TAP INTO A BUDDING TALENT

The delicate beauty of an early summer country garden inspires these pretty makes

Pretty craft projects inspired by summer blooms

CREATIVE CUSHIONS

Decorate plain cushion covers with simple petal shapes cut from pretty fabrics. Delicate floral prints inspired by vintage designs work well. Draw out oval shapes to the desired size on the back of the fabric (make a template from card first if you wish for them all to be the same), adding 1-2cm hem allowance around each petal. Turn over the hems and press. Position the petals on the cushion in a circle to resemble a flower head, or scattered more randomly to mimic petals being blown by the breeze. Pin each petal to the cover, remove the inner pad and hand or machine sew to secure in place.

WHITE LINEN cushion cover, £19.99, H&M HOME. PETALS MADE FROM CHARLOTTE linen IN RASPBERRY, £75/M, CABBAGES & ROSES. STRAW basket, FROM A SELECTION, SUMMERILL & BISHOP. STRAW hat, FROM A SELECTION;

foxglove, £9.50: BOTH PETERSHAM NURSERIES

GIFTS FROM THE GARDEN

These are made from leftover wallpaper and finished with a coordinating gift tag and ribbon handle. Use designs in gentle hues and make in a size just large enough to contain a small jam jar filled with a posy of home-grown flowers to give to others. Use an existing gift bag as a template, undo the sides and draw out the shape on a length of wallpaper. With special craft scissors, cut a scallop edge across the top of the bag before folding the sides and bottom to match the original bag. Secure in place using double-sided tape. For the handles, make two holes at the same place on the back and front of the bag (you may need to reinforce the paper here with tape or extra card placed over the areas where you will make the holes). Loop a length of ribbon or ric rac through, leaving enough at the top to create a handle. Cut small rectangles of coordinating paper and punch a hole at the top to thread onto the ric rac as a matching tag.

OPPOSITE AND ABOVE RIGHT LARGE BAG MADE FROM PRETTY MAIDS wallpaper IN DUSKY PINK/WINTER, £59/M, VANESSA ARBUTHNOTT. MEDIUM BAG MADE FROM FEUILLE wallpaper, £109/ROLL; SMALL BAG MADE FROM ROSSLYN wallpaper, £131/ROLL: BOTH FARROW & BALL. Ric rac BY EAST OF INDIA, £2/5M, SEW AND MAKE. WOODEN seedlings box, £12, NUTSCENE. DARK GREEN stem vase, £9; PURPLE stem vase, £9; PALE GREEN stem vase, £12; jute ribbon ON METAL SPOOL, £10; PORCELAIN cylinder (IN BACKGROUND), FROM A SELECTION: ALL PETERSHAM NURSERIES. Scissors, SIMILAR FROM BAILEYS HOME

RIGHT OPT FOR A PALETTE OF PINKS AND PURPLES MIXED WITH FRESH GREEN FROM FAVOURITE FLOWERS AND FOLIAGE SUCH AS STOCKS, HYDRANGEAS, ROSES, GUELDER ROSES, DILL, BELLS OF IRELAND, FOXGLOVES, ASTRANTIA AND WAX FLOWERS

SCENTS OF SUMMER

Use dried rose petals or lavender buds as a filling for a flower-shaped fabric pouch that can be hung in a laundry cupboard or from door handles for a sweet smell of summer all over the house.

Cut two circles of fabric to the same size. With right sides facing, sew together around the edge, leaving a 4-5cm opening. Turn the right side out and press with a warm iron. Stuff with kapok mixed with dried rose petals or lavender until plump. Fold the raw edge of the opening inside and hand-stitch it closed. Take a long length of ribbon – wrap it loosely round the cushion about five times to get a rough idea of the length needed to create the petals and enough for hanging – and thread onto a needle. Knot at the end and pierce through the centre of the stuffed ‘cushion’, then over-sew around the edges to form the petals, pulling the ribbon tight each time to pinch in at the sides and ensure a defined tuck between each ‘petal’. Secure the ribbon by sewing through the centre a couple of times and use the remaining length to create a loop for hanging. Cut out a small flower from felt and sew to the centre.

ABOVE LEFT HANGING FLOWER MADE FROM TULIPS AND ROSES MULTI linen, £75/M; FLOWER ON STOOL MADE FROM ALDERNEY NATURAL/RASPBERRY linen, £75/M: BOTH CABBAGES & ROSES. PINK felt AND WHITE ribbon, BOTH FROM A SELECTION, JOHN LEWIS & PARTNERS. VINTAGE STOOL AND CUPBOARD PAINTED IN ALL WHITE ESTATE eggshell, £67/2.5L, FARROW & BALL. Planter, £7.50; rose plant, £9.50; metal dish (JUST SEEN), £3.50:

ALL PETERSHAM NURSERIES

LEFT Linens, felt AND ribbon, AS BEFORE. GOLD GLASS-HEADED pins AND NEEDLEWORK scissors, BOTH FROM A SELECTION, JOHN LEWIS & PARTNERS. MEDIUM metal dish, £5; SMALL metal dish, £3.50: BOTH PETERSHAM NURSERIES. DRIED rose petals, £4.99/100G, HATTON HILL ORGANIC. VINTAGE IMPERIAL embroidery box AND cotton spool, BOTH FROM A SELECTION,

THE CLOTH SHOP

DINE OUTDOORS

Perfect for picnics and summer suppers in the garden, these easy-to-craft paper placemats and coasters make the most of wallpaper offcuts. Keep the motifs light and summery, selecting designs with a floral or botanical theme.

Draw rectangular shapes onto the wallpaper or use an upturned plate or saucer for circles and carefully cut out. Use a hole-punch to create a neat border to thread ribbon or raffia through.

TABLECLOTH MADE FROM WASHED linen IN NATURAL, £38/M, THE CLOTH SHOP. LARGE METAL tray, £27.50; FOUR-PIECE FIDDLE VINTAGE cutlery sets, £21.50 EACH; RUSTIC METAL plates, £10 EACH; PORCELAIN

vase, FROM A SELECTION: ALL PETERSHAM NURSERIES. PLACEMATS AND COASTERS MADE FROM HENCROFT PINK PRIMULA wallpaper, £97/ROLL, LITTLE GREENE. Ribbon, FROM A SELECTION, VV ROULEAUX. RECYCLED GLASS tumbler, FROM A SELECTION, BAILEYS HOME

ART OF GLASS

You don’t need to be especially artistic to create simple, abstract watercolour artworks to decorate your home. Invest in a mixed pack of brushes to experiment with different brushstrokes: sweeping paddle strokes can be made to represent flower stems and sponge brushes used to dab onto paper to recreate petals. Experiment, mixing colours together. Leave to dry and display in groups along the edge of a mantelpiece, or use to wrap around the outside of a glass jar.

GLASS jars, FROM A SELECTION, PALE & INTERESTING. ITALIAN CREAM pot (WITH BRUSHES IN), £5; SHALLOW PORCELAIN dish AND string (IN BASKET), BOTH FROM A SELECTION: ALL PETERSHAM NURSERIES. MIXED MEDIA brushes, £15 (PACK OF 50 ASSORTED), HOBBYCRAFT. SMALL WOVEN basket, £12, ROWEN & WREN

CLEVER COVER-UPS

Discs of fabric, lengths of ribbon and a little elastic are all you need to create these practical, re-useable bowl covers. Make a set of different sizes in coordinating fabrics that showcase bold, graphic floral shapes or abstract stripes.

Cut a circle of fabric, 6cm in diameter larger than the top of the bowl. Turn up ½ cm and sew all round to create a hem. Pin and sew a length of coordinating ribbon or bias binding to the outside edge, sewing along the middle of the ribbon. Double up a length of shirring elastic through a needle and sew a simple running stitch behind the ribbon/bias binding, so it’s not seen (you’ll be able to gently pull back the top edge of the ribbon, above where it’s stitched along the middle). Pull the elastic tight enough to enable the cover to fit over the bowl and sit snugly in place but allowing for it to be pulled on and off again. Stitch securely in place.

ABOVE RIGHT TABLECLOTH MADE FROM WASHED linen, AS BEFORE. PUDDING basins, FROM £4.50 EACH, DIVERTIMENTI. BACK AND MIDDLE COVERS MADE FROM BALTIC STRIPE linen IN CLAY/SWEET PEA, £72/M; FRONT COVER MADE FROM PIE IN THE SKY linen/cotton mix

IN OLIVE/SEA PINK, £57/M: BOTH VANESSA ARBUTHNOTT. STRIPE ribbon, FROM A SELECTION, VV ROULEAUX. ZINC LIDDED pot, FROM A SELECTION, VINTAGE FAIR. APOTHECARY jar (USED AS A VASE), £29.90 (SET OF THREE), PALE & INTERESTING. VINTAGE ITALIAN CREAM pot, £5, PETERSHAM NURSERIES. Chopping board, napkin AND spoon,

ALL FROM A SELECTION, BAILEYS HOME

RIGHT Fabrics AND ribbon, ALL AS BEFORE. SHIRRING elastic, £2.20, HOBBYCRAFT. BOX OF DRESSMAKING pins, £4.50, MERCHANT & MILLS. RUSTIC METAL saucer, £10, PETERSHAM NURSERIES