MaKing the tag

back stitch, straight stitch. The outline of the tag is transferred centrally onto the linen square with a heat-erasable pen, using the template as a guide. The tree and star outlines are added and the chosen name written along the dotted line. The square fabric is mounted in the embroidery hoop.

A 40cm strand of thread is cut and four strands drawn out. These are smoothed together and threaded through the needle. Four strands of thread are used throughout for the embroidery. The tree is worked in short back stitches, using green for the outline and red for the trunk. Ten small straight stitches create the star.

Each letter of the name is embroidered in red back stitch. Once finished, the linen is taken out of the hoop and trimmed back to 1cm all round the outline and the margin pressed to the wrong side. Two label shapes are cut out from the interfacing using the template as a guide. The pressed turnings are opened out and one piece of interfacing is placed, adhesive side down, on the back of the label. The turnings are refolded and lightly pressed. Starting at centre left, the ricrac is hand-stitched to the folded edge, so a row of semicircles peeps out all the way round.

The second piece of interfacing is pressed to the remaining linen rectangle which is trimmed so there is a 1cm margin all round the label shape. The margin is then pressed back. This piece is pinned to the back of the label, interfacing sides facing. The two are hand-stitched together.

The ribbon is folded in half and the ends trimmed. The fold is hand-stitched to the point marked with a cross on the template, and the button sewn over it, using red thread. It is then used to tie the tag to the wrapped gift.