Claire Crompton

3 Once all stitching is complete, make up into a case as follows. Trim the embroidery to 14cm (5½in) high and 21cm (8¼in) wide, making sure the design is in the centre. With right sides facing, place the embroidery and smaller fabric piece together. Using a 1.3cm (½in) seam allowance, sew around three edges, leaving one short edge open. Turn through to the right side and press

3 Once all stitching is complete, make up into a case as follows. Trim the embroidery to 14cm (5½in) high and 21cm (8¼in) wide, making sure the design is in the centre. With right sides facing, place the embroidery and smaller fabric piece together. Using a 1.3cm (½in) seam allowance, sew around three edges, leaving one short edge open. Turn through to the right side and press, pushing out corners. Turn 1.3cm (½in) to the wrong side around the open edge and tack (baste) in place.
4 To make a lining, fold the larger fabric piece in half to make a piece 12.5cm (5in) deep. Sew around two sides, leaving one short edge open. Turn 1.3cm (½in) to the wrong side around the open edge and tack (baste) in place. Wrap the piece of wadding (batting) around the lining, matching raw edges. Tack the wadding in place, working next to the stitching line in the lining’s seam allowance. With wrong sides facing, insert the lining and wadding into the outer case, matching side seams. Slip stitch the lining to the outer case around the open edge and remove tacking when finished.

3 Once all stitching is complete, make up into a pillow sign as follows. Place pins to mark either side of the finished embroidery at the widest part, and at top and bottom at the widest part. Measure 4cm (1½in) from these markers and trim the embroidery to size, following a line of squares for a straight edge. Cut the backing fabric to the same size.
4 With right sides facing, place the embroidery and backing fabric together. Using a 1.3cm (½in) seam allowance, sew around three edges, leaving the lower edge open. Turn through to the right side and press, pushing out the corners. Turn 1.3cm (½in) to the wrong side

around the open edge and press. Stuff the pillow, pushing the stuffing into the corners. Slip stitch the open edge closed.
5 Make a hanging loop by sewing each end of the piping cord to the wrong side at the top edge 2.5cm (1in) in from the side edges. Sew the feather or sequin trim around the pillow along the seam line. When sewing on a feather trim, to avoid pulling feathers through with the needle, use large over-stitches, putting the needle through the fabric from front to back and then taking over the feathers and through the fabric from front to back again. Pull up tight and continue around the edges. After finishing, release any feathers caught in the stitches.

Prepare for work (see page 98). Mark the centre of the fabric and centre of the chart on page 26. Use an embroidery frame if you wish.
2 Start stitching from the centre of the chart and fabric, using two strands of stranded cotton (floss) for cross stitch, French knots and backstitch writing and one strand for backstitch outlines. Once stitching is complete, make up as a patch as in step 3 of the make-up bag on page 12.
3 Make a buddy as follows. Using tracing paper, draw around the pattern

Prepare for work (see page 98). Mark the centre of the fabric and centre of the chart on page 26. Use an embroidery frame if you wish.
2 Start stitching from the centre of the chart and fabric, using two strands of stranded cotton (floss) for cross stitch, French knots and backstitch writing and one strand for backstitch outlines. Once stitching is complete, make up as a patch as in step 3 of the make-up bag on page 12.
3 Make a buddy as follows. Using tracing paper, draw around the pattern on page 103 and mark the face details. Cut out the pattern piece. Place the two pieces of felt together and pin the pattern on top. Cut the felt around the pattern and then remove the pins.
4 Place the pattern on to one felt piece and use four strands of black stranded cotton to sew the face details through the tracing paper. Sew on the button for a nose and then remove the pattern by carefully tearing around the stitches and button.
5 Place the embroidered patch on to the front piece of felt, centrally, with the top edge in line with the top of the arms. Pin and tack (baste) in place and then sew around all four sides. With wrong sides facing, place the two felt pieces together, matching edges carefully and pin and tack (baste) in place. Using a 6mm (¼in) seam, stitch around the edge of the felt pieces, leaving a 5cm (2in) gap along the straight edge at one side. Remove tacking and stuff the buddy, pushing the stuffing into the arms

legs and ears. Sew the open edge closed to finish.

Prepare for work (see page 98). Mark the centre of the fabric and chart on page 36. Use an embroidery frame if you wish.
2 Start stitching from the centre of the chart and fabric, using two strands of stranded cotton (floss) for full and three-quarter cross stitch and one strand for backstitch. Using matching thread, attach

Backstitches are used to give definition to parts of a design and to outline areas. Many of the charts use different coloured backstitches. Follow Fig 2, bringing the needle up at 1, down at 2, up again at 3, down at 4 and so on.
Fig 2 Working backstitch

Three-quarter cross stitches give more detail to a design and can create the illusion of curves. They are shown by a triangle within a square on the charts. These stitches are easier on evenweave fabric than Aida (see Fig 3). To work on Aida, make a half cross stitch from corner to corner and then work a quarter stitch