How to Make - an Embroidered Flower Bowl Card

All the materials required to produce this card may be found in an Inspiration Pack from Lynwoodcrafts.

The following materials from the pack are needed:

In addition, you will need scissors, a needle, a 'circular template' (for example a cotton reel) and a pencil.

Measure the dimensions of the aperture card (when folded as if completed). From the plain fabric cut a panel about 1 cm shorter and 1 cm narrower than the folded card. Fold the fabric in half to find the centre line:

Using the pencil, draw a half circle lightly on the fabric, positioned just below the vertical centre mark and take care to keep it central from left to right.

Using a fancy yarn from the pack, fill in the 'bowl' shape with a 'zig-zag' of couching - small over-stitches in the fine sewing thread provided, over the laid out fancy yarn to anchor it in place:

When the bowl shape has been filled cut off the remainder of the fancy yarn, leaving a 3 or 4 cm tail. Double this tail back into the bowl shape and couch in place. Repeat with the tail from the start of the couching.

Using the Contrast thread 1, work an outline to the bowl - I have used chain stitch - back stitch would work just as well.

Continue with the same contrast thread and start to work a posy of simple flower shapes above the bowl, using lazy daisy stitch as shown. There should be sufficient thread for about 6 small flowers. Some of these should be stitched in the main sewing thread from the pack. 

Work french knots, or small cross stitches, for the centre of each flower - choosing the contrast thread for flowers stitched in the main colour and vice versa.

Using the second contrast thread, work some further daisy stitches as leaves.

Assemble the card using the double sided adhesive provided. Using the squares on the backing paper as a guide cut 2 strips 0.5 squares wide by 4.5 squares long. Cut each of these 2 strips in half to result in 4 strips 0.5 x 2.25 cm. Peel the backing from one side of the adhesive and stick the four strips around the aperture ON THE INSIDE of the card - as shown:

Remove the remaining backing paper. Place the embroidered design face up on a flat surface (press carefully first if necessary). View the design through the card aperture - holding the card right side upwards with the adhesive strips towards the embroidery. When you are happy that the design is correctly positioned in the aperture, lower the card onto the fabric and carefully press around the edge of the aperture to secure the adhesive.


Cut the remaining adhesive into three strips, 0.5 squares wide by 4.5 squares long. Remove the backing from one side of the adhesive and position the strips on the inside of the card on the three 'open' sides of what will become the 'lining' to the design. 

Remove the remaining backing paper and carefully press the card closed.

The purse and bookmark may also be made from the Inspiration Pack. You can find the instructions in two other blog posts:

Coin Purse

Book Mark

The pack also contained these additional fabrics, trimmings and embellishments. I wonder what you would make with them?

How to Make - a Patchwork Coin or Card Purse

A pretty purse made entirely from materials in an 'Inspiration Pack' available from Lynwoodcrafts. The following materials from the pack will be required:

-   interfacing
-   fine sewing cotton
-   contrasting tacking thread
-   button
-   lining fabric
-   three printed fabrics
-   main sewing thread
-   two contrasting threads.

In addition you will need: scissors, pins, needle and card from which to make a pattern (for example - a cereal packet).

Using your recycled card mark out a rectangular template - 11 cm x 21 cm. Cut out this template and use it to mark two rectangles on the interfacing. If you wish to make the bookmark, you will need to take care to cut the interfacing as shown below:

Pin one piece of interfacing to the selected lining fabric. Cut out the fabric leaving about 1 cm all around as a seam allowance.

Fold the seam allowance over on both long sides and press in place:

Repeat for the short sides. Then fold each of the corners, as shown, and pin in place:

Tack using the contrasting sewing thread from the inspiration pack.

Cut strips of the selected printed fabrics. These should be 13 cm wide and may be as 'long' as you like. A pleasing patchwork will be created by varying these lengths. Order the strips as you like - remember that each will lose a minimum of about 1.5 cm from their length in seam allowances. 

Pin the first strip onto the second piece of interfacing - the fabric should overhang the interfacing by a seam allowance of 1 cm on three on three sides. Take the next strip in your sequence and lay it on top of the first strip, right sides together, and match the 'top' edge as shown:

Using the fine sewing thread from the pack and back stitch or very small running stitches, stitch through the two printed fabrics and interfacing, as shown. Fold the second strip back over the interfacing, concealing the seam and press in place. Take the third strip in your sequence, repeating the process - this time stitching the third to the second strip through the interfacing. Fold back and press in place as below:

Continue in this way, adding further strips from your sequence, until the interfacing is entirely covered and there is an additional seam allowance of about 1 cm 'overhanging' the 'top edge'. Fold the seam allowances, treating the corners in the same way as for the lining and pin and tack as for the lining.

At this stage you may choose to embellish the completed patchwork strip with some simple embroidery, using the contrasting threads. I have added some cross stitches to the striped fabric as shown.

In order to turn the strip into a purse, fold up about 8 cm from one end to form the 'pocket' of the purse. The remainder will be folded down as the flap. Using one of the contrast threads, stitch a button onto the front of the purse, positioned to be below the folded flap. 

Place the tacked lining panel behind the patch-worked panel, wrong sides together. Using the sewing cotton, with small stitches, over-sew the two panels together all the way round:

Remove the tacking stitches from both the lining and the outer panel. Re-fold the purse pocket and tack in place. Using the main sewing thread and blanket stitch, join one side of the purse. Continue up the side of the flap, along the front edge of the flap, down the other side and then stitch the remaining side seam. Neaten the top edge of the purse with blanket stitch in the same way.

Find the centre of the flap - I did this by gently folding it in half - taking care not to leave a permanent crease - mark the position with a pin.

The next step is to make the button loop. Leaving an 'end' of about 5 cm knot the end of a long length (about 1 m) of main sewing thead. Stitch through the flap at the edge and about 2 mm to one side of the centre pin. Holding the purse closed, take the thread around the button and back through the flap edge - about 2 mm to the other side. Then take the thread back around the button and take another stitch next to the first, then back around the button and another stitch by the second - this should result in three loops of thread around the button. Take care not to pull the loops tight. They should all be the same size and large enough to comfortably un-button the flap. 

Take two small sticthes over the edge of the flap to lock the loops, then begin to work blanket stitch, or button-hole stitch if you prefer, over all three threads of the loop. Continue stitching, sliding the stitches close together, until the three thread loops are entirely covered. End by taking several small stitches and then hide the thread end by stitching between the layers of the flap, emerging on the inside and cut the thread off close to the fabric. Thread the needled with the tail left beyond the original knot and hide the end in the same way.

Enjoy using your purse!

The items from the Inspiration pack were used to make this purse and a bookmark and card .

The following materials were left over - I wonder what you would make with them?

How to Make - A simple Heart Motif Bookmark

This is the first in a series of blog posts showing how to make items from new 'inspiration packs' to be listed in Lynwoodcrafts shops. This post shows you how to make this simple but effective bookmark.

This pack features blue-toned fabrics and felt. Packs are available in a variety of colour themes. From the pack the following materials are needed for this bookmark. Felt, three printed fabrics, narrow ribbon, interfacing, main thread ( in this case - pale blue), contrasting threads ( for this pack these were navy blue and green). You will also need a needle, scissors and pins.

Using the heart template, supplied in the pack, cut four heart shapes from the printed fabrics - I have chosen to use three fabrics, cutting two hearts from one of them. Pin the hearts in a column down the centre of the felt bookmark arranging the prints in whichever order you prefer.

I have stitched each heart in place using a simple blanket stitch. Two of the hearts are stitched with the contrast threads and one is stitched in place with the main thread for the pack (pale blue in this case).

Having stitched all four hearts in place, the ribbon tail is attached. Fold the narrow ribbon in half and attach to the back of the felt panel, using small slip stitches behind the bottom heart, taking care to stitch just through the felt and not letting the stitches go right through the heart on the right side of the bookmark.

Using the felt bookmark as a pattern cut a matching panel from the interfacing provided in the pack - this will form the 'lining' to neaten the reverse of the bookmark. ( Please note: if you wish to make the coin purse - see next blog post; take care to cut the interfacing so as to allow sufficient space for the two purse panels to also be cut from the interfacing - as shown below)

With the right side facing, pin the felt bookmark to its interface backing. Using the main thread, blanket stitch round the edge of the bookmark, taking care to stitch through both felt and interfacing. Enjoy using your bookmark or perhaps send it as a gift.

The inspiration packs from Lynwoodcrafts are intended to provide colour themed fabrics, essentials and embellishments to use as you wish. I often get stitching inspiration from looking through drawers of fabric, baskets of ribbons, button tins ....... These packs are a way of sharing the benefits of my stash of materials with folk who might prefer tidier and more minimalistic houses than mine!! The packs are not kits, but I have decided to post instructions for three items - a coin or card purse, a greetings card and this bookmark - all of which can be made from each pack. Although the individual contents of each pack will vary, my shops will show detailed photos of the contents of each pack - you will receive exactly the contents you are shown for that pack. The materials from this pack which were used for the bookmark, card and purse are shown below.

The pack also contains enough materials to make the purse and greetings card shown:

Click these links for blog instructions for the purse and greetings card.

The pack also contained these additional fabrics, trimmings and embellishments. I wonder what you would make with them?