Create an embroidered picture

A hand-sewn picture makes a wonderful new-home present

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You will need:

● selection of cotton fabrics, plain, checked, tea-dyed or undyed
● Bondaweb
● small, sharp scissors
● fade-away quilting pen
● Anchor embroidery thread (gold 890, dusky pink 894, dark green 1041, copper 0339)
● embroidery needle
● 18cm x 24cm frame with removable backboard

How to make

Cut a 24cm x 30cm piece of plain fabric for the background. Enlarge the template (left) by 300 per cent on a photocopier.

Trace the shapes of the wall, roof and door onto different fabrics with a 5mm seam allowance around each shape, and then cut out. Apply Bondaweb to the wrong side of the small pieces of fabric for the windows, chimney and heart. Trace these shapes onto Bondaweb and cut out.

Press a 5mm seam allowance onto the wrong side of the house, roof and door shapes, position on the background fabric and then stitch around each shape.

Using two strands of embroidery thread and straight stitches, work the flowers in gold and pink, and the stems in dark green.

Draw the letters onto the background fabric with the fade-away pen. Embroider the letters in small stitches using two strands of copper embroidery thread. Remove the Bondaweb backing paper from the remaining shapes. Position the shapes on the picture and press.

How to frame a picture

Press the finished picture on the wrong side of another piece of fabric. Remove the backing board from the frame and lay it in the centre of the wrong side of the work.

Fold the sides over the board, keeping the fabric taut, and hold in place with pins at the edge. Check that the design is centred. Using thread, lace from one edge to the other. Repeat for the top and bottom edges, keeping the fabric taut. Remove the pins, insert the work in the frame and secure.

Feature: Rosy Tucker. Photos: Adrian Briscoe. Illustrations: Terry Evans