BRING THE CLASSIC VICTORIA SPONGE TO LIFE WITH APPLIQUÉ AND EMBROIDERY DETAILS
YOU WILL NEED
■ Fabric scraps for the cake slice and background
■ Back fabric: 12½in x 9½in
■ Lining fabric: two (2) 12½in x
9½in pieces
■ Tab fabric: 2½in x 6in
■ Binding: 2½in x 35in strip
■ Fusible batting: two (2) 12½in x 9½in pieces
■ Embroidery thread
■ Scraps of felt for appliqué (optional)
■ Two (2) copies of the Tea Cosy template
■ One (1) copy of the Strawberry, Cream and Cherry appliqué templates (optional)
■ Fusible web: small scrap (optional)
FINISHED SIZE
■ Approx. 11.5in x 8.5in
NOTES
■ Seam allowances are ¼in, unless otherwise noted.
■ Press seams to the side, unless otherwise instructed.
■ FPP templates include seam allowances around the outer edge only.
■ For templates, see p92.
■ RST = right sides together.
■ WST = wrong sides together.
■ FPP = Foundation Paper Piecing.
■ Fabrics and thread supplied by
Cotton+Steel (cottonandsteelfabrics.com) and Sew Hot (sewhot.co.uk)
■ Susi used Aurifloss thread in Gold Yellow, Paprika, Turquoise and Med Orchid by Aurifil.
FABRICS USED
Prints from the Paper Cuts collection by Rashida Coleman-Hale for Cotton+Steel.
CUTTING OUT
1 Using the template as a guide, cut the fabric pieces for each section of the FPP template, making sure the pieces will be at least ¼in larger than the section they will cover, all the way around.
FOUNDATION PAPER PIECING
2 Foundation Paper Piece the tea cosy front as follows. Place the fabric piece for Section 1 right side up on the unprinted side of the template against the section. Ensure that the fabric covers the whole section, plus at least ¼in all around. Pin in place.
3 Place the Section 2 fabric piece right side down on top of the Section 1 piece, matching up raw edges on the side where Sections 1 and 2 will be joined and making sure that when folded back along the seam line, Section 2 will be covered by the fabric plus at least ¼in all around. Pin in place.
4 Turn the template over to the printed side and stitch along the marked line between Sections 1 and 2, backstitching at the beginning and end of the seam.
Fold the template away from the seam and trim to ¼in. Fold the template back, turn the work to the fabric side, flip Section 2 open and then press.
5 Continue working in this way to piece Sections 1–10 on the FPP template, in numerical order to make one block. Trim along the outer dotted seam allowance line. Remove the paper templates from the back, tearing along the seam lines.
ASSEMBLING THE TEA COSY
6 Following the manufacturer’s instructions, fuse one piece of batting to the wrong side of the pieced tea cosy front. Fuse the second piece of batting to the 12½in x 9½in back piece.
7 If you wish to add appliqué or embroidered details, do so now. To add appliqué details, trace the shape on the paper side of a scrap of fusible web. Fuse to the wrong side of a piece of felt.
8 Cut on the drawn line and carefully fuse in place onto your fabric. Machine stitch around the outer edge. Susi appliquéd cream and a strawberry with small scraps of felt.
9 Use the red lines on the second copy of the template to cut curves along the top corners of both the front and back pieces (Fig A). Also cut curves for the two lining pieces.
10 Take your 2½in x 6in piece of tab fabric and fold in half lengthwise. Press. Unfold, then fold both long edges towards the centre crease, fold in half and press again to enclose the raw edges. Topstitch close to both long edges and fold in half to make a loop. Pin to the middle of the top edge of the FPP cosy front. Baste in place to secure (Fig B).
11
Place the cosy back RST with the FPP cosy front. Pin around the side and top edges and sew around the edges. Leave the bottom open. Clip the corners, and turn right side out. Repeat with the two lining pieces, leaving the wrong sides facing out (Fig C).
12
Insert the lining into the tea cosy, wrong sides together. Align the raw edges and baste together. Pin or clip your binding around the bottom and stitch around the edge (Fig D). Fold over to the inside and stitch in place to finish.