Stitch a cat

1. Trace the template. Use to cut one pair of side faces, one back head on the fold, two pairs of hands, one pair of tail tips, and two pairs of feet from white patterned fabric. Cut one centre face on the fold and two pairs of ears from pale pink patterned fabric. Snip two bodies on the fold, two pairs of arms, one pair of tails and two leggings on the fold from mid-pink patterned fabric.

2. Trace the cheek twice onto the paper backing of fusible webbing. Press to the wrong side of plain mid-pink fabric. Cut out the cheeks, then peel off the backing papers. Press to the right side of the side faces, referring to the template. Trace the eyes and mouth onto the side faces with a sharp pencil and mark the end of the whiskers with a dot. Using two strands of mid-pink embroidery thread, overstitch the edges of the cheeks to the face. Embroider the eyes in satin stitch and the whiskers with straight stitch between the dots using two strands of navy embroidery thread.

3. Pin and stitch the centre face to one side face A-B, matching the notches. Snip the curves and press the seam open. Sew to the other side face A-B-C. Snip the curves and press open. Embroider the nose on the centre face in satin stitch and the mouth and line between the nose and mouth in stem stitch.

4. Stitch the ears together in pairs along the notched edges, clip the corners and snip the curves. Turn right side out and press flat. Pin and tack to the face, matching the dots at point D. Fold the back head in half and stitch the darts. Press to one side. Pin and stitch the face to the back head E-D-D-E. Snip the curves and finger press the seam open. Turn the head right side out.

5. Pin the bodies together and stitch the side seams E-F, then press the seams open.Turn the body right side out. Sew the hands to the arms and tail tip to the tail, matching notches. Press the seam open. Pin the arms and hands, and the tails and tail tips together in pairs, matching seams. Stitch the outer edges,leaving the short upper open edges. Pin the upper edges together. Tack the arms to the body, matching the dots to E.

6. Cut a 4cm x 30cm rectangle for the ruff and a 9cm x 40cm rectangle for the tutu from navy patterned fabric. Stitch the short edges of the ruff and tutu together, to form two rings. Press the seams open. Fold the ruff and tutu lengthwise in half with wrong sides facing. Divide the raw edges into quarters and mark the divisions with a pin. Sew the raw edges together with a long gathering stitch. Pin the ruff to the right side of the body, matching the pins to C and E and the tutu to the lower edge, matching the pins to F and G. Pull up the gathers to fit and tack in place. Tack the upper edge of the tail to G on top of the tutu on one body. Stitch the back body F-G-F.

7. Turn the body wrong side out. Slip the head into the body and pin the neck edges together, matching the face to the front body. Use a double length of sewing thread to back stitch the neck. Stitch the feet to the leggings H-I and press the seams open. Pin the leggings and feet together, matching seams. Stitch F-H-I-I-H-F. Snip the curves and finger press the seams open. Pin the leggings to the body and stitch the front F-G-F. Turn the cat right side out. Adjust the neck seam allowance toward the head. Stuff the cat evenly then slipstitch the gap closed.

Sew a sleeping bag

1. Cut two 21cm x 23cm rectangles from patterned fabric and one from lightweight wadding for the front. For the back, cut two 21cm x 34cm rectangles of printed material and one of lightweight wadding. Use a sharp pencil and a ruler to draw a line along the centre parallel with the long side edges on one fabric front and back. Draw two parallel lines 4cm apart either side of the centre line. Pin the wadding between the fronts and backs, with right sides facing out. Sew along the drawn lines to quilt the fabrics.

2. Place the rim of a cup or mug on one lower corner of the front, draw around the curve.Repeat on the other lower corner and all corners of the back. Tack just inside the outer edges and curves. Cut along the curved lines.

3. Open out one edge of 1.8cm wide navy bias binding and pin to the upper edge of the front. Cut off the excess. Sew along the foldline. Turn the binding over the raw edges and pin to the underside. Slipstitch the pressed edge along the seam. With right sides facing up, pin the front to the back, matching the raw edges. Open out one edge of the bias binding and press under one end. Starting at the pressed end, pin the binding to the top of the sleeping bag and stitch along the foldline all the way round. Turn the binding over the raw edges and pin to the underside. Slipstitch the pressed edge along the seam.