Keep your sewing and embroidery needles together in this fabric book decorated with a traditional rose embroidery design.
You will need
• rose-print fabric for cover
• white cotton voile for pages
• templates
• dressmaker’s carbon paper
• ruler and pencil
• stranded embroidery thread in three shades of pink and a soft green
• embroidery needle
• embroidery hoop
• embroidery scissors
Note
When you have finished working the embroidery, carefully wash the dress-maker’s carbon out of the fabric and leave to dry. Place the embroidery between two pieces of cloth and then gently press on the wrong side, making sure you do not flatten the stitches.
To make
1 Using the pencil and ruler, mark out pages on the white voile fabric, each 20 x 12cm. You will need three or four pages for the book. Mark the centre of each page so it will measure 10cm across the width. Do not cut out. Mark one piece of rose-print fabric 22 x 14cm and cut out. Fold in half and press to form the book cover.
2 Trace the templates; each rose is a variation of the main design. Work a large rose on one page, medium roses grouped to form a ‘granny print‘ effect on another page and, to finish off, a tiny rose can be worked for the page turner on the bottom of each plain page. Transfer the templates onto the fabric using the carbon paper and a pencil.
3 Place the embroidery hoop in the required area and tighten so the fabric is taut. Working in satin stitch for each petal and working from the centre of the rose outwards, embroider the flowers working with two strands of thread. The centre of the flower is worked in the darkest pink; as you work outwards, change to a lighter shade so the lightest shade is worked for the outer petals. Ensure all the stitches lie next to each other neatly.
4 Work the leaves in the same way using the green thread. Join the flower and leaves together with a 2mm-long back stitch.
5 Secure the threads at the back of the work when completed and cut away excess threads. Cut out each double page. Place the pages on top of each other to form layers, right sides upwards. If necessary, trim so they are all the same size.
6 Place the cover wrong side upper-most and position the pages on top. Working in a double running stitch in light pink and green, sew the pages to the cover down the centre line. Work one colour at a time and keep the stitches 5mm in length. Catch all the pages into the stitching.
7 Fray the edges of the cover for about 5mm. Fold in half and press.
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