Hi lovely
Adventures and Tea Parties readers! I am Jenny from
Jenny and The Magic Feather and Jo has very kindly asked me to do a guest post while she is enjoying the sun on her jollys in Cornwall! .... naturally we're not jealous in the
slightest! hmmm....
So I am guessing like Jo, most of you are quite a crafty little lot! So I thought I would share a quick and easy tutorial (with tons of follow along photos!yey!) with you all today. I have made so many of these little lovelies, it is one of my favourite tutorials and projects for quick, homemade lovely gifts, presents or just something for yourself to compliment your home!
Plus, hello sun!! Lets get those doors propped OPEN! ;D
Lets get started then:-
You will also need a sewing machine. Although you can do this one by hand too if you prefer, but for the purpose of this tutorial, I've used my machine.
Start by drawing out your template pieces, like the picture below you will need 1x 15cm by 15cm square, 1x 15cm triangle with a 15cm peak and 1x 10cm by 6cm piece.
Cut out your fabric pieces using the templates. You do not need to leave seam allowances, cut them to the same size as the paper templates. You will need four triangles, if you're using two different fabrics like I have, then cut two of each design.
Don't forget to cut your 10cmx6cm piece too, which I have missed off the below picture (oopsie!).
Sew your triangles together, two pieces at a time for now. So I put one spot with one chicken and sewed the left hand sides of the two bits together, turning four pieces into two pieces. Remember we are sewing inside out, so put the fabric with faces together, as we will be turning the door stop right way out when we are done!
Also be aware your triangles are not the same all the way around, there is a clear bottom to them. If you don't have a clear pattern direction to your fabric, use your paper template to check you're sewing sides to sides, and not a bottom to a side ;D
If you are using two different fabrics like I have, your two pieces should be the same. So I have a chicken piece to the right side of both my spot pieces, so when I eventually sew them all together it goes; spot, chick, spot, chick.
I used my sewing machine foot as a guide for seam allowance, as shown below.
Next up, press out the seams of your now two pieces of fabric...
... so you have something like this!
Now take your 10x6 piece, we are going to make our little top loop with this.
1. Fold in half.
2. Press in half.
3. Fold back out flat.
4. Fold outer edges to the crease in the middle.
5. Fold all back in half and press together.
Sew down the open edge....
... and down the other side too. This is just for decoration and optional! You do not have to sew the ends closed.
Next, fold your now skinny 10x6 piece in half to form a loop.
Pop your new loop in the middle of your two spot and chicken pieces (right sides together still!). Remember to put it in loop down, so the loop comes out of the top, when we turn our door stop right way out.
Raw edges should be on show, just like the picture below.
Now pin the outside edges together of your two spot/chicken pieces. You may need an extra pin in the top, to hold your loop in place. Now sew just these pinned edges together, start from a bottom edge, working up to the peak.
When you get to the peak, stop your needle when you reach the centre of your pressed open seams, this should be the middle of your loop too. Lift your foot up, with your needle down, spin your fabric and sew down the other side. By doing it this way - as opposed to sewing off the edge and starting again down the other side, you avoid any potential wonky loops!
Again I have used the edge of my foot as a seam guide.
Your inside should look something like this now!
Pin on your bottom 15x15cm square piece, again the right side of the fabrics should all be together, so you're sewing on the back. Leave a gap in your pins, this will remind you to leave a gap when you sew up the edges. We need this gap so we can turn the whole thing right way out, and fill it up! I started sewing from the gap, and worked around to the other side.
Remember to do a couple of back stitches so the stitches either side of the gap don't pull out when we come to turn it right way out.
Once you're all sewn up, before you turn the whole thing right way out trim off any bulky edges and snip off your corners at a right angle, like shown below. Watch you don't get too close to your threads! This will make it easier to poke out your corners.
I also snipped off the top of my loop in to a peak, following the lines where I had stitched.
You should now have an inside out pyramid shape, like so...
Turn him right way out by gentle pulling and working the fabric through the hole we left in the base. Poke out all your corners!
Pop a hand full of stuffing in to the top peak, this will help keep the shape of your door stop.
Use a piece or card to make a funnel (or an actual funnel!) for your rice and pipe it in!
You should get a full 300g bag in there, pop a little in at a time and keep shaking your door stop to even out the rice and create more space.
Now just hand sew (or if you're like me just try and squeeze it back under your machine foot!) the hole up in the base and we are done!
Hope you enjoyed this one!
