Creating art with embroidery hoops is all the rage, so get on board with this fab tutorial

What you need...

• Embroidery hoops: 10cm; 15cm; 18cm
  
• Fabric: Laura Ashley, Chiltern Natural; Wallace Natural/Multi; spotty, orange; plain, white
  
• Thread: DMC Desire Memory, pink, orange, turquoise; sewing
  
• Fusible webbing
  
• Wire, fine
  
• Needle and thread
  
• Sewing machine
  
• Glue gun

instructions

1. Cut fabric 5cm larger than an 18cm embroidery hoop. Place the inner part of the hoop underneath the fabric and clip the outer part over it, stretching the fabric taught. Tighten the adjustment screw to prevent the fabric from slackening.

2. Thread a needle with strong cotton and tie a knot at the end. Make a running stitch around the edge of the excess fabric, close to the wooden hoop. Pull the thread tight to gather the extra fabric and knot securely, then trim away.

3. Next, cut fusible webbing to the same size as a scrap of Chiltern Natural fabric. Place the webbing onto the wrong side of the fabric, with the paper backing uppermost, then press with a hot iron. Cut out two large leaves, peel off the backing, turn them over, then position onto white fabric.

4. Cut wire to the same length as a leaf and lay this along the spine, between the two layers of fabric. Press the leaf to the white fabric, then cut around the edge of the leaf again. Thread your sewing machine with orange and embroider the skeleton pattern. Trim the loose threads, then mould the leaf into a wave. Repeat for the other leaf.

5. Trace around one of the small flowers in the fabric design and use this as a template. Cut a strip of fusible webbing and iron onto the back of a strip of orange spotty fabric. Use the template to draw five flowers, centring them over a white dot. Peel off the paper backing.

6. Iron two flowers directly onto the prepared hoop. Place the three remaining flowers onto white fabric and position a length of orange memory thread between each of them and the white fabric. Press, then cut around each one. Stagger the lengths of the flower stems, then plait the ends together and wind to secure. Next, cut three different coloured oval shapes from Wallace Natural/Multi fabric, then layer with a wire stem and embroider as before.

7. Pass a short length of memory thread through the holes in a button, winding the ends together to fasten. Make a double loop out of pink and turquoise memory thread. Using our image as a guide, adhere everything in place using a glue gun. Make two smaller embroidery hoops, but with less decorations to complete.