YOUR WEEKEND ...AT HOME

From smart shopping to mastering a new craft – how to turn your house into a beautiful home

YOU WILL NEED

Paper and pencil Scissors or a craft knife Pins Felt. I used 100% wool felt 3mm (¹/ 8in) thick, but any type can be used. Try John Lewis or Hobbycraft or you can buy pre-cut felt shapes at www.bloomingfelt.co.uk, £8 for a pack of 30 Cutting mat Sewing machine Invisible thread Steel hole puncher Hammer

1. If you’re making your own shapes, sketch out on paper the designs you want for the garland. Cut them out and you now have your templates. You can have as many different shapes and colours as you like in your garland but large, simple shapes work best visually. Flowers, butterflies and leaves, for example, are easy to both draw and cut out.

2. Pin your templates onto the felt and cut out as many shapes as you like. The garland I made was 2.5m (8ft 2in) long, but you can make yours any length you wish.

3. Machine- stitch across the middle of the first shape from side to side, then feed the second shape in as close as possible to the first one and keep stitching. You don’t want the shapes to overlap, but neither do you want any gaps between them, so take your time to get this step right. Repeat with the rest of the shapes until your garland is complete.

If you’ve decided to hang your felt garland vertically, carefully punch a hole in one of the end shapes, thread some ribbon through it to make a loop and hang it up. To hang it horizontally, punch a hole at either end of the garland, tie a piece of ribbon through each of the holes and hang it up. You can also drape it over some tacks along your wall, as I’ve done here. Adapted from Kirstie’s Vintage Home by Kirstie Allsopp, published by Hodder & Stoughton, £20. Text and photography © RTRP 2012. To order a copy for £16.99 (p&p free), tel: 0844 472 4157

The shapes should be sewn closely together