Little houses doorstop

Hello again - on a lovely summer day. I know it may not last but it does make me plan for days on the patio - sipping long cool drink, and what do you need to help you relax?

A doorstop - OK that may not have been your first thought - but you have to admit when you think about it for a while it is a good choice, because how often does the door blow shut just as you get to it while carrying a tray of nibbles and drinks!!

So here it is -  

Although I say it myself, I really like this - I've been wondering how to use this die for quite a while and now here it is. As you know I'm often finding new favourite dies, and this is one of them.

The die is Houses by Stephanie Ackerman http://www.sizzix.co.uk/product/660278/sizzix-originals-die-houses and of course it works with the Big Shot machine -http://www.sizzix.co.uk/product/660200/sizzix-big-shot-machine-only-white-gray

You will need the following to make this -

30cms x 112cm (12" x 44") fabric for the actual doorstop - as I used a lightweight cotton I added a fusible interfacing to the wrong side to stiffen it. If you use a thicker fabric you do not need to do this.

6 pieces of contrasting fabrics each 12cm x 20cm (5" x 8") for the houses.

72cm x 20cm (29" x 8") of fusible web (like Bondaweb or Heat'n'Bond)

Thread for stitching.

Buttons for embellishment

Filling, including something heavy to weight it with.

To start I cut the plain fabric into the following pieces -

1 x 62cm x 25cm (25 1/2" x 10") for the sides

2 x 17cm (6 3/4") squares for the top and bottom

1 x 17cm x 7cm (6 3/4" x 3")  for the handle

Fuse the web to the wrong side of the contrasting fabrics, and then using the house die cut out the houses, hearts and roofs. You will need to cut out another roof, and at least 2 extra hearts from each fabric.

Arrange the house, roofs and hearts along one long side of the fabric and fuse in place -

 

I arranged mine in an irregular line, and then I stitch them in place with a straight stitch on my machine.

Using a mint green thread I created 'grass' along the bottom edge -

and added buttons for flowers -



Join the ends of the fabric together with a 1cm (1/2") seam allowance. Use a pin to mark the 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 points on the top and bottom edges. With right sides together pin the base to one quarter of the side, and stitch in place, then snip the seam allowance on the side fabric (this is so that you can manipulate the fabric and avoid puckers), do be careful not to cut through the stitching.

 

Repeat this so that all four sides are stitched.

To make the handle make a 1cm fold along each long edge and then fold the handle in half, so that the edges are inside. Stitch both folds, and then stitch the handle to the remaining square -

and then stitch it in place, leaving an opening on one side -

 



Turn the doorstop the right way out and fill with your choice of weight and filling.

Slip stitch the opening together and it's ready for use ( and I only hope the sun is still shining)

That's all this week. I hope you can enjoy sun and sewing this week.

Angela