now.
Make the windows and doors
1. Draw one 5cm × 7.5cm (2in × 3in) rectangle and three 4cm (11⁄2in) squares onto the smooth side of the fusible webbing, and cut out roughly.
2. Iron the rectangle onto the wrong side of the dot fabric for the door, and the squares onto the stripe fabric for the windows. Cut out neatly.
3. Peel off the paper and iron the door to one of the gable ends, and a window on the other. Fuse a window on each side of the house, placing them about 2.5cm (1in) up from the bottom edge. Blanket stitch the doors and windows by hand or machine.
Complete the fabric pieces
1. Place the set-aside brown fabric pieces right sides together with the other set of prepared house parts. Stitch together all the way around the edge of the interfacing, leaving a 5cm (2in) opening at the bottom for turning.
2. Trim off the excess brown fabric, cut across the corners and turn the right way out. Poke out the corners with the end of a spoon. Sew the opening closed. Gently press.
Chain stitch emphasizes a shape and will make that area of the design look more prominent.
Add the gable end and side decoration
1. On the gable ends and sides of the house, tack (baste) the narrow ric-rac 6mm (1⁄4in) in from the edge at the top and sides. Stitch in place through the middle of the ric-rac.
2. Cut two side snowlines and two gable end snowlines from cream felt (see Templates). Prepare with fusible webbing and appliqué the snowlines in place along the bottom edge with blanket stitch. Note, you will need to cut one gable end snowline in half to position on either side of the appliquéd door.
3. Cut two gable end hearts (see Templates) from cream felt and appliqué above the window and door at the gable ends. Cut a 2.5cm (1in) cream fabric window and appliqué to the door. Embroider a chain stitch border around the windows and doors. Blanket stitch the hearts and new windows by hand or machine.
4. Sew two 1.3cm (1⁄2in) buttons on either side of the windows and door. Add a 6mm (1⁄4in) button for the door handle, and another to the centre of each small felt heart.
Add the roof decoration
1. Tack (baste) the wide ric-rac along the bottom edge of the two roof pieces, tucking it under at each end. Sew in place.
2. Mark the roof heart design (see Templates) with a fine pencil onto each roof piece. For each pearl button heart, sew on 16 of the small pearl buttons following the outline.
3. Cut one roof snowline from cream felt (see Templates). Prepare with fusible webbing and cut out the shaded area in the middle of the template (this slit will accommodate the chimney later).
4. Place the roof pieces together with a 1.3cm (1⁄2in) gap between the two. Centre the roof snowline over the gap and fuse in place. Blanket stitch around the snowline by hand, and sew to secure to the top inside edge of the roof.
5. For the chimney, cut two pieces of cream felt 2.5cm × 7.5cm (1in × 3in); hand-sew together with blanket stitch down the long sides. Fold in half and sew the ends together to make a loop. Pop the sewn end through the roof slit from the right side (it will be secured later).
Build the house
1. At the apex of each gable end you need to make a loop to accommodate the wooden kebab stick that will hold up the roof. Sew four stitches on top of each other 6mm (1⁄4in) wide to make a loop. Blanket stitch the loop by sewing over the stitches only and not picking up any of the fabric beneath.
2. Sew the bottom of the four side sections of the house to the base with a ladder stitch (see General Techniques: Utility stitches), using a doubled matching brown thread.
3. Match up the sides of the house and sew together using white thread when joining the snowlines and brown thread for the house.
4. Cut the wooden kebab stick to size 18cm (7in) long, thread through the first gable end loop and glue on a bead. Thread a 15.5cm (6in) length of drinking straw onto the stick (the straw will help to keep the gable ends from collapsing). Thread the straw-covered stick through the chimney loop, and the end of the stick through the loop at the other gable end; glue on the other bead to secure in place. Stitch the chimney in place from the right side. Your finished house is now ready to be filled with biscuits!
Gingerbread Men
I am not a fan of themed trees – I prefer mine to be decorated with handmade hangings that are all a little bit different. It’s so exciting getting the box down from the attic to find something I made last year but had completely forgotten about. This year I shall add these cheery little gingerbread men to my decorating stash.
You will need (to make one decoration)
13cm × 30.5cm (5in × 12in) brown fabric
Handful of polyester stuffing
Red embroidery thread
Two black micro buttons or beads
Three small heart buttons
Three round gingham buttons
13cm (5in) length of narrow gingham ribbon
Finished size: 10cm × 13cm (4in × 5in)
Make the gingerbread man
1. Trace off the gingerbread man template (see Templates), stick onto card and cut out.
2. Fold the brown fabric in half right sides together and pin. Using a pencil, draw around the gingerbread man to mark the outline. DO NOT CUT OUT.
3. Sew along the marked line with a small stitch, leaving an opening in one side. Cut out close to the stitch line and snip into either side of the neck, the armpits and the crotch.
4.
