Search Results

This tool roll is a great gift idea for any DIY loving dads this Father's Day. It's ideal for keeping all their favourite tools in one place - no excuse for any more lost screwdrivers! What you will need: Scissors Pins Needle Thread Ruler Tape measure Fabric: 2 pieces Steampunk Cogs fabric by The Craft Cotton Company: 44cm x 34cm 2 Steampunk Cogs fabric by The Craft Cotton Company: 50cm x 7cm (Or two pieces of ribbon) 1 piece of Steampunk Clocks fabric by The Craft Cotton Company: 36cm x 44cm 1 piece wadding: 43cm x 33cm 1 piece wadding: 17cm x 43cm First, cut out your fabrics and sew: Cut out the fabric pieces needed. Place the piece of 43cm x 33cm wadding onto the wrong-side of one of the 44cm x 34cm cog fabric pieces and pin. Add quilted detail to the fabric. To do this, I used a ruler to mark out diagonal lines from the two bottom corners and I sewed over these lines, but you can add any detail you like. Next, make the ties (if using ribbon, ignore this step): Fold the 50cm x 7cm fabric strips in half sideways, placing right-sides together and pin. Sew along the bottom and down one of the sides, leaving the top unsewn. Turn the right way around. Repeat to make the second one. Now, make and attach the pocket: Take the clocks fabric piece and lay the 17cm x 43cm wadding piece along the bottom of the fabric. Fold the clocks fabric over the wadding. Place the 44cm x 35cm cogs fabric piece (without the quilted detail) right-side up and place the pocket along the bottom with the open seam at the bottom and pin. Sew lines down the black clock fabric at varying distances apart to create sections for the tools. Sew the fabrics together: Take the quilted fabric piece and place right-side facing up. Place the two fabric tie strips on the left hand side half way down with their raw edge 1 cm hanging over the outside edge (so that the ties are tucked in between the fabrics). Place the cog fabric, with the pocket attached, right-side facing down on top of the quilted fabric piece and pin to secure all components (make sure the loose ends of the ties are tucked in at this point or you will end up sewing them into the seam). Sew around edges with a 1cm seam allowance, leaving a 10cm for turning. Finally, close the seam: Turn the right way and slip stitch close the seam. © by Lesley Foster at Hook, Stitch, Sew for The Craft Cotton Company #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco #fathersday

This bag is the perfect Father’s Day gift for the cyclist in your life. Whether they love long bike rides or use it as a way to get about this bag will come in us time after time. The bag was made using The Craft Cotton Company's Tea Party cotton print. #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco #bag #fathersday

This bag is the perfect Father’s Day gift for the cyclist in your life. Whether they love long bike rides or use it as a way to get about this bag will come in us time after time. The bag was made using The Craft Cotton Company's Tea Party cotton print. #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco #bag #fathersday

This tutorial will take you through step-by-step instructions on how to make a quick and easy bunting using any of your favourite fabrics and spare fat quarters you have lying around. What will you need: Scissors Paper or card for your template Pencil and ruler Bias binding Sewing machine Pins Tape measure Iron A selection of fabrics (we used a selection of fabrics from The Craft Cotton Company range) First make your template: Choose the size you would like for your bunting. We went with a triangular flag that measured 21cm x 22cm, but you can make them any size you like. Next, decide how many flags you would like on your bunting. We went with 12 as we had 6 fabric designs and wanted to repeat them twice. Measure your triangle onto a piece of paper or card. Remember, you will need to incorporate a 1cm seam allowance into your chosen size. Cut out your shape. Next, cut your fabric: Pin your template to your fabric to secure. You will need x2 pieces of each fabric for each flag to make a front and a back. Tip: If you are using the same design more than once, you can fold the fabric to cut out more layers at the same time. Cut out your triangles. Now sew you triangles together: Sew them together with right-sides together. Sew down both sides of the triangle, leaving the top open so that you can turn the triangle the right side out. Use a 1cm seam allowance. Tip: Snip the bottom of your triangle so that when you turn the shape out you will be left with a neat point at the bottom, be careful not to snip through your stitch. Trim and measure the bias: Trim your seam allowance to approx. 5mm and then turn out your triangle and press. Trim any excess fabric sticking out of the top of your flag to give a neat edge. Measure the width of your triangles and multiply this by the amount you are having on your bunting. Add on approximately 30 cm for each end of the bunting, and decide on the gap you want between each flag and add this on too. This will give you the length of the bias binding you need to cut. Tip: Add on an extra 15cm to make sure you have enough in case of any mistakes. Finally, cut and sew the bias: Cut the length of your binding and press (iron) it in half along the full length. Position your first flag in place, sandwiching the flag between the folded binding. Edge stitch along the binding. Tip: You can pin each flag in place on the binding, but you may find it easier to sew on your first flag and then measure the gap for your next flag whilst sewing. Do not forget to run the stitch at the beginning and end of your bunting so that the binding is fully closed. Now your bunting is complete! © By Victoria Louise for The Craft Cotton Company 2016 #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco #summer #easter

This tutorial will take you through step-by-step instructions on how to make a quick and easy bunting using any of your favourite fabrics and spare fat quarters you have lying around. What will you need: Scissors Paper or card for your template Pencil and ruler Bias binding Sewing machine Pins Tape measure Iron A selection of fabrics (we used a selection of fabrics from The Craft Cotton Company range) First make your template: Choose the size you would like for your bunting. We went with a triangular flag that measured 21cm x 22cm, but you can make them any size you like. Next, decide how many flags you would like on your bunting. We went with 12 as we had 6 fabric designs and wanted to repeat them twice. Measure your triangle onto a piece of paper or card. Remember, you will need to incorporate a 1cm seam allowance into your chosen size. Cut out your shape. Next, cut your fabric: Pin your template to your fabric to secure. You will need x2 pieces of each fabric for each flag to make a front and a back. Tip: If you are using the same design more than once, you can fold the fabric to cut out more layers at the same time. Cut out your triangles. Now sew you triangles together: Sew them together with right-sides together. Sew down both sides of the triangle, leaving the top open so that you can turn the triangle the right side out. Use a 1cm seam allowance. Tip: Snip the bottom of your triangle so that when you turn the shape out you will be left with a neat point at the bottom, be careful not to snip through your stitch. Trim and measure the bias: Trim your seam allowance to approx. 5mm and then turn out your triangle and press. Trim any excess fabric sticking out of the top of your flag to give a neat edge. Measure the width of your triangles and multiply this by the amount you are having on your bunting. Add on approximately 30 cm for each end of the bunting, and decide on the gap you want between each flag and add this on too. This will give you the length of the bias binding you need to cut. Tip: Add on an extra 15cm to make sure you have enough in case of any mistakes. Finally, cut and sew the bias: Cut the length of your binding and press (iron) it in half along the full length. Position your first flag in place, sandwiching the flag between the folded binding. Edge stitch along the binding. Tip: You can pin each flag in place on the binding, but you may find it easier to sew on your first flag and then measure the gap for your next flag whilst sewing. Do not forget to run the stitch at the beginning and end of your bunting so that the binding is fully closed. Now your bunting is complete! © By Victoria Louise for The Craft Cotton Company 2016 #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco #summer #easter

This is a great tutorial which shows you how to keep all of your plastic bags in one tidy handy bag. Since my family has started to hoard plastic bags because of the 5p charge, this bag provides us with a neat option to store all of our bags in one small space. The bag was made using our Rojo Fat Quarters but would look great in any of our other cottons to match your kitchen! What you will need: Pencil Ruler Pins Sewing machine 28 cm ¾” elastic (roughly half the length of the short side of a fat quarter) The Craft Cotton Company’s Rojo Fat Quarter set. 1 fat quarter piece (or scraps) to make the handle, 2 fat quarter pieces for the bag (or 1 fat quarter piece if you want to make a smaller version) PICTURE 2 First, make the handle: Choose 2 fat quarter pieces to be the bag and another fat quarter piece (or some scrap fabric) to be the handle. Take the fabric for the handle and draw a 42cm x 12cm rectangle on the wrong-side. Cut this out. PICTURE 3 Fold the long edges of the rectangle inwards by 1cm and iron. PICTURE 4 Fold the rectangle in half (long ways) and pin. Sew along the long length of the rectangle where the edges meet with a 0.5cm seam allowance. PICTURE 5 Fold the short ends over by 1cm and then fold them over again by 2cm and pin. Sew along these edges with a 0.5cm seam allowance. PICTURE 6 Next, joining the fat quarters together: Place the 2 fat quarter pieces for the bag with right-sides together. PICTURE 7 On one of the short sides of the fat quarters, sew a straight line with a 0.5cm seam allowance. PICTURE 8 Unfold the joint fat quarter pieces. At the top part of the fat quarter pieces, fold over the seam by 1cm and then fold it over again by 3cm and iron. PICTURE 9 Sew along this edge with a 0.5cm seam allowance. PICTURE 10 Sewing in the elastic: From the joint fat quarter pieces, fold the bottom edge over by 4cm. Fold the fabric over again by 4cm and iron. PICTURE 11 Take your strip of elastic and place it towards the top of the first 4cm fold and place a pin at the start of the elastic. PICTURE 12 Sew the start of the elastic to the edge of the fat quarter piece for 1cm. Stich over this several times to make sure it is secure. PICTURE 13 Turn the fabric over to the 2nd 4cm fold and pin. Sew along the fold with a 0.5cm seam allowance making sure not to catch the elastic. PICTURE 14 Finally, joining the bag together and attach the handle: From the joint fat quarter pieces, pin your handle edges on opposite sides of the top on the 3cm fold. PICTURE 15 Sew a flag stitch or multiple stiches to secure the handle to the bag. PICTURE 16 Fold the length of the bag in half with right-sides together and pin along the long edge. Sew a straight line down this length with a 0.5cm seam allowance. PICTURE 17 PICTURE 18 Turn the bag right-side out and stuff with plastic bags! PICTURE 19 PICTURE 20 © by Raeven Branch for The Craft Cotton Company #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco #kitchen

This is a great tutorial which shows you how to keep all of your plastic bags in one tidy handy bag. Since my family has started to hoard plastic bags because of the 5p charge, this bag provides us with a neat option to store all of our bags in one small space. The bag was made using our Rojo Fat Quarters but would look great in any of our other cottons to match your kitchen! What you will need: Pencil Ruler Pins Sewing machine 28 cm ¾” elastic (roughly half the length of the short side of a fat quarter) The Craft Cotton Company’s Rojo Fat Quarter set. 1 fat quarter piece (or scraps) to make the handle, 2 fat quarter pieces for the bag (or 1 fat quarter piece if you want to make a smaller version) PICTURE 2 First, make the handle: Choose 2 fat quarter pieces to be the bag and another fat quarter piece (or some scrap fabric) to be the handle. Take the fabric for the handle and draw a 42cm x 12cm rectangle on the wrong-side. Cut this out. PICTURE 3 Fold the long edges of the rectangle inwards by 1cm and iron. PICTURE 4 Fold the rectangle in half (long ways) and pin. Sew along the long length of the rectangle where the edges meet with a 0.5cm seam allowance. PICTURE 5 Fold the short ends over by 1cm and then fold them over again by 2cm and pin. Sew along these edges with a 0.5cm seam allowance. PICTURE 6 Next, joining the fat quarters together: Place the 2 fat quarter pieces for the bag with right-sides together. PICTURE 7 On one of the short sides of the fat quarters, sew a straight line with a 0.5cm seam allowance. PICTURE 8 Unfold the joint fat quarter pieces. At the top part of the fat quarter pieces, fold over the seam by 1cm and then fold it over again by 3cm and iron. PICTURE 9 Sew along this edge with a 0.5cm seam allowance. PICTURE 10 Sewing in the elastic: From the joint fat quarter pieces, fold the bottom edge over by 4cm. Fold the fabric over again by 4cm and iron. PICTURE 11 Take your strip of elastic and place it towards the top of the first 4cm fold and place a pin at the start of the elastic. PICTURE 12 Sew the start of the elastic to the edge of the fat quarter piece for 1cm. Stich over this several times to make sure it is secure. PICTURE 13 Turn the fabric over to the 2nd 4cm fold and pin. Sew along the fold with a 0.5cm seam allowance making sure not to catch the elastic. PICTURE 14 Finally, joining the bag together and attach the handle: From the joint fat quarter pieces, pin your handle edges on opposite sides of the top on the 3cm fold. PICTURE 15 Sew a flag stitch or multiple stiches to secure the handle to the bag. PICTURE 16 Fold the length of the bag in half with right-sides together and pin along the long edge. Sew a straight line down this length with a 0.5cm seam allowance. PICTURE 17 PICTURE 18 Turn the bag right-side out and stuff with plastic bags! PICTURE 19 PICTURE 20 © by Raeven Branch for The Craft Cotton Company #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco #kitchen

I decided to do a tutorial on this bib/smock for 2 reasons; one, it was so cute, and the other, I recall as a mum how difficult it was to try to keep a toddler clean just before going out…this would have solved my problems! I enjoyed working with the lovely soft baby pink fleece and I loved the contrast with the cupcake bias binding. What you will need: Scissors Pins Sewing machine Template (instructions below) Velcro (other fasteners such as poppers can also be used) Iron Tape measure Pencil The Craft Cotton Company’s Pink Dimple Fleece (1m) and Cupcake cotton print (1m) First, get template and cut fabrics: I began by downloading the pattern from positivelysplendid.com which is the actual size of the bib, and very clearly marked to put it together as a template. Folding the dimple fleece in half, place the template at the fold of the material. This ensures that both sides of the bib are equal. Carefully cut around the template, but do not leave any seam allowance as the bias binding will cover the raw edges. Next, make the binding: The circumference of the bib/smock measures 60” so I drew 2 40”x 4” strips for the binding. On the wrong-side of the fabric draw out the 2 binding strips to be joined by starting from one corner and drawing diagonally across the fabric at a 45° angle to create your bias binding. Cut out your strips. Make sure that the small ends of the strips are cut at a 45° angle Iron the binding and fold each of the long edges over by 1” so that the middle of the seams meet in the middle as the image shows. This will leave the binding 2” wide. Iron the binding again for that the folds stay. Sew the small ends of the strips together with a ½” seam allowance to make one long strip. Do this by placing the edges cut at a 45° angle together in a ‘V’ shape with right-sides together. Trim the binding edges where they have been sewn so that the seam allowance is trimmed down and there are no bits sticking out. Fold the binding strip in half (the long way) and iron this fold. Now, sew the bib and attach the binding: We are now ready to top stitch the front of the bib. Place the start of the binding on a part of the edge of the bib. Line the edge of the bib within the folded crease of the binding. Do this for the perimeter of the bib and then pin it. You need to stitch close to the edge of the binding and you will be able to feel the binding underneath that you will need to stitch through during this step. As you progress, remove one pin at a time. Regularly check that you are catching the binding from the back of the bib...it doesn’t matter if these stitches are not quite as neat as the top ones as this section will not be seen. Making the arm holes: Once you have completed the binding and it is securely in place, you are ready to begin the final stages of structuring the bib. Turn the bib on its front so that the wrong-side is facing up. Fold the 2 sides of the bib over by 1”. Bring the shoulder parts over and down to meet the sides of the bib. Place the shoulder flap over the top of the binding section of the bib making sure that there is a big enough gap for the toddlers arms (with extra room to make it easier to get on and off). When you have decided on the size of the gap that you want, stitch a reinforcing square of approximately 1” where the shoulder binding is meeting the side binding. Stitch an ‘X’ in the box to reinforce further. Measure and mark the point for the opposite side and repeat this process. Finally, add the fasteners: When each separate shoulder flap is attached to each separate side, join the shoulder flaps together with a fastening. Poppers can be used to fasten the bib, but I have chosen a Velcro fastening as I feel it places less strain on the fabric from little hands impatient to get onto the next thing! If you have chosen poppers or Velcro, attach one to the wrong-side of one of the shoulder flap and the other on the right-side of the opposite shoulder flap. And were done! © By Sue Parnell for The Craft Cotton Company 2016 #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco

I decided to do a tutorial on this bib/smock for 2 reasons; one, it was so cute, and the other, I recall as a mum how difficult it was to try to keep a toddler clean just before going out…this would have solved my problems! I enjoyed working with the lovely soft baby pink fleece and I loved the contrast with the cupcake bias binding. What you will need: Scissors Pins Sewing machine Template (instructions below) Velcro (other fasteners such as poppers can also be used) Iron Tape measure Pencil The Craft Cotton Company’s Pink Dimple Fleece (1m) and Cupcake cotton print (1m) First, get template and cut fabrics: I began by downloading the pattern from positivelysplendid.com which is the actual size of the bib, and very clearly marked to put it together as a template. Folding the dimple fleece in half, place the template at the fold of the material. This ensures that both sides of the bib are equal. Carefully cut around the template, but do not leave any seam allowance as the bias binding will cover the raw edges. Next, make the binding: The circumference of the bib/smock measures 60” so I drew 2 40”x 4” strips for the binding. On the wrong-side of the fabric draw out the 2 binding strips to be joined by starting from one corner and drawing diagonally across the fabric at a 45° angle to create your bias binding. Cut out your strips. Make sure that the small ends of the strips are cut at a 45° angle Iron the binding and fold each of the long edges over by 1” so that the middle of the seams meet in the middle as the image shows. This will leave the binding 2” wide. Iron the binding again for that the folds stay. Sew the small ends of the strips together with a ½” seam allowance to make one long strip. Do this by placing the edges cut at a 45° angle together in a ‘V’ shape with right-sides together. Trim the binding edges where they have been sewn so that the seam allowance is trimmed down and there are no bits sticking out. Fold the binding strip in half (the long way) and iron this fold. Now, sew the bib and attach the binding: We are now ready to top stitch the front of the bib. Place the start of the binding on a part of the edge of the bib. Line the edge of the bib within the folded crease of the binding. Do this for the perimeter of the bib and then pin it. You need to stitch close to the edge of the binding and you will be able to feel the binding underneath that you will need to stitch through during this step. As you progress, remove one pin at a time. Regularly check that you are catching the binding from the back of the bib...it doesn’t matter if these stitches are not quite as neat as the top ones as this section will not be seen. Making the arm holes: Once you have completed the binding and it is securely in place, you are ready to begin the final stages of structuring the bib. Turn the bib on its front so that the wrong-side is facing up. Fold the 2 sides of the bib over by 1”. Bring the shoulder parts over and down to meet the sides of the bib. Place the shoulder flap over the top of the binding section of the bib making sure that there is a big enough gap for the toddlers arms (with extra room to make it easier to get on and off). When you have decided on the size of the gap that you want, stitch a reinforcing square of approximately 1” where the shoulder binding is meeting the side binding. Stitch an ‘X’ in the box to reinforce further. Measure and mark the point for the opposite side and repeat this process. Finally, add the fasteners: When each separate shoulder flap is attached to each separate side, join the shoulder flaps together with a fastening. Poppers can be used to fasten the bib, but I have chosen a Velcro fastening as I feel it places less strain on the fabric from little hands impatient to get onto the next thing! If you have chosen poppers or Velcro, attach one to the wrong-side of one of the shoulder flap and the other on the right-side of the opposite shoulder flap. And were done! © By Sue Parnell for The Craft Cotton Company 2016 #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco

This quilt is perfect for adding an extra layer of warmth at night, and great for snuggling up in on the sofa in the evening. This tutorial uses the traditional method of English Paper Piecing and is great fun to make. It also saves the need to have the sewing machine out until the quilting stage, which means you can sit comfortably on the sofa whilst putting it together which is an added bonus! What you will need: Pins Curved safety pins (not essential but handy if you have them) Binding clips (again, not essential but handy if you have them) Needle and thread for tacking, sewing together, and quilting Scissors Paper - enough to cut 128 triangle templates The Craft Cotton Company’s Heritage Wadding - 1.4m x1.4m Fabric - Ombré Trends by Heather Jacks for The Craft Cotton Company: Front fabric: 1 fat quarter piece in dark pink (8 triangles) 3 fat quarter pieces in pink with white flower (28 triangles) 1 fat quarter piece in white with pink flowers (4 triangles) 2 fat quarter pieces in dark blue (20 triangles) 1 fat quarter piece in blue with white flower (6 triangles) 3 fat quarter pieces in white with blue flower (30 triangles) 1 fat quarter piece in green with white pattern (8 triangles) 1 fat quarter piece in green with white flowers (8 triangles) 1 fat quarter piece in green with leaves (6 triangles) 1 fat quarter piece in white with green flowers (10 triangles) Backing fabric: Piece 1.4 m by 1.4 m. I used two 1.4m lengths of fabric in white with green flowers and joined them to get the final 1.4 m width. First, cut out the templates and the fabric: Cut out 128 paper triangles, measuring 15.5cm x 15.5cm. These are your paper templates. Layout all the templates prior to cutting to make sure they will all fit on the fabric. Using the paper template and leaving a 0.75 cm seam allowance around the template, cut out the required number of triangles for each fabric colour. Next, sewing the fabric and paper template pieces together: Place the template on the wrong side in the centre of a triangle fabric piece. Fold the fabric around the edge of the paper template and tack stitch around. Sewing the quilt together: Take two of the triangles and place right sides together, sew down the seam making sure you do not sew into the paper template. Repeat with each of the remaining triangles until all are sewn together. Remove the tacking thread and take out the paper templates. Quilting the patchwork: Place the backing fabric right side down. Lay the wadding on the backing fabric, then place the patchwork front right side up. Pin to secure into place. If you have any curved safety pins I would recommend to use these as they really hold the fabric and stop any movement of the layers. Now to machine quilt the detail. Using a straight stitch, sew down either side of the horizontal and vertical seams of the quilt. Use these seams as a guide - to do this, line the edge of the machine foot up with the seam. Now you can remove the pins. Finally, making the binding: Trim the edges of the backing fabric and batting so you have 5cm remaining around the edge of the quilt. Now, fold the edges of the backing around to the front and under themselves like you would a hem, use a binding clip (or pins) to hold in place, and then slip stitch to secure. © by Lesley Foster at Hook, Stitch, Sew for The Craft Cotton Company 2016 #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco #patchwork #quilt

Make this adorable turtle teddy to brighten up your day! This tutorial will help you to perfect your paper-piecing skills and will also show you how to make a cute little toy. 'How cute is this little fella? Perfect for beginners to patchwork, a fat quarter turtle is guaranteed to bring smiles all round as you all give him a little cuddle on the sofa!' Have ago at making this cute little buddy! Click here to see the tutorial. By Sooz In The Shed for Hobbycraft. #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco #hobbycraft

Make this adorable turtle teddy to brighten up your day! This tutorial will help you to perfect your paper-piecing skills and will also show you how to make a cute little toy. 'How cute is this little fella? Perfect for beginners to patchwork, a fat quarter turtle is guaranteed to bring smiles all round as you all give him a little cuddle on the sofa!' Have ago at making this cute little buddy! Click here to see the tutorial. By Sooz In The Shed for Hobbycraft. #freesewingtutorials #craftcottonco #hobbycraft