Applique Throw

Flower Power

Add a dash of bright spring colours to a plain throw using simple appliqué techniques

A mixture of patterned and plain fabrics has been used to adorn this soft cream-coloured lambs’ wool throw. When choosing your fabrics, spend time selecting ones that work well together.

We have added an assortment of buttons to the flower centres to give the throw a charming homespun look

You will need

• 4.5m x 50cm (5yd x 20in) bonding web pencil
• scissors
• 60 x 150cm (23 x 60in)each of plain light green linen fabric, grey/green floral cotton fabric, and pink floral cotton fabric
• 50 x 70cm (20 x 27½in) each of pale pink cotton fabric and green polka dot fabric
• iron
• 140 x 190cm (55 x 75in) plain cream woollen or fleece throw
• pins
• sewing machine
• cream, olive green, dark grey, and pink sewing threads
• 30 assorted medium-size buttons in grey, cream, red, and green
• sewing needle

Method:

1) Start by downloading the petal template and the flower template. Use the templates to cut 15 plain light green base circles, 15 smaller flowers in grey/green floral, 15 outer circles for them in pale pink and 15 smaller inner circles for them in green polka dot. Then cut 15 larger flowers in pink floral, 15 outer circles for them in green polka dot and 15 smaller inner circles for them in pale pink.

2) Peel away the backing paper of the bonding web and arrange a row of five alternating green circles and pink floral print flowers across the top of the throw, starting with a green circle. Pin them in position. Then arrange the second row, starting with a pink floral print flower. Iron them in position. Repeat these two rows twice more. 3) Sew around the edges of the green circles and pink floral print flowers in straight stitch. Peel away the backing paper on the grey/green flowers and iron them on to the green circles then stitch around these. When sewing all the appliqués, keep cream thread in the bobbin and match the top threads to your fabrics. 4) Apply the two centre circles to each flower. Stitch around the pink circles in pink sewing thread and the green polka dot circles in olive green thread, remembering to keep cream thread in the bobbin throughout. 5) To finish, sew a button to each of the flower centres. Once you’ve finished your creation, we’d love to see it on facebook.com/candisfan This project is taken from Craft, published by Dorling Kindersley, £25