Sew a handy doorstop

1. Cut a 9cm x 27cm piece of linen and 12.5cm x 27cm of floral print. Using a 1cm seam allowance and with right sides facing, stitch together down the longest sides. Iron the seam open. On the front, topstitch near the pressed seam using beige thread.

2. Download and print the templates. Trace a cat outline onto orange fabric, back with webbing and place so it covers part of the join. Add a face cut from linen and contrasting yellow ear inserts. Using a deep purple thread, stitch around the body twice. Sew the linen face using beige thread and details in purple.

3. To sew the phrase, ‘the cat’s whiskers’ write it onto tissue paper, pin in place and machine or hand stitch before tearing the paper away. Iron on the reverse. Cut two 10cm x 27cm side panels in a coordinating grey print and stitch one to each side of the front panel. Sew a scallop pattern in grey thread down the right side of the linen section. Iron the seams open.

4. Cut a 19.5cm x 27cm piece of backing fabric to match the size of the front panel. Stitch to one of the sides. Iron all seams open on the reverse and topstitch next to the seams in grey thread. Cut a 10cm x 19.5cm top and bottom in grey print and a 10cm x 26cm handle from yellow fabric.

5. Back the yellow handle fabric with webbing, fold each long side over by 5mm and iron to make a sharp crease. Making sure the sides are still folded over, fold the handle in half lengthways wrong sides facing and stitch close to both edges and down the middle of the handle. Iron each end over by 1.5cm. Pin centrally onto the top panel of the doorstop so the folds of the handle ends are 2cm from the edge.

6. Use yellow thread to stitch a rectangle at both ends, then sew diagonally across. To give the handle shape, push down and make two equal folds near the ends and topstitch so it keeps its shape. To stitch the doorstop together, start by sewing the top onto the front right sides together, then work your way round by pinning each side one at a time to the top and stitching together. Repeat for the back and topstitch the seams in grey.

Make a hanging poket

1. Cut a 16.5cm x 20cm piece of linen. Then, cut 6cm x 16.5cm of ditzy yellow and two flowers from large print fabric. Download and print the templates. Cut out a cat from orange print and back with webbing. Lay the yellow fabric onto the linen with bottom edges matching and slip the bottom edge of the cat underneath to the right. Zig zag stitch across the top of the yellow print. Stitch around the cat in purple thread. Add a face from linen and ear inners from scraps of floral fabric. Embroider features in purple thread.

2. Add the phrase ‘cat among the flowers’ as detailed in step 3 of the doorstop. Place two flowers and stitch the central part with purple thread, grey on the petals and add a green stem. Iron on the reverse. Trim the piece to 15.5cm x 18cm. Cut a 14cm x 15cm back pocket, iron the sides and bottom edges over by 1cm and the top edge over twice. Stitch across the top and press.

3. Cut a 21.5cm x 23.5cm back from grey print fabric and pin the pocket centrally on the right side. Stitch around the sides and across the bottom. Iron on the reverse. Cut out wadding the same size as the front. Lay the back wrong side up, then the wadding in the middle and the front right side up. Pin together.

4. Starting in the middle at the bottom, turn up the backing so the raw edge meets the wadding, then fold over again onto the front, pinning as you go and mitre the corners. At the top in the middle, trap one end of ribbon under the border. Secure the other end onto the top of the back pocket and cover with a button to hide the join.