This is one of my favourite dresses….Cecily! 

Below shows a couple of Cecily dresses in different African wax fabrics….And here is a denim version with long sleeves. If you have purchased the pattern without the long sleeve, you can download the sleeve pattern here.

Cecily Sleeve Pattern download

Here I’m out and about in Brighton in Cecily with a stand out African print.

Striped linen is a more sensible option….This Cecily dress is made in fabulous Italian 100% fine linen pinstripe fabric (bundles available on my Etsy shop) Ive turned the fabric on its side for the bodice, so the stripes run horizontally and then vertically on the skirt section. I really like the effect it gives and I have to say, I wear this a lot when going somewhere special.

When I wear Cecily dress, I feel amazing, like I’m making a real statement about who I am, so I tend to make it in bold prints but it also looks great in more subtle fabrics such as the Kaufman railroad denim or the grey pinstripe linen (shown above).

So this is a time to show yourself off….. you are amazing….. as we all are!

You can make this frock with or without the tie belt, but I prefer it with one (I just love a tie belt). This pattern has cap sleeves but on the latest addition of Cecily I have added a short sleeve template for those of you wanting a slightly longer sleeve.

Cecily is designed to be loose fitting on the waist so its more comfortable to wear, it has a side concealed zip too, but I can pop mine on without undoing the zip, so if you feel that inserting a concealed zip is beyond your skill level, try making it without. Of course, having a side zipper does make it easier to get on and off, and inserting a concealed zip is for some people easier than a standard zip. I have popped a concealed zip tutorial link here, so have a peek to see what you think or why not have a go, you will never look back if you conquer this technique.

PREPARATION/ADJUSTING THE PATTERN

It’s a good idea to check your measurements against that on the pattern. If you are, like me, a bit top heavy, go for the larger size that fits your bust measurements, you can always adjust to fit afterwards. The pattern is suited to a bust cup size B. If you need to make bust adjustments, see my useful blogpost for a bust adjustment tutorial:

FULL BUST ADJUSTMENT TUTORIAL

You may also need to lengthen the shoulder to waist length so measure your body from these points and adjust accordingly. Its a good idea (especially if you are using expensive fabric) to make up the bodice section in cheaper fabric or calico first to see how it fits and to determine whether the pattern needs adjusting. It doesn’t take long to do and like that you can feel more confident, secure in the knowledge that the fit will be right. I want you to make lots of Cecily dresses (like I have), so tweaking it at the outset will give better results in the long run.

You will also need a 30cm concealed zip and 20cm of lightweight fusible interfacing

A NOTE ABOUT INSERTING A CONCEALED ZIP

Although getting the dress off and on is easier with a side concealed zip, it is perfectly possible to make this dress without it as the neckline and waist width are wide. 

CONCEALED ZIP TUTORIAL

Remember that the seam allowance is 1cm (3/8″)

If you would prefer to sew a 1.5cm (5/8″) seam allowance then just add 5mm (2/8″) to the outer edge of the pattern (except for the edges which are marked ‘cut on fold’).  

Finish all raw edges with an overlocker or zigzag stitch.

Here is an over view of the pattern instructions which are included in the pattern along with a few extra tips. It will give you a taster of how to make this charming frock:

BUST DARTS

On the pattern you can see lots of lines for each Dart size. Each size has two lines: one (outer line) is the ‘cutting’ line and one (inner line) which is the ‘stitch’ line. See the diagram below, Ive marked size 8 Dart lines in yellow (cutting line) and pink (stitch line), to show you more clearly. Its a good idea to mark the required two lines as I have done on your pattern to make them easier to see.

Once you have cut out your Bodice, it should look like this.

Fold the dart so that the RST(right sides together) and the dart raw edges are aligned. Mark your stitch line using a ruler and pencil which runs 1cm parallel to the cutting line.

Then sew your dart along the marked ‘stitch’ line. Run the stitches off the tip of the dart leave long thread ends which are tied together and trimmed. Press the dart downwards.

Sew the Bodice Back pieces together. Press.

Join to the Bodice Front at the shoulders. Press seam allowances towards the back.

Topstitch.

NECK FACINGS

Block press your Front and Back Neck Facing pieces on to fusible interfacing. Trim all around.

Join the facing pieces at the sides with the RST. Press. Finish the outer edge.

Pin to the neck raw edge of the Upper Front and Back bodice piece.

Hand tack.

Nick the curved seam allowance. Tip: reduce the bulk of the side cross seam allowances. I like to also trim off approx 5mm at the bulky cross seam allowances at each side.

Press the seam allowance open, then fold over to the wrong side. Press again. Pin in position all around.

Hand tack.

Stitch evenly all around, go carefully as this stitch line will be seen on the right side so it’d better be good! I like to take it slow at this part and follow the centre of the line or edge of the overlocking, I know I will be safe then.

LOWER SKIRT SECTION

Mark out your pleat positions with pins or notches on the front and back skirt section top edge. There are four pleats on each side , two either side of the centre point. Each pleat has three marks, the centre (V) and two notches either side where you make the fold inwards each side. Here are some diagrams to and photos to help you.

SKIRT FRONT AND BACK

Fold the box pleats. This picture shows the right side view.

BOX PLEAT (RIGHT SIDE VIEW) 

BOX PLEAT WRONG SIDE VIEW

Machine tack stitch along the top edge within the seam allowance (i.e 5mm from the edge).

Sew to the upper front bodice with the right sides together.

Press. Tip: why not top stitch on the right side close to the seam on the bodice side.

POCKETS

Pin to the left side of the skirt (see template for the position). NB if you are left- handed you may prefer to insert the pocket on the opposite side.

Press away from the skirt. Top stitch.

Insert the side concealed zipper here. Here is a link to my tutorial about how to insert a concealed zip with either a standard zip foot or a concealed zip foot.

CONCEALED ZIP TUTORIAL

After sewing in the zip, pin then sew the seam together below and above the zipper.

Join the front to back at the side edges from underarm to lower hem all around pocket.

SLEEVES

Sew the sleeves together at the sides. Press. 

Hem the lower edge.

Pin to the armhole, align the back section of the sleeve to the back body. Hand tack.

Sew, making sure there’s no puckers!

TABS

Fold over and press 1cm to the wrong side of each long side.

Stitch along each long side close to the edge. Press over 1cm each short side.

Pin to the body 2cm in from each side. Stitch down with a small rectangle at each far end.

TIE BELT (optional)

Join the tie pieces at the short sides with the right sides together. Press seam allowances open.

Fold the tie piece in half with the right sides together. Stitch down the long side and at a 45 degree angle at each far end to make a point, leave an opening of 4cm approx at the centre point. Trim the seam allowance to 5mm and Nick the corner point. Turn inside out through the opening.

Press. Topstitch all around which should close up the opening at the same time.

Tie a big Esme* (from the Sewing Bee) style tie at the front on your lovely dress.

• Esme loves a bow

There you are! You can also wear without a belt if you prefer. Now time to pose!

Here is a tutorial download file about Lining the Bodice to Cecily dress.

I absolutely adore wearing this tunic. It’s stylish and roomy, due to the pleat at the front neckline and has two whopping side pockets. A perfect holiday tunic, or ideal for just about any occasion. Oh ….and did I mention? Its also very easy to make!

I made another Hilda in hand block printed Indian Indigo cotton, shown below, which I think works so well. 

Hilda suits fabrics such as linen, viscose challis, lightweight cotton or any medium to lightweight fabric that drapes nicely.

Tunic is in two size ranges: 8-18 and 20-28. Prior to making, please check the size guide and finished garment measurements below to see which size suits you. This garment falls above the knee on me and Im 5 ft 7ins. Altering the length is a simple task and with an extra 10-15cm added on can transform it into more of a dress than a tunic.

I made a longer length Hilda (+15cm) and added a sleeve frill add on, like this one shown below. The add on instructions are included in the pattern. I’ve also made a Hilda without the sleeves so if you would like to know how to do these simple alterations, see the ‘Hilda Hack’ at the end of this post page.

Linen

You will also require 20cm of light/med weight fusible interfacing

---

LETS TALK ABOUT FABRIC….By the way, I do have some fabrics on my shop suitable for Hilda, such as this 4oz denim in med and dark colours (as shown in the very top picture). I think it looks great in ethnic batiks and African fabrics alike. 

Alternatively you might like to use one of these fabulous indian block printed cotton fabrics from slubbedprints.co.uk.

There are many to choose from and I think they are just fabulous!

HOW TO MAKE HILDA ……….

Firstly iron all your fabric pieces.

Tip: It’s a good idea to trace off the pattern pieces on to dressmaking pattern paper, newsprint or wide baking paper, keeping it intact. The pattern templates are printed on sturdy paper, so I would advise ironing the pattern pieces after cutting them out with a cool iron (no steam!).

Cut out the following pieces using the above Layplans above as a guide:

FRONT (1): Cut one piece with pattern lined up to the fold of the fabric.

BACK (2): Cut two (align pattern to the vertical grain of the fabric)

FRONT FACING (3) & BACK FACING (4): Cut one piece with pattern lined up to the fold of the fabric. Interface both pieces with fusible interfacing to the reverse side.

SLEEVE (5): Cut two on fold of fabric.

POCKET (6): Cut four (two pairs)

SEWING GUIDE:

Seam allowance is 1cm which is included on the pattern.

Finish all raw edges with an overlocker or zig zag stitch. 

Press in between stages of sewing to obtain a better finish.

RST= Right sides together. WST= Wrong sides together. 

1. MAKING THE FRONT PLEATMake an inverted box pleat at the centre front neckline as shown on the template. Stay stitch all around 5mm from the raw edge to secure the pleats. Here is a diagram to help you….

2. POCKETSNext pin your pockets at each side of front and back with the RST in position as shown on the template.Sew down each straight side of the pockets (NB seam allowance is 1cm).

I like to finish the raw side edges at this point, but you could do this after the side seams are sewn together if you prefer.

Press the pocket away from the tunic. Top stitch the seam line 3mm approx on the pocket side.

3. SEWING THE FRONT AND BACK TOGETHER

Now, pin, then sew, the front to the back at the shoulder edges with the RST. Finish the raw edges and press them towards the back.below shows the reverse side view …

4. MAKING THE NECK FACING With both facing pieces interfaced on the reverse side, pin then sew them together at the short sides with the RST. Press the seam allowances open.Finish the raw outer edge only all around. If you don’t have an overlocker you could fold under and press the outer edge 5mm approx and sew all around, it makes it look much neater. Or for a quicker job just overlock it.

Here is a picture of a neck facing in another colour with an edge turned under 5mm approx. to show you what it should look like.

Pin the neck facing to the neck raw edge with the RST, aligning the cross seams at each shoulder. Sew all around. Nick the seam allowance at the curved edges with small V’s and reduce the bulky side seam allowances to 5mm. I also trim the cross seam allowances at the side seams to 5mm to make it less lumpy.

Turn the neck facing to the reverse side and press so that the fold is aligned with the seam line all around.

Now, its not written on the pattern, but sometimes I like to Understitch the neck facing. So, you sew a line of stitching all around the neck facing, a few millimetres from the seam on the facing side, this helps to hold the facing in place, its not essential, I have left this out on many occasion, but with some fabrics it helps to keep the facing in place.

Secure each side of the neck facing at the shoulder seam allowance with a few hand stitches to secure in position. Now heres a tip: if you have some wondaweb why not sandwich a few pieces here and there underneath all around and press to secure the facing a little more in position, especially at the centre front and back.

5. SEWING THE SLEEVESPin the sleeve curved edge to the body at sleeve edge with the RST aligning the centre point to the shoulder seam. Sew. Finish the raw edge. Repeat for the other sleeve.

Press the seam allowance towards the sleeve.

Top stitch on the right side, 3mm from the seam line on the sleeve side.

6. SEWING UP THE TUNIC

With RST, pin the front to back at the sides, under arms and all around pockets. Sew. Finish the raw edges. Press. Just a couple of snips under the arm at the seam allowance will prevent it bunching up.

Fold over 1cm then make a nice big 3 or 4cm hem at the sleeve edge, alternatively if you would like the addition of a frill, follow the instructions shown below and omit the sleeve hem.

Sew approx. 3mm in from the inner fold.

Fold over 1cm then make a 2cm hem at the lower edge and stitch as before or hem to the desired length. If you would like to keep the tunic as long as possible you could hem it using bias seam binding or make just a small 1cm hem.

HILDA HACKS

HILDA WITH SLEEVE FRILLS.

Sleeve Frill measurement: cut two rectangles 15cm x the following widths for your size:

Size 8= 57.5cm, Size 10= 60cm, Size 12= 62.5cm, Size 14=65cm, Size 16= 67.5cm, Size 18=70cm, Size 20= 72.5cm, Size 22=75cm, Size 24= 77.5cm, Size 26=80cm, Size 28 =82.5cm

If you would like to extend the length, measure how much extra you require on the length, allowing approx 2cm for hemming and 1cm seam allowance. Extend the line downwards by the extra you require, following the curved  line of the bottom hem. Follow the pattern as normal.

There you have a lovely floaty Hilda, with some really simple additions, makes a completely different style. Love it!

HILDA SLEEVELESS

Leaving the sleeves off Hilda for a cap sleeved version, is a pretty nice idea too. Ideal for popping on under a cardigan and, as you see in the pic, I’ve made a matching mini bag too. This is made in a crisp African Dutch Wax cotton fabric which Im a big fan of!

HOW TO MAKE A SCARF OUT OF THE REMNANTS

So heres a lovely quick accessory to make out of the scraps you would probably just chuck away. Suitable for floppy viscose fabrics which make great scarves, probably not for more medium weight fabrics but hey give it a go.

So first cut two equal strips of fabric the longest and widest length possible from whats left.

Join them together at the short sides. Press.

Fold in half width ways aligning long raw edges. Pin. Fold over at a right angle triangle at each far end and press.

With a 1cm seam allowance, sew along one long edge and across the triangle end, using the foldline as a guide. Trim the excess fabric. Remember to leave an opening at the centre for turning inside out.

Turn inside out through the opening. Push out the corners. Press so the seam is in line with the fold.

Finally stitch up the opening by hand with a small slip stitch.

Ta dah! There you have it!

Simple but oh so lovely.

For more Sewgirl news follow me on instagram or sign up to my newsletter via my website. All the very best  X Fiona

All images and text are the copyright of Fiona Hesford. Please do not copy without prior permission. Contact info@sewgirl.co.uk for details.

PITCH PERFECT FOR THE BAFTAS!

DRESSING MISS DAISY!

When I was asked to make a dress for the Baftas award ceremony, I must say my initial reaction was one of trepidation. But when I found out it was for my friend Jane’s niece, Daisy May Cooper, one half of the uber talented ‘This Country’ BBC 3 comedy duo, well I just couldn’t resist.

For anyone familiar with the award winning mockumentary, Daisy aka Kerry Mucklowe and her cousin Kurtan (real life brother and writing partner Charlie) are a hapless pair of yoofs getting up to all sorts of trouble in a quiet Cotswold village. The series is up for several awards, namely Best Scripted Comedy and Daisy is also nominated for the Best Comedy Actress. Not only that, together they have been chosen to present the ‘Best Soap’ award, one of the highlights of the evening, so to say that I was feeling the pressure would be an understatement, but equally over the moon to be involved in this amazing opportunity.

Daisy had recently found a gown which had inspired her to commission a dress made in the style of her character’s favourite attire- a Swindon Town football club shirt….a genius idea! The trapeze shaped dress was made in a black silky fabric, edged with silver sequinned fabric all around the hem, neckline and cuffs.  Although short in length at the front, the hemline swept gracefully almost to the floor at the back and the neckline featured an interesting double band of sequin trim. Its potential was obvious to see. If  copied in red fabric with white trim, it would accentuate the spirit of a football shirt, albeit a glamorous one.

Firstly, we had to find a suitable fabric. A polyester crepe fabric from Minerva Craft seemed to fit the bill, I had used it a while back for a Sew magazine project and I thought would be ideal, being lightweight, possessing wonderful drape and the perfect shade of ‘Swindon Town FC’ red colour that we were looking for. After ordering some swatches, 3.5m of bright red fabric was winging its way to me along with five metres of white sequin elasticated trim. Gulp! there was no going back now!

Drafting a pattern from an existing dress is something I do quite often and as it fitted Daisy well, there weren’t any adjustments to make, it seemed quite straight forward. To make things easier, I removed the sleeve of the dress to make a pattern from it. After cutting out, and stitching up, the dress was ready for its first fitting.

At this stage, I’d just pinned on the sequin trim as we weren’t too sure how much to use. I was worried that edging the entire hem risked the dress resembling a Father Xmas outfit!Lettering was traced off onto bonding web and felt which was pinned temporarily to the front and back. My son Alfie, an avid football fan and graphic designer had found the perfect football typeface to use for the word ‘Swindon’ on the front and ‘Mucklowe’ on the back. We had also retrieved a badge and the number 1 from a bought football shirt to give it an authentic feel. It was all coming together nicely.The biggest hiccup was that the dress fell too short. At the fitting it was decided to omit the sequin trim around the hemline, thus not having any weight to anchor it down, so after a bit of wangling, another 15cm or was added on, ensuring a nice border all around the edge that now skimmed just above the knee. Daisy is quite tall at 5ft 9 and she would be wearing high heels so the extra length was definitely called for. Fortunately the extra hem panel added a detail enhancing the style of the dress.

 

With all the letters securely fixed, it was then a question of laboriously hand stitching on the sequin trim which took several sessions over a couple of days. I had visions of them falling off in mid speech Theresa May style, so I made sure they were stitched on securely.

Making sure the dress was kept clean was paramount, so handling it was kept to a minimum. Finally came the pressing bit which was a very stressful affair. Laying a sheet underneath the ironing board helped, I kept the iron on a low setting, worried that I would burn a hole in the fabric last minute and ruin everything. A cool iron with a protective cloth and lots of steam later the dress was finally finished.

What a relief!

As an afterthought I had an idea to make a matching quilted purse with a loop handle so Daisy could sign autographs and carry her belongings. So after quilting the fabric with wadding and stiffening it with fusible interfacing to give it stability, I made a simple clutch bag with a magnetic clasp, slipping in the loop last minute. I was dead pleased with the result.

Charlie (aka Kurtan) came to pick up the dress with his mum as Daisy was on holiday which was a surreal experience having a celeb at your home but he was totally adorable and their Mum was charming too. they loved the dress and I was delighted how it had come together.

Daisy was over the moon with the finished article.  And they bought home two awards at the Baftas! It all went crazy on social media but I wasn’t surprised. What a result!

Well done Daisy and Charlie!

Click a link to listen to these interviews with Fiona about THE Dress!

Radio Wiltshire Fiona interviewed by Ben Prater       scroll to 1:58

BBC radio live drive Fiona interview with Rachel Bland      scroll to 2:25

 

Who doesn’t love a groovy apron? And with matching kitchen accessories like a teacosy, mitt or potholder -I’m in culinary heaven!  A kitchen is a place where you can wear loud patterns, adding a bit of zing to your life. Frankly, I’m completely addicted to sewing for my Funky Kitchen, I love to cook, but I like to look stylish too, so everyday I pop on my funky apron, even just to heat up a tin of baked beans! I even pop ‘Funky Kitchen’ labels on pots of homemade jam and chutney like so…..

So now you can too! With my Funky Kitchen sewing pattern, you can make all of these items: apron, teacosy, potholder, oven mitt and the pattern also includes 6 Funky Kitchen labels and a jam topper template too. 

 

These items are all made in African wax fabric which is included in the FUNKY KITCHEN KIT which I have for sale on my Etsy shop or you can buy the pattern on its own without fabric, if you prefer it. It would also make a super gift for a sewing beginner or enthusiast.

This is what the pattern looks like. You can see included on the sheet is a template for an apron, oven mitt, tea cosy, pot holder, jam pot topper and some ‘Funky Kitchen‘ labels to cut out and stick on your homemade (or bought) jam or chutney for example.

So switch on some funky music (Craig Charles springs to mind), get yourself a piece of homemade cake and a cuppa and enjoy sewing up your Funky Kitchen.

HOW TO MAKE FUNKY KITCHEN ACCESSORIES

You will need:

Equipment:

A pair of scissors, pins, iron, invisible marking pen, poking tool such as a chunky knitting needle, chopstick or blunt ended pencil.

NB. When sewing projects with thermo interfacing sewing will be made easier if you use a walking foot attachment* to your machine.

This is what a walking foot attachment looks like. It’s incredibly useful when quilting fabric because it has a rolling action to balance the flow of the fabric under the feed.

Fabric Requirements:

Apron = 1m of fabric (if your fabric is 112cm wide you will need an extra 30cm if you want a pocket in a different fabric). NB. you could always use a different fabric for the ties and pocket as an alternative for extra quirkiness.

Tea cosy = 30cm x 80cm of main fabric, lining fabric and thermolam wadding. 1m of 25mm wide bias binding (or make your own from the left over fabric).

Oven Mitt =25cm x 70cm of main fabric, lining fabric and insul-bright interfacing and 50cm of (25mm wide) bias binding.

Pot holder = 25cm x 50cm of main fabric and insul-bright interfacing and 1m of bias binding.

HOW TO MAKE AN APRON

Fold over and press a 1cm then again 1cm then stitch along to make a small hem at the two slanted top side edges of your apron front piece. (PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS STEP HAS BEEN LEFT OFF THE PATTERN BY MISTAKE ).

Next make your neck strap and side ties.

So fold the strips of fabric in half lengthways matching the raw edges and with the RST* (right sides together). Pin then stitch along the open side all the way down.

With the side ties only stitch across diagonally as shown on the template at just one end then trim off the excess seam allowance leaving a 1cm approx margin.

Now turn inside out so grab yourself a poking tool (as mentioned above in equipment section) and push the tie or neckband inside out.

Then iron your ties so the seam lines are aligned with the fold.

Alternatively , if you find turning inside out too tricky you could just fold and press the long raw edges 1cm then fold the whole band in half and press. Stitch down the sides close to the edge and then hem the ends.

Right so with all the ties and neckband made why not top stitch them on the RS* (right side). I always think it finishes it off so much better and I love a bit of topstitching!

Next we sew the neckband into the apron, so first double fold over and iron a 1cm hem at the very top horizontal edge of the apron. Now before you stitch it just tuck in the raw edges of your neckband under the fold and pin to hold ….hanging downwards towards the apron like this….

Be careful not to twist your band so it should be the same sides facing down each side.

Then stitch across from one side to the other sewing in the neckband straps as you go. Finally fold straps up and stitch across at the upper edge of the hem again like this….

You will need to sew in any loose ends of course. Brilliant. Now to the side ties….

Fold over and press 1cm then again 1cm at the side vertical raw edges each side. Now tuck the raw edge end of the apron under the fold just like before with the tie extending towards the apron.

Then stitch down the side hem close to the inner fold.

Next you just fold back the tie just like you did before with the neckband and stitch again.

 All thats left to do now is to hem the lower edge.

and there you have a lovely funky apron!

To add a pocket make a 1cm double fold hem at the top edge of the pocket piece. Fold over and press the remaining  three sides 1cm. Pin the pocket on to your apron front in the required position tack stitch all around by hand. Sew around the three un-hemmed edges about 4mm from edge, make a small triangle at the top two corners to enclose the seam on the inside. remove tacking stitches.

HOW TO MAKE AN OVEN MITT

So to make an oven mitt is a joyful thing, a perfect companion to your lovely apron don’t you think! (up there with cake I’d say!)

The fabric requirements are at the top of the page.

First I start quilting my fabric pieces together, to do this you may need a walking foot attachment which looks like this…*

A strange looking thing I know, but it does make it SO much easier when quilting multi layers of fabric and wadding together but if you haven’t got one, don’t despair, you could either try stitching it without one or just leave out the quilting bit (tack stitch your fabric together to hold layers in place).

So firstly lay your pieces together main fabric RS up followed by a layer of thermo interfacing then a layer of lining RS facing outside. Pin to hold.

Draw a diagonal line using a marker pen on the fabric layers at the centre.

You can stitch lines 4cm apart  using the long quilt guide, lining it up to the previous stitching. Stitch across one way and then the other until you have a trellis like pattern.

Do the same for both pieces, then place your template on top of the fabric and cut out two mitts NB cut one with template facing up and one with template facing down so you have two pieces mirrored.

Pin the mitt pieces together with main fabric right sides together. Stitch all around with a 1/4″ (6mm) seam. Zig zag the outer raw edges all around and nick into the corner between the thumb and mitt to allow for movement.

Turn your mitt inside out and push out edges with a poking tool.

Nearly there now, just a few things to do before we arrive at Oven Mitt Heaven!

First lets make a tab loop so we can hang it up on display for everyone to see.

To do this we cut a strip of fabric 10cm long by 4cm wide.

Fold over and press 1cm each long side like so….

Then press over in half and stitch down each side like this……

Insert your loop at the top edge of the mitt and tack stitch on the machine close to the edge like this….

Next we stitch some binding at the top edge so either cut yourself a strip of fabric 4cm x 32cm (fold and press 1cm each long side) or use some ready made bias binding available at most good haberdashers. You could use an accent colour from your fabric print to enhance the design. Bind the top edge of your mitt thus encasing the raw edges.

There you have one fab mitt.

HOW TO MAKE AN TEA COSY

See above for fabric requirements.

This is what you do:

Sandwich your 3 fabric pieces together with the RS of fabric outermost and the thermal interfacing in the middle. Pin all around.

Draw one line diagonally in each direction, across the top fabric at the centre with an invisible fabric marker.

Then stitch along the line, using a stitch line guide, what is that! I hear you say…..

here it is you’ve probably seen one in your accessories box and wondered what it was for.

well  fitted onto your machine at the back of your foot or walking foot, it helps you keep straight lines, parallel to each other at the set required distance from each other.

Nifty huh?

So once you have quilted all your tea cosy it should look like this on the front…

and like this on the back…

Next you cut out two tea cosy shapes using the template on your pattern sheet.

Making the loop

Now we put the little loop in at the top. So cut a strip of fabric 5cm x 10cm in either the main fabric, lining or use a strip of bias tape. Fold and press 1cm each long side, then fold in half again so all raw edges are enclosed and sew down each long side lengthways. Pin, then stitch on to one of the tea cosy pieces at the centre of the top like this….

Place the two tea cosy pieces together with the right sides facing each other. Pin all around then stitch 6mm from the edge all around (except the bottom straight edge of course…derr!). Zig zag the outer raw edge.

Then turn it inside out, pushing out the seam edges from the inside.

So just one more thing to do, thats the binding. You can use bias binding, which looks nice when you pick up on one of the colours in your print pattern (yum!) or make your own by cutting a 4cm strip of fabric and folding over 1cm on one long side (WS on the inside).

Pin one unfolded edge of the binding to the RS of the tea cosy at the lower raw edge. Stitch along the fold.

Fold over the binding to the reverse side. Pin, hand tack stitch to hold in position then stitch in the ditch* on the machine on the RS, ensuring the stitching holds the binding on the reverse side.

 

There you have a lovely tea cosy.

And if you fancy making a pot holder like this:

just cut out two pieces in main fabric and one piece in Thermolam from the pot holder template, a strip 4cm x 10 cm in main or contrast fabric and you will need a metre of (25mm) bias binding too.

Layer your pieces just as you did for the cosy and machine quilt in much the same way.

Make your loop that you have stitched just like the teacosy one (above) and tack it in to the centre edge of one side.There you have it. Ta dah!

 

One very Funky Kitchen! And don’t forget to dress up the jam!

A LINE SKIRT WITH PICS

Click on the link above to open a photo step by step file  for making an A-line skirt