Make it Today Issue 7 Patchworking

Make it Today!

ISSUE 7 JULY/AUG 2

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patch, SEW, CREATE

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perfect stitch projects 25+ SEW IDEAS TO EXPLORE TONIGHT!

K R O W H C PATSPECIAL

ISSUE 7 | 拢7.99 JULY/AUG 2015

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Home Trends 路 Three-Page Patchwork Guide 路 History of Quilting

ON PATROL

13 QUILT-MAKING ESSENTIALS Patch up your tool kit with these English paper piecing must-haves 23 FABRIC LOVE Find that perfect patchwork fabric and delight in our designer gallery 41 THE BOOKS Master your hexies from your half square triangles with these top reads 64 YOUR ESSENTIAL TEMPLATES All you need to get started on your favourite patchwork project and make it today!

RELAX AND READ

Contents: patchwork

52 FABRIC TUBS We’ll be making a few of these for tidying away the kiddies’ toys!

54 EMBELLISHED DRAWSTRING BAG

ISSUE 7 YOUR KIT MAKES

10 SYLVESTER OWL CUSHION Twit-twoo! You won’t be able to resist making this chirpy wise-old owl

32 TEA COSY Impress your afternoon tea guests with this simple yet effective make that looks great on any table

14 BABY BLANKET Celebrate the arrival of a little one with this gorgeous quilted gift

39 REVAMPED PILLOWCASE Enhance your bedlinen with this simple edging project using your hexi template

18 QUILTED PILLOW Add a touch of the geometric trend to your bedroom or living room with this English paper piecing pattern

43 FRAMED FABRIC ART Practice your embroidery technique with this pretty flower picture

20 DINKY PATCH PURSE Store your knick knacks in style by making a pretty patchwork treasure

Store your craft stash patchwork style with this colourful little tote 56 HEXAGON SEAT PAD Transform your kit into cool hexie seat pads for an easy chair revamp 58 MOUSE BOOK ENDS Prop up your reading collection with this pair of retro-influenced cuties 60 ELBOW DIAMOND PATCHES Upcycle an old jumper or cardi with these diamond geezers

44 CHILDREN’S BALL Use up leftover scraps to make this playful toddler toy

26 GEOMETRIC NECKLACE Liven up a summer outfit with this bright patch inspired accessory

48 FABRIC TRAY This easy make can be used to keep your new necklace safe and be home for all your bits of jewellery

30 HEXI CLOCK Now is the time to bring patchwork to your walls with this clever timepiece

50 TORTOISE PINCUSHION Add this cute little fella to your craft kit essentials

SUBSCRIBE NOW Get money off a three issue trial Turn to page 38 for more info

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6 MAKE IT, BUY IT, LOVE IT Read up on stitchy news and take a look at our favourite makey finds 8 NOTICEBOARD See what your fellow Make it Today readers have created - it’s great!

28 A PATCHWORK HOME Brighten up your abode with these bold patchwork interior finds 42 Q&A WITH...

We put the questions to quilter and author Carolyn Foster 46 PERSONAL PATCH HISTORIES Dep Ed Janey looks at how quilting has been passed down through the generations and why it retains its intrinsic value today 66 INTERVIEW: ELIZABETH HARTMAN

IN EVERY ISSUE

3 WELCOME 5 INSIDE YOUR KIT 35 GIVEAWAYS 36 COMING NEXT ISSUE 38 SUBSCRIPTIONS 61 PRACTICALS

Make it

YOUR DESIGNER PATCHWORK PACK!

Today!

DOTTY BUTTERCUP FABRIC

100 HEXAGON PAPER PIECES IN TWO SIZES!

MULTI-USE PATCHWORK TEMPLATES FOR ENDLESS SHAPES

TURQUOISE BLOSSOM FABRIC

45CM SQUARE OF EACH PRINT Turn to p61 to get all the patchwork know-how you need to get started!

DON’T MISS NEXT ISSUE! Two exclusive designer Butterick McCall patterns in our next DRESSMAKING SPECIAL

ON SALE 11TH SEPTEMBER 2015 Find out more on p36

MAKE YOUR OWN PAPER PIECES

PROJECT BY AMANDA WALKER | SUITABLE FOR INTERMEDIATE | SHOULD TAKE A COUPLE OF QUILTY AFTERNOONS

EXPLORE YOUR SOFT SIDE WITH A

quilted pillow in a colourful diamond design

You’ve heard it before, but take it from us: diamonds really are a girl’s best friend!

Amanda Walker’s inventive cushion design combines two of our favourite passions, quilting and patchwork, in one extremely pretty project. This striking design makes the most of a simple repeating sequence of shapes to create a cheerful geometric cushion that will always give you something nice to cuddle up to – just like a good pal should.

“The best part about patchworking is having fun with fabric combinations.

The same project can appear completely different when another set of fabrics are put together!”

AMANDA WALKER, DESIGNER

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PROJECT BY CAROLYN LETTEN | SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS/INTERMEDIATE | SHOULD TAKE AN AFTERNOON OF STITCHY GOODNESS

YOU’LL LOVE STITCHING A

PRETTY PURSE to carry your knick-knacks

They say every girl needs a little black dress waiting in their wardrobe, but although we agree, it’s purses and bags that we can never have too many of. This container with its geometric design is big enough to hold all your essential beauty items, but can also comfortably carry money, cards, phone and a set of keys if you’re having an evening out. One thing’s for sure – it won’t go unused!

MATCH UP YOUR CONTRASTING-COLOURED THREAD WITH THE COLOUR OF YOUR ZIPPER FOR EXTRA WOW FACTOR Make it Today!

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PROJECT BY CAROLYN LETTEN | SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS | SHOULD TAKE A CRAFTY MORNING

FASHION A PRETTY

Fabric necklace to impress your friends

You may think the craft of jewellery-making is fiddly, but this project proves that necklaces are easy to whip into shape! The combination of bright hexagons and triangles will bring a splash of colour to a plain top. What’s more, this dainty piece of handcrafted bling is the perfect way for thrifty types to use up small oddments of fabric. You don’t even need to buy the chain: you can just recycle an old one that’s sitting in your jewellery box.

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PROJECT BY CAROLYN LETTEN | SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS/INTERMEDIATE | SHOULD TAKE AN AFTERNOON OF STITCHY GOODNESS

THERE’S ALWAYS TIME FOR A

PATCHWORK CLOCK to brighten up your wall space

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THIS MONTH...

make it, buY it, love it

BIRTHDAY CAKE REPRODUCED WITH KIND PERMISSION OF JENNIFER HEYNEN, JANGLES.ETSY.COM

Find out what your fellow stitchers are up to and get some crafty new ideas

A LITTLE INSPIRATION

Imagine waking up to a parcel from your own fairy craft mother, filled with fabrics, ribbons, buttons and helpful hints on how to create something beautiful.

That’s the thinking behind the Make and Do Inspirations Club, a project set up by Bristol-based stitcher Kirsten Clark to get people crafting with confidence.

Kirsten, who loves experimenting with fabrics and techniques, is on a mission to brighten your morning post, saying, “I want people to experience the same satisfaction I get each time I finish something”. Kirsten’s monthly subscriptions, with three levels of pack from £5 to £20, give you all the creative impetus you need.

From £5, mymakeanddo.co.uk

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ETSY!

Put on your handmade party hats, because one of the most well-loved craft marketplaces in the world, Etsy, has chalked up its first decade of connecting craft lovers with sellers and entrepreneurs. Key to this international community’s continued success is its tireless commitment to fostering a collaborative environment where over 1.4 million active sellers strive to inspire others. To celebrate, we called in a favour and got cheery Stitch Kitsch author and craft supplies guru Jennifer Jangles, a long-time Etsy member, to make a cake. Here’s to another 10 years of exquisite, unique crafting. etsy.com/10

VILENE’S PATCHY FIX

For precision patchworking, Vilene’s Quickscreen Triangle interfacing is a useful budget alternative to paper piecing and die-cutting. It’s great if you’re after really fast identical shapes. £5 per metre, crafts@stockistenquiries.co.uk

Make it Today!s 6

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL These stitchy treats prove good things really do come in small packages

FESTIVAL LINE-UP

Roll up, roll up, all you crafty quilters. Festival season’s well under way, but this is one event that will be low on mud and wellies and high on wow factor. The Festival of Quilts, taking place at the Birmingham NEC between 6th-9th August, is your chance to indulge in workshops, lectures and galleries featuring the mind-boggling creations of fellow quilters, so you can steal some inspiration and chat to designers about their ideas, or just browse the international exhibitions and the handiwork of 300 exhibitors. The festival will also be hosting one of the largest quilt competitions in Europe with 1,000 entrants, from complete beginner to textile guru, battling it out for prizes in various categories sponsored by big-name sponsors including Sew Easy, McCall, Janome and The Quilters’ Guild.

Come down to the festival, and wrap yourself in loveliness. thefestivalofquilts.co.uk

VINTAGE CRAFTS TRAVEL SEWING MACHINE If you can’t bear to be parted from your sewing machine when you’re out and about, this little gadget is perfect for quick repairs such as hem fixes. It’s also a useful tool for those fiddly little places that might be a struggle with a standard machine. £4.95, dotcomgiftshop.com

CUT ABOVE THE REST

It may seem dinky, but the Big Shot Plus from Sizzix is the ultimate die-cutting machine. This roller not only takes the pain out of producing lots of identical shapes by hand, but it also includes a generous starter kit: a die set, textured impressions and an embossing folder. This means fiddly shapes such as butterflies can be created in no time. As well as being a fab timesaver, we love that it’s beginner-friendly and small enough to take with you on trips so you need never be far from your next patchy fix. £199, sizzix.co.uk

GROVES CRAFT BUTTONS These teeny-weeny crafting embellishments are ideal for putting the finishing touches to your quilting projects. They have a fabric covering that has been hand-painted to give a playful, cartoon-style look.

We wish our full-sized sewing machine looked this pretty. £3.60, groves@stockistenquiries.co.uk

DON’T FORGET YOUR FIVE A DAY...

Feeling fruity? If you know what’s good for you, you’ll grab one of these scrumptious patterns from Retro Mama. This bright, cheerful Scrappy Apple Pincushion designs is just one of several options that designer, teacher and author Kim Kruzich has created. As a purveyor of patterns, Kim is especially fond of her fruit designs and has just released a pear and apple bundle, but also designs soft toys and is adding new softie lines soon. Make it Today readers get a 10% discount with the code MAKEITOTDAY10. retro-mama.blogspot.co.uk ON PATROL 7

SEW EASY USB DRIVES Sew Easy is doing its bit to brighten up the task of copying and archiving those important craft project files with these USB drives. With their bright colours and rubbery textures, they’re less likely to get misplaced, and they have reasonable storage capacities of 2GB. £17, groves@stockistenquiries.co.uk

PROJECT BY CAROLYN LETTEN | SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS | SHOULD TAKE AN AFTERNOON OF STITCHY GOODNESS

EVERY SELF-RESPECTING SEAMSTRESS NEEDS A

FABRIC TRAY for all those buttons and bows

Thinking inside the box can be more fun than you think!

Adding another dimension to patchworking is really straightforward, and we’ve made this project easy-peasy so there’s no danger of you losing your thread. The beauty of tray-making is its versatility; once you’ve mastered the art, you’ll be able to vary the sizes and shapes of your trays and use them as containers for your make-up, craft supplies and other knick-knacks.

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PROJECT BY CORINNE BRADD | SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS | SHOULD TAKE AN AFTERNOON OF STITCHY GOODNESS

STITCH A BRIGHT

Hexagonal seat pad to soften an old chair

Make your seating area more appealing with this summery hexagonal seat pad. It’s a lovely patchwork to perch on top of an outdoors chair for those barbecue afternoons or to pep up your kitchen stools. Corinne Bradd’s clever design allows you to get the most from your patchwork kit and is easier than it looks, making it achievable for all levels in just a few hours. You could even spruce up your dining room with a colourful cosy pad on every seat!

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ISSUE 6 | £7.99 JUNE 2015

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