Give your interiors a colourful update with Amanda Walker’s delightful accessories

What you need...

• 10 count plastic canvas
  
• Tapestry wool: pink, yellow, orange, turquoise, white Size 20 blunt end embroidery needle
  
• Printed fabric
  
• Ribbon
  
• Fine beading wire
  
• Sewing machine and matching thread

instructions

1. Planter - 1. From the plastic canvas, cut a rectangle measuring 21 squares wide and 94 squares long, making sure that the edges are smooth and free from any sharp points. The chart is designed to fit around a small tin but can be adjusted to fit your plant. The pattern is repeated along the rectangle six times.
   
   2. Using the chart provided on the pattern pages, start stitching. Leave the first vertical row of holes empty, and there will be three empty rows at the end of the rectangle after the embroidery is complete. These will be used to connect the two ends together. Start by stitching the turquoise zig zag line first as then the other colours will be easier to fill in.
   
   3. Overlap the empty holes at the beginning of the work over the three empty rows at the end. Thread your needle with yarn and stitch through both layers to connect the two ends together. At the top, reverse the direction of your stitches to fill in the empty holes. Secure the end of the yarn firmly. Thread your needle with pink yarn, then over sew all the way around the top and base of the planter to complete.

2. Bookmark - 1. From the plastic canvas, cut a strip measuring 17 squares wide and 121 long. The bargello pattern is embroidered in three different coloured yarns and the colour combination is repeated up to the top of the strip. The pattern is made from vertical stitches worked over four holes in the canvas.
   
   2. Using the chart provided on the pattern pages, count up from the base of the plastic canvas strip to the top of the first stitch. Thread your needle with the yarn and pass it up from the back of the plastic strip leaving a tail of yarn, approximately 3cm long. Hold onto this tail while you pass the needle through to the back, four holes down from the entry point. Make another stitch next to the first, then follow the stitch sequence from the chart to create the first row.
   
   3. The tail of thread will be secured by the stitches made in the first row. At the end of the row, pass the needle through the back of the stitches and snip off the excess to secure the end of the yarn. The next two rows use different coloured yarn, but are stitched in the exact same way. Repeat this sequence nine more time to fill the strip.
   
   4. At the top edge, fill the space with the same sequence of colours, but cut the pattern off to create a flat edge. At the base of the bookmark, trim off the excess plastic canvas following the shape of the pattern. Cut 17, 15cm lengths of yarn, then pass a looped length of beading wire through the first hole at the beginning of the pointed end of the bookmark. Thread a looped piece of yarn through the loop of the wire, then pull the yarn through the hole.
   
   5. Remove the wire, then pass the end of the yarn through the loop before pulling tight to create a knot. Repeat the process until all 17 holes are filled with yarn, creating a fringe. Trim the ends to make a neat, straight edge. Thread your needle and over sew into all the remaining outer empty holes around the remaining three edges of the bookmark to complete.
   

3. Glasses Case - 1. To make the button for the case, cut a square of plastic canvas measuring 11 squares by 11 squares. Follow the chart provided to create the pattern, which is stitches in different directions to create a chevron. Over sew the edges of the square to complete.
   
   2. For the case, cut a strip of patterned fabric measuring 20cm x 35cm. Fold the fabric in half lengthways with the right side facing. Stitch around the edge, with a 1cm seam allowance, leaving a 3cm gap in the long edge of the stitching line. Trim the corners, then turn the piece to the right side through the gap.
   
   3. Tease out the corners and press flat. Fold up 12cm and press flat to form a pocket. Cut a 12cm length of ribbon and position this between the two layers, 2cm down from the open edge of the pocket. Pin in place, then stitch the outer edge together sandwiching the ends of the ribbon into the stitching line.
   
   4. Continue to edge stitch all the way around the base and flap. Stitch the button to the right side of the flap, positioned in a diamond shape with half of it extending over the edge of the flap. The flap can be closed over the case and the button put under the ribbon to secure the case closed.