Make room for Mollie Makes Feathered Friends which is out 6 June 2013! It’s our latest craft book featuring crochet, knitting, sewing, felting, papercraft projects and much more. Feathered Friends contains 20 new quirky bird makes from our favourite designer-makers in all shapes and sizes, including appliquéd owls and needle-felted chickens, plus crochet penguin pillows and birdcage dream catchers. Feathered Friends showcases our passion for handmade!

Want a copy? Well you don’t have to wait long; it’s out 6 June 2013. Look out for our special reader offer in this week’s newsletter.

Don’t miss our exclusive reader offer; sign up to our newsletter (to the right) today.

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[Clockwise from top-left] 1. We’d like lengths and lengths of Miami Fabrics‘ Flamingo Park print just so we can drape it over everything. 2. Johanna‘s flamingo design would make a perfect summer bag. Here’s a super-quick tutorial on how to make a tote bag. 3. Pop over to Mandalina Rossa for a vintage goodie: this fabric is perfect if you’re making a 40s dress. 4. Love these large-scale, wonky polka dots by Domesticate.

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Kirsty Hartley is emerging as the children’s wear designer of the moment. Her exclusive play-time dress pattern found in issue 25 is perfect for children’s parties with a theme. From summer frocks to play-time dresses, Kirsty shares her 5 top sewing tips for adapting the pattern.

1. Simply adapt the face pattern. Try different faces or creatures to create a costume that suit the theme.

2. The play-time dress pattern is quite generic, so it could be used for lots of different projects. To make a summer dress: simply use the pattern for the main dress and cut a half lining so that the fastenings are finished. If you extend the button edges by 10cm you can create ties at the shoulders for a lovely sundress pattern. Why not use a lovely spring print?

3. Have fun and experiment. Remember, you don’t have to be too precious, little ones grow so quickly. Plus, they’ll just love that it’s been made just for them.

4. Using an iron on adhesive gives an excellent finish for fixing the features.

5. Accessorise with a plain top and cool stripy tights, or use as an outfit for a themed party such as cat and mouse.

More sewing tips

Choose some prints from Fabric Friday 

Get Mollie Makes, issue 25

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Thank Mollie it’s Friday, lovely peeps! A new issue of Gathered by Mollie Makes is now ready to download to your iPad. Issue 25′s projects include embroidery hoop art, adorable crochet bike handles and paper pom-poms.

We also interview the talented blogger, photographer and crochet queen Ilaria Chiaratti Bonomi, reveal our top 5 bracelets and review our book of the week.

There’s all this and loads more besides. Gathered by Mollie Makes is available to download to your iPad now. Single issues cost just £1.49/$1.99, or get 5 FREE issues when you sign up to a risk-free one-month or one-year subscription.

Get Gathered by Mollie Makes

More Gathered by Mollie Makes goodness

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Tonight marks the first of a whole lot of Tuesday nights in for many crafters in Britain. Even if you’re new to all this sewing business, don’t worry, help is at hand. We catch up with one GBSB judge, May Martin, to find out what tips she has for novice sewists.

Keep it simple

“Don’t be too ambitious with your first projects. The simple projects are completed quickly and you can move on to the next exciting challenge!”

Buddy up

“Sew with like-minded friends or family, particularly when making clothes. It’s good to have another pair of hands for fitting.”

Practice makes perfect

“The more you sew the better it gets. It does not have to be perfect first time.”

A place to sew

“Find somewhere with good light and a comfortable table and chair – you will be there for a while!”

Get the right equipment

“Rusty pins and blunt scissors make sewing difficult, so invest in a good sewing kit.”

Your machine matters

“Don’t be tempted by the cheap sewing machines from catalogues or supermarkets. Ask around friends and family and see if there is a machine hiding in a cupboard that can be serviced and brought back into use. Failing this, go to a sewing machine shop and ask for advice and a demonstration.”

Tidy as you go

“Press (using a steam iron) and neaten (using a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine) as you construct your project. Trying to press seams and neaten edges at the end of a project is much more difficult.”

Read more about The Great British Sewing Bee

Some more sewing tips

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Hearts were well and truly stolen when The Great British Bake Off hit our screens with its ‘good bakes’ and ‘soggy bottoms’. Now (to squeals of crafty delight!), sewing is stepping into the spotlight in a new BBC Two prime-time show, The Great British Sewing Bee.

The four-part series, presented by Claudia Winkleman, welcomes eight amateurs into the sewing studio where they face three challenges each week under the watchful eyes of the judges: May Martin, veteran seamstress and long-time tutor at the WI’s flagship academy, Denman College; and Patrick Grant, Creative Director of Savile Row tailors Norton & Sons and ready-to-wear menswear brand E. Tautz.

A book of the same name by Tessa Evelegh accompanies the show, featuring over 25 projects, including everything from an ultra-flattering tea dress to a butcher’s apron.

It’s safe to say that the Mollie Makes team will be having a girls’ night in while it’s on.

The Great British Sewing Bee starts on 2 April at 8pm on BBC Two. The book, published by Quadrille, is now on sale at quadrille.co.uk

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Yay, it’s spring! And we’re celebrating with a few of our favourite pastel prints, perfect for making rucksacks, rabbits and pretty, play-time dresses.

[Clockwise from top-left] 1. Ravynaka’s Loves Me, Loves Me Not design has us falling head over heels. Loves you! 2. Urban Mod’s Triangularity Topaz reminds us of picnic bunting and constellations. 3. Flea Market Fancy in pastel pink is simply gorgeous! Combine with a lemon yellow print for a spring quilt design. 4. If Julia Rothman designed a range of perfume bottles, this is what they’d look like… bet they’d smell of spring too!

See some more of our favourite fabric selection

Free projects

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This issue we’re all about pretty pastels and sweet Spring projects. Make Easter egg cosies from vintage jumpers, needlefelt creatures and whip up Liberty fabric plushies.

Other projects include homestyle knits, super-cute party outfits for kids and geometric leather necklaces.

We also have a chat with Brittany Watson Jepsen, take a trip to see the craft delights of San Francisco, plus more!

There’s all this and absolutely loads more besides. Issue 25 of Mollie Makes is out now in all good newsagents, supermarkets, through our official online store and the Apple Newsstand. You can also have a flick through our digital sampler below.

Enjoy the issue, everyone xx

Don’t forget to keep in touch! Check out our official Facebook page, Twitter tweetage and pic-a-tures on Instagram.

Learn how to crochet

Free craft projects

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Woohoo, it’s Quilting Day tomorrow! So to make sure we’re all prepared for quilt-making, here’s a roundup of the most useful supplies you’ll need close to hand.

[Clockwise from top-left] 1. You can’t do anything without a selection of fabrics for your quilt. Tip: don’t forget to trust your instincts (read here for more top tips for quilt-making). 2. Grab a few contrasting or matching threads, some for hand and machine stitching. 3. The trusty thimble: the best way to keep your small digits from big ouches. 4. One of the most important gadgets you’ll need is a rotary cutter – we swear by it! 5. Keep it together with these gem-like quilting pins. Aren’t they just amazing? Want!

Tips for making your first quilt

Quilting project roundup

Choose some fabrics from our Fabric Friday collection

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To your workstations, crafty peeps, it’s Quilting Day on 16 March! Thanks to the Love Quilting & Patchwork magazine we’ve got Nicki’s top tips to keep us on the straight and narrow:

1. Get to grips with your sewing machine before you start. You only need basic skills and a basic sewing machine, but ensure you know how to thread it up and that the machine is well maintained.

2. Keep a rubbish bin nearby. There are always lots of threads and bits of fabrics that need tidying up.

3. Keep the ironing board and the iron near your work station. Quilting and patchwork entail lots of pressing.

4. Buy a good pair of small scissors and a seam ripper (because even the best quilters make mistakes!).

5. Unless you have a particular colour scheme in mind, don’t shy away from your instincts. Be confident with your colours.

Making a quilt? Check out Love Quilting & Patchwork for more advice

Fabric inspiration

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