Australian Homespun — October 2017

Finishing

27

Trace around the nose shape

onto the wrong side of the

brown felt and cut it out on the line.

Pin the nose to the face (or hold it

in place with fabric glue). Use two

strands of thread to blanket stitch

it in place on the brown fabric.

28

Using the same brown thread,

sew three long straight

stitches for the mouth. First, sew one

stitch exactly along the centre seam

from below the nose to under the

chin. Then sew two stitches out from

that point up the side of the muzzle

for the two halves of the mouth.

29

If you’re not using the safety

eyes, cut two circles,^5 ⁄ 8 in from

black felt and blanket stitch them in

place for the eyes.

30

From the ribbon, cut:

• One length 33cm (13in) (bridle)


• One length, 50cm (20in) (bridle)


• One length, 1m (40in) (reins).
  Pauline recommends cutting the
  ribbon with pinking shears if you
  have them to minimise fraying
  of the ends.

31

Wrap the shortest piece of

ribbon around the kangaroo’s

nose, cross the ends under the chin

and pin the ends together. Wrap the

longer length around the back of the

head and pin the ends to the fi rst

piece of ribbon at the cheek area.

32

Take the longest piece of

ribbon around the back of the

kangaroo’s head and bring the ends

to the same intersection as before.

Check it’s not twisted and pin the

ends to the ribbon – the pins should

not go into the head fabric at all.

33

Gently slide the ribbon off

the head and sew the three

pieces of ribbon together at the

intersections with a small square

through all layers. Sew the ends

together under the chin as well.

Sew a bell over the three-layer joins

if desired, then put the bridle and

reins back on the kangaroo. You can

secure them in place with a few tiny

stitches or some fabric glue.

34

As a fi nal optional step, you

can attach a small castor

wheel, rubber door stopper or chair-

leg tip to the bottom of the dowel

so the end doesn’t scratch polished

fl oors as it’s dragged around.

Steps 27-28

PAULINE McARTHUR

How did you feel when you first started

sewing? It’s hard to remember how I felt

when I first started sewing, as it was so long

ago. I can’t even remember what the first

thing was that I sewed. Thinking back now,

I realise I haven’t made many practical things,

like pillowcases or clothing ... it seems I only

enjoy sewing fun stuff , like softies.

Has your response to your craft changed

much since then? Nowadays, I’m lucky to

be able to say I “sew fun stuff ” for my job, but

the truth is that a craft business is 80% boring

business stuff. I wish I had more hours in the

day to spend designing and sewing, because

that is what I really love.

What is it that keeps you creating? I think

it’s simply in my nature to create. I hate to sit

around doing nothing. If I watch television,

I crochet; if I drive, I phone a friend; if I sleep,

I get insomnia thinking of 101 crazy ideas.

There’s never a dull moment for me.

Do you teach your skills? I do. Just last year,

I had the opportunity to teach a class in a

sewing and craft shop in the Netherlands –

the lesson was called Stitchee. Only a few of

the 12 ladies could speak English, so it was a

bit of a challenge but lots of fun. This year, I’ll

be teaching a class to sew my William Whale

pattern as part of the Voodoo Rabbit Fabric

shop’s Sew Creative Club.

How long can you spend browsing in

a patchwork/haberdashery store? Ooh,

I’m bad. Luckily, buying fabric is one of my

legitimate business expenses. I do manage

to use up my fabric stash, as I am making

samples and kits all the time, but you have

to grab cute fabric when you see it.

What’s your favourite time of day to sew?

My husband works rather erratic hours. When

he gets a call out, I’ve been known to stay up

all night sewing until he gets home, which

can often be around 6am.

Do you have any sewing gadgets/notions

you never use? Nope, I use them all.

What’s your go-to snack when you take

a sewing break? Give me non-stop coffee

and I’m happy.

What do you wish for your creative future?

I’d love to spend more time sewing and less

time sitting in front of my computer,

answering emails. Maybe one day, when hubby

has finished building our caravan (with my

sewing nook in the back corner), we can go

from one country craft show to the next and

leave the computer at home.

Gett ing to know ...

Step 34

PAULINE’S TAIL

TIP Kangaroos have amazing

tails, and kids love costumes with

tails. I suggest looking online for

a tail dress-up pattern from other

indie designers. Or you can buy

one readymade at madeit.com.au/

Main/Item?itemId=881039.

Homespun 55

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