Any heavyweight fabric (left over curtain or upholstery looks great but still needs interfacing to give it structure.

Method; cut four 20 x 15 cm sides and two 15 x 15 squares for top and bottom plus one 15 x 12 cm strip for the handle. Interface everything.

Create the handle by folding the sides of the strip to the middle then fold in half and top stitch closed. Top stitch the other side for effect. Stitch the handle to your top piece, fixing it in an ‘x’ pattern at either end for strength.

Line up the four sides inside out  and stitch with an even seam width down the 20cm sides to create a cube (sort of) then with right sides still together together pin and then stitch the top into the cube.

Check you have caught all the corners then stitch the base piece in leaving a gap for turning.

Turn,  stuff with wadding, gravel – best in a sandwich or simple mini sack – Try to surround the sack with wadding so the cube sits right and stuff more than you think necessary, then slip stitch the gap closed.

I won a web draw prize and a box of very useful goodies arrived in time for me to take to our holiday home and enjoy a lovely play time.

i wanted to try the sunburst card technique so this was a good opportunity.  Make a mat with scratch paper, cover it with glue stick. Take rectangles of patterned paper and cut diagonally to form triangles which you then assemble over the scratch paper. The triangles should overlap the edges and will be trimmed off later.

You might need to trim the last triangle to fit. Trim the edges so the mat can now be put on your card base and place a topper or greeting on the centre, this covers any less than perfect assembly. Great way to use scraps.

the photo shows the card with a box made to hold it and several other Anita’s A6 cards and envelopes all made with paper from the docrafts simply floral A4 ultimate die cut and paper pack

This year’s sea glass stash was only reduced a little by these gifts. A simple ring and cuff links made from the flattest pieces I had to hand which were then glitzed up with hot fix rhinestones – the smallest I had to hand – and stuck with jewellry cement. Note to self: research better ‘glue’ to stick glass to metal.

hmm, mistake with the gingham fabric, too open weave so lots of hand and over sewing. Still a rustic storage solution for bits I want to keep near the sewing machine.

Method:  use a paper template of a heart to cut two of the heavy weight fabric (denim or upholstery would do) backing pieces and a piece of wadding. Then cut inside the template for a slightly smaller panel piece (mine is the beige). Then fold the template in increasingly smaller sections to gauge the pocket pieces but cut with a one inch high extra on top which you fold over and top stitch to create a neat pocket top.

I did three pocket pieces and when top stitched clipped them on the panel piece and clipped that on one piece of backing. I stitched ric rac to cover the raw edges (at which point the gingham started to unravel like burlap).  Then a line of straight stitches down the middle to create the half pockets.

Finally pin a loop of ribbon (I used the remains of my ric rac) facing loop down and raw edge protruding up a bit. then pin the other backing piece right side together and sew around leaving a gap for turning. Before you turn stick wadding to backing piece. When turned hand sew gap and voila!

A simple sew project which I would make again, but with bigger coasters, with coordinating fabrics and in a set of two big mats and six coasters for dinner table rather than tea time use. Lots of web tutorials with variations to inspire you.

Materials:for each square you need five squares of fabric and one of fusible fleece. My teapot stand squares are 8 inches and coasters are four inches, should be five though.

Method: fuse fleece to whar will be your base square and then lay it right side up on your work table. Press remaining squares diagonally then lay then raw sides out to raw side of the base in sequence. The last one needs to be half tucked under the first one then all pieces pinned before you sew with a slim straight seam all the way round the edge. Clip the corners. Turn and poke out your corners so that the base is now showing and press to keep the centre tidy.  I added a decorative top stitch but this isn’t necessary.

.