MAKE of the month
Stitch our Ellie Elephant design to create a colourful needlecase for your workbox…
Designed by: Susan Penny Stitch count: 39 high x 32 wide Design size: 7x6cm (2¾x2¼in) Stitch time: 8 hours
This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric.
Make an… elephant needlecase Step 1
STITCH the design onto the centre of 7x7cm (2¾x 2¾in) white 14 count aida. Use two strands for the cross stitch and one for the decorative backstitch, worked in one strand on top of the cross stitch. Trim once finished, leaving two blank aida squares at the sides and bottom, but leaving the top edge uncut.
Step 2
USE the template to cut two elephant shapes from two 16x10.5cm (6⅓x4¼in) pieces of beige felt. Place the stitched flap on top of one shape and mark the eye position with a pin. With one strand of black stranded cotton, make a few long stitches to create an eye shape – we made four stitches, with the outer two stitches shorter than the middle two, creating an oval shape. Make two small stitches from the outer corner of the eye to create lashes.
Step 3
MAKE a small pom-pom using any leftover stranded cotton. You will need to wrap lengths of stranded cotton around the prongs of a fork to create a tight bundle covering about 2cm ( ⁄ in) of the prongs. While holding the bundle firmly onto the fork, wrap a length of stranded cotton around the middle, going between the prongs to get to the centre position. Tie firmly into a knot, then slip the bundle o the fork. Using sharp scissors, cut around the edge of the bundle to create a pom-pom. Give the pom-pom a trim to create a neat finish. Make a plaited cord and attach the pom-pom to one end.
Step 4
PLACE the two felt elephant shapes together, with the embroidered eye on the outside. Catch stitch the end of the tail to the inside of the felt, and slip the unstitched top of the aida between the felt layers – refer to the picture for the correct position. Pin the layers together.
Step 5
OPEN up the aida flap, and then with one strand of the brown stranded cotton, buttonhole stitch around the edge of the elephant, joining the layers together and catching the aida and the plaited tail firmly in the seam.
Step 6
USE three strands of pink stranded cotton to make long stitches in blocks of three for the elephant’s toes. Lift the flap and attach the pins to the felt under the flap.