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Project of the Month: Reusable Gift Wrapping Bags

You can of course make these bags whatever size you fancy but to get you started let’s start with a little one!
You will need: 
Materials:
x1 piece of festive fabric 36cm (width) x 23cm (height)50cm Satin Ribbon
Tools and Equipment:
Sewing Machine,
Thread,
Pins,
Needle,Safety pin,
Fabric Scissors,
Pen / Tailors Chalk,
Iron and Ironing board,

1. Have your fabric facing down onto your ironing board and fold up your top edge 1cm, then again by 2 cm. Stitch about 2-3mm (using the edge of the sewing machine foot is an easy way to keep it even) from the folded edge all the way along your fabric so you’ve got a nice channel.

2. Now flip your fabric over so your looking at the patterned side and fold book style in half. Where your channel is at the top do a couple of stitches (1cm seam allowance) on the machine, lift up your foot and move the bag up till you are then past your channel, then stitch all the way down and then along the bottom – a big L basically!

3. Trim your threads and corners then turn. Attach a safety pin to the end of your satin ribbon and use this to push the ribbon all through the channel til you have a bit of ribbon out both ends, the poke them through the hole you left when assembling to have your ribbon sticking out of the bag instead of inside.

4. Tie the ends of the ribbon in a good knot near the end and trim your ribbon for a nice neat edge (you can briefly run the end over a lit match or candle and this stops the ends from fraying but of course take care!

5. And there you have it! Once you’ve got the hang of it these bags could be made in all sorts of different sizes, even for food! Please let us know how you got on with this project and if you share on social media tag us in with #bunyippotm so we can see them!

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Exploring Cornwall – St Ives


St Ives is a haven for any crafter, artist or independant shop lover! With all the street of St Ives being full of beautiful little shops there’s something for everyone.
First found was Lilac and Lime on Tregenna Place, if you like brightly coloured clothing this is the place for you! It drew me in with the mustard corduroy dungarees covered in bees in the doorway and I ended my two day trip with buying a pair. I could’ve easily bought a dinosaur print dress as well but had to restrain myself to just one item of clothing to fit in my backpack on the train home. Full of Shirts, dungarees, T-Shirts and dresses it’s well worth a look!

Another firm favourite is Poppy Treffry. I’ve been a fan of this brand for years and always make sure to have a nose whenever I’m in St Ives. Poppy Treffry is the queen of free machine embroidery, she doesn’t do all the making any more – they’re too popular! But has a team of Cornish makers to embroider, make and sell all of her designs. There’s a range of brilliant gifts for anyone including yourself of make up bags, tea towels, handbags, purses and many more!

Then there were toy shops, cheese and pasty shops, plenty of seafood related restaurants and pubs all craving for a view of the harbour.

Then the best new find was The Sloop Studios. A collection of studios mixed with gift shops buying direct from the designer / maker themselves! From lino printing, ceramics and glass work there’s loads to look at even if like me you didn’t stumble upon it till 5pm and there were all closed, luckily it’s like an open courtyard so you can still peer through the window even if nobodies in!
This was just to name a few beautiful independants but there are of course so many more and quaint little cobbled streets that can make for a photographers (or any budding Instragrammer!) Dream! – Alice

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Project of the month: How to make a Pin Cushion

You will need:
Materials:
x2 Different fabrics 15cm x 15cm
x1 Button between 15mm
2m Embroidery thread
Toy Stuffing
Tools and Equipment:
Sewing Machine,
Thread,
Pins,
Needle,
Fabric Scissors,
Pinking Shears
Pen / Tailors Chalk,
Iron and Ironing board,
a bowl / something with a curve to
draw round, Let’s get making!

1. Grab both of your fabrics and draw around your bowl – this can be any size just bare in mind that your finished pin cushion being full of toy stuffing by the end will be padded therefore raised so it will appear slightly smaller by the end.

2. Cut out your fabrics and place them right sides together and stitch around the edge with a 1cm seam allowence, leaving a gao of roughly 5cm for turning.

3. Use your pinking shears to trim the edges, press with an iron and then turn – use a large knitting needle or even a pen with the lid on help turn the edges and then press with an iron again.

4. Now stuff your pouch with toy stuffing, using small amounts at a time helps to get an overall good level of even ness, when full use slip stitch to finish off.

5. Next grab your embroidery thread, thread onto a needle and tie a good knot at the end. Find your centre point of your cushion and stitch down, and bring thread through – don’t worry about the end thread and the knot it will soon be hidden! Bring your thread around the edge of your cushion and then stitch down all the way through again. And again 6 or 8 times – see photo for example, try to keep each section even it’s sometimes easier to neaten up when they’re all done as then you can compare them to each other.

6. With the last bit of your embroidery thread stitch up. Now stitch on your button 2 – 3 times up and down through the whole cushion should be plenty. Knot and tuck the thread in and snip – see our stories on instagram saved in the highlight section if you need and extra guide.

And there you have it! Please let us know how you got on with this project and if you share on social media tag us in with #bunyippotm so we can see them!