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What you need...

• Fabric, cotton: flowered, Indian Khadi; poplin, red
  Sewing thread, red
  Iron-on interfacing, heavyweight
  Sewing machine
  Sewing kit

instructions

1. Knitting Roll - Trim flowered fabric, 53cm x 59cm, and a smaller rectangle of interfacing, 52cm x 58cm. Press the wadding to the centre of the wrong side.
   
   Cut red cotton poplin, 53cm x 103cm. Match to the wrong side of the flowered fabric, then pin and sew around three sides with a seam allowance of 1.5cm. Trim the edges and clip the corners. Turn to the right side and press, rolling the edges flat.
   
   To make the flap, press under 1.5cm, all around the raw edges of the red fabric, folding to the inside. Cover the raw edge of the flowered fabric with the red. Pin. Fold the other end to the inside by 17cm to form the pocket. Pin and topstitch all the way around the edges. To shape the pockets, measure and mark 2.5cm three times, 3.5cm two times, 4cm six times and 5cm twice. Stitch along these lines, back tacking at either end for strength.
   
   To make the tie, trim a length of red fabric, 80cm x 8cm. Press in 1.5cm all around. Fold in half, along the long centre and topstitch around the edges. Fix to the middle of the back of the roll and stitch in a rectangle.

If you find yourself in London, Berwick Street is a great place to hunt for fabrics. In the centre of the West End, local haberdashers service theatre land, providing all sorts of unusual materials for costume making. You can buy anything from silks and laces to patent leather and fake furs. The Cloth House, at 47 Berwick Street specialises in natural fibres stocking antique linens, exotic prints and woven hemp. The lilac and red Indian Khadi used in this project is also available in a vast array of colours and designs.