Mother's Day Gift Tutorial

Perhaps she'd like a little fabric house ?

Mind you, I didn't make this one for my Mother - my Mother associates 'handmade' with being too tighty arsed to buy something, and anyway she'd rather have twenty quid to go to the bingo.

Template,

I've written the measurements for mine, but you can enlarge if desired, particularly if you are making one as a softie as shown at the bottom of this post.

Place two layers of fabric right sides together ( I used quite a stiff calico for my inner fabric), pin and stitch around the template leaving a gap for turning as shown

I forgot to take a pic after I had sewn mine silly me, but after you have stitched, cut out leaving a small seam all around. Turn right side out and close gap. Now machine stitch along the line of every junction (is that the right word ?) in other words where the base meets the walls,the back wall meets the roof, and where the roof bends, these points are marked on the template as solid black lines. This will makes it easier to fold your house when it comes to sewing it together. (If you understand what I just wrote there, you're a bloody genius, but you'll see what I mean when I show you the next pictures).

Next..

Embroider any little details you wish to,

Can you see my machine stitched junction lines ? the one above is very wonky but that doesn't matter it's an old wonky cottage.

I only embroidered through the top layer of fabric, so I could draw some housey details inside (at Molly's request, this house is for her)

Next stitch (I used ladder stitch) the walls together, and then just the back section of the roof . For fastening, sew a length a embroidery thread to the roof and a little button to the front and wrap your thread around to close. Like so -

Stitch a little birdy button to the roof if you have one.

A little pink hamster lives in this one

but you could fill yours with foil wrapped chocolate hearts or diamonds or anything you think your Ma would like.

Alternatively make one from felt and use as a pincushion, or make a larger one as a toy for a child (and, handily, because they're nice and soft, you can also throw them with great force at a child and you won't do them any serious damage).

Just cut each part of the house out of different colour felt or dyed felted blanket and blanket stitch together. Don't forget to stuff it of course otherwise there will be no fun in throwing it.

This one's called Brian

he has a big heart.

I hope you have a fun weekend everybody, back soon.

Oh I nearly forgot, a few people asked for the crochet flower pattern, I got mine from The DK Pocket Encyclopedia of Needlecraft ISBN 0 86318 302 6 , so I'm afraid I can't put the instructions up here. There are some lovely tutorials on the web though, so if I were you, I would while away an hour or two trawling the net tonight (with the obligatory glass of vino of course).

Ciao !