Brighten up a new home with a wonderful set of handstitched accessories and stationery items

What you need...

• Fabric, embroidery, cream
  Threads: red, pink, green, blue
  Embroidery hoop
  Frame, triple
  Card
  Paper, patterned, red
  Notebook
  Glue stick
  Tape, double-sided

instructions

1. Address Book - 1 Position the fabric in an embroidery hoop. Download and print the three houses design, then cross-stitch the roofs, doors and windows. Sew the walls in back stitch, with the same colour.
   
   2 Use two strands of red thread to embroider ‘addresses’ beneath the houses and finish by sewing a border in running stitch with blue thread. Cut out the picture, being sure not to snip too close to the design.
   
   3 Cover the front of a notebook with patterned paper using a strong glue stick. Trim red paper slightly larger than the fabric and mount the embroidery on top, then adhere to the front using double-sided tape.

2. Card - 1 Stretch the fabric in an embroidery hoop and follow the Happy New Home design. Cross-stitch the roof and walls in back stitch, using blue thread. In red, sew a large heart in the centre of the house.
   
   2 Fill the background with lines done in pink back stitch. Use green thread for the chimney and trees, then sew the trunks in pink. In the same colour, add small stars around the house.
   
   3 Embroider ‘happy’ at the top and ‘new home’ near the bottom of the house with red thread, using back stitch. In green, sew a border around the design using running stitch, then cut out the finished design.
   
   4 Take a square card blank and stick four panels of patterned paper on the front to make up one big shape. Mount the embroidered design in the centre using double-sided tape.

3. Telephone Book - 1 Using an embroidery hoop, stretch the fabric and follow the chart for the telephone. Cross-stitch the motif using blue thread, then sew the buttons in pink. Back stitch the phone cord with green, as shown.
   
   2 Embroider the word ‘telephone’at the top and ‘numbers’ at the bottom with red thread, using back stitch. In green, sew a border of running stitch around the motif. Cut out the design and mount onto red paper, slightly larger than the cross stitch. Cover the front of a notebook and stick the embroidered panel on the front, securing with double-sided tape.

4. Hanging Picture - 1 Stretch the fabric tightly in the embroidery hoop. Following the house chart, cross-stitch the roof with blue. In pink, sew the heart and use red for the door. The main body of the house should be green.
   
   2 Once the house is finished, move the fabric along. Leave plenty of space around the motif for cutting out and mounting, then follow the pattern for the heart. Use pink as the main, with single stitches of the other colours dotted about.
   
   3 Reposition the fabric in the hoop again and start to embroider the words ‘home sweet home’. To do this, split the thread into two strands and form the words using back stitch. Sew a border of blue running stitch and add some stars around the words.
   
   4 Trim the three pictures to fit the frames and mount them in position, securing with a length of double-sided tape if necessary.Measure the size of each one, then cut out three different patterned papers to cover the front, adhering with a glue stick.