Make a bunny cushion

1. Cut blue striped fabric, 26.5cm x 33.5cm, and cream script fabric, 10cm x 33.5cm. Stitch together right sides facing with a 1cm seam allowance, making sure the stripes run vertically. Iron the seam flat on the reverse.

2. Cut green fabric, 33.5cm x 5cm, and snip ‘V’ shapes out of the left-hand side to resemble grass. Use an acid-free glue stick to securely adhere it to the cushion front so that the bottom edge sits level with the seam between the striped and script fabrics. Make sure that all the pieces of grass are well stuck down as this will prevent frayin Use a dark green machine thread to stitch around the points. Iron on the reverse. Machine stitch a length of cotton lace across the join.

3. Using the template provided at www.sewmag.co.uk, cut the rabbit out of fawn fabric and secure in place with a glue stick, add a tail and inner ear piece from cream fabric and an eye in darker brown. Stitch the rabbit details in dark brown. You may need to work over it twice so that it stands out. Iron on the reverse.

4. Cut two roses from floral fabric and place as shown. Add several leaves and three more pink flowers; secure all with a glue stick. Use dark green and dark pink thread to add detail. Iron on the reverse. Hand stitch two yellow buttons among the leaves and add a pearl button on the rabbit’s tail. Set aside.

5. Create an envelope back panel. Using the blue striped fabric, cut three pieces; 28cm x 33.5cm, 19cm x 33.5cm and 9cm x 33.5cm. Pin the two smaller pieces right sides together and trap both ends of a small length of ribbon 14cm long in the middle to form a loop. Stitch across, then turn it over so the wrong sides are together and iron across the seam. Make a small hem along the top end of the remaining piece of striped fabric and iron flat.

6. Place the front of the cushion right side up, lay the back piece with the ribbon loop onto it wrong side up at the top, then place the final back piece on top of that, also wrong side up. Pin together. Stitch all the way around 5mm in from the edge. Trim the excess fabric across the corners and turn right side out. Iron all the edges. To make the border, machine stitch a line 2cm in from the edge all the way around the cushion to finish. Add a button to secure the loop at the back, then insert a cushion pad.

Create a bird picture

1. Using the templates provided at www.sewmag.co.uk, cut out the bird from blue patterned fabric with a coordinating wing, nine leaves from two shades of green fabric, two large roses from floral fabric, neutral spotted fabric, 10cm x 14cm, vintage script fabric 13cm x 15cm, and a circular postal mark from the same fabric. Set aside.

2. Cut plain cream fabric to 34cm x 29cm, allowing for a border all the way around (for stretching and framing later). Stitch the neutral spotted and the vintage script fabric pieces across the bottom as shown, one should be placed slightly higher than the other and they can be stitched randomly more than once to add interest in a dark brown thread. Sew the round postal mark near where the two fabrics meet.

3. For the main branch, cut brown fabric 7cm x 25cm and trim so that you have three branches. Secure with an acid-free glue stick near the top of the patterned fabrics. Cut out one smaller branch and secure as shown.

4. Secure the blue bird and the wing. Cut a small triangle from yellow fabric and slip the edge just under the bird’s head. Stitch down and add detail with dark blue thread, remembering to add stitched feathers to the wing.

5. Arrange the nine leaves as shown and stitch in contrasting thread. Using your frame as a guide, decide where you need to place the two roses with leaves so that they will sit with two edges tucked under the frame. Stick down and stitch with contrasting thread. Iron on the reverse.

6. To frame, cut thick card to fit into the aperture. Once this is placed, add light wadding on top, followed by the finished picture. Use masking tape to fasten the edges onto the back of the card, pulling the fabric taut.