then turn the right way out giving everything a good press. Press the gap inwards and then you can either stitch with your machine or hand sew. I chose to machine stitch and stitched all along the top edge. Step 8: All that is left to do now is fill it up with your chosen item, roll it up and choose your ribbon and tie around to secure. This will certainly make the perfect gift for a budding artist and adults and children alike. To see more from Emily, follow her on Instagram @emibdesigns, Facebook and don't forget to check out her website! Made by Emily Roberts for The Craft Cotton Co 2023.

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