Stitch a Naturally Dyed Toadstool Tutorial Video
This kit will guide you through each step to creating your very own toadstool decoration using naturally dyed silk fabrics and kapok fibre stuffing.
Each pigmented fabric piece was hand dyed by Kayleigh at ocre natural dye studio using a range of plant based dyes to give your decoration a beautiful high quality finish.
Enjoy crafting your toadstool and don't forget to photograph your creation and tag @ocre.uk on instagram to share!
Difficulty level: Intermediate, includes small pieces and some fine detail work
Suitable for both hand stitchers and machine stitchers alike
*PLEASE NOTE*
This pattern and tutorial is to be enjoyed by hobbyist crafters and makers and neither the pattern, nor toadstools made using it are permitted for sale or commercial distribution thereafter.
Thank you!
THIS KIT INCLUDES:
4x mushroom top pattern pieces
1x cardboard circle
1x sewing needle
cotton thread
kapok fibre stuffing
1x round jump ring
garden wire
1x silk chiffon strip
2x undyed crinkle silk strips
1x skein embroidery thread
1x silk ribbon
YOU WILL NEED TO PROVIDE:
scissors
pins
iron
ironing board
glue gun (optional, but really helps!)
packing paper (optional)
Step by Step Guide
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Begin by placing the red toadstool pieces on top of one another one at a time and stitching down the side using a 0.5cm seam allowance. Begin from the top pointed end and follow the curve down to the bottom.
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Whilst the pieces are still inside out, work along each seam and snip a series of V shapes to remove excess fabrid to allow for a crisp curve. Be careful not to snip too close to the edge of the stitching so as not to undo your hard work. Press these seams to the side.
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Next, take the smaller piece of crinkle silk from your kit and fold it in half to create a loop, stitch 1cm seam allowance to secure. Press this seam open.
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Now we're going to create some lines of stitching to allow us to gather the edge of the pattern pieces we've used so far. If using a sewing machine, increase the stitch size & sew bottom edge of the red toadstool pieces. If hand stitching, stitch loose stitches which can be gathered. Leave a tail of thread at the end of your line of stitch to allow you to pull on it gently to gather it later on.
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Now move onto the crinkle silk loop, using the same loose stitch, sew one line 0.5cm around the edge of the loop beginning at the seam. Repeat this around the other edge and add an extra line of stitch 0.5cm up from this too. You should finish with one row of stitching along one side and two rows of stitching along the other.
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Using the embroidery thread and needle, add a few clusters of stitches to create spots on the red pieces. You can do as many or as few as you like. You will also need to stitch the jump ring by stitching to the pointed top of the red toadstool top. Secure with a knot and snip excess thread off.
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To create the stipe which is the white stem of the mushroom, first cut a short piece of the wire - approximately 7cm long. Place this to the side for the moment. Now, decide how long you would like the stipe to be from the remaining length of wire. Fold the wire on itself to create the length and continue to fold a few more lengths in. If you would like a thin stipe, you can now wrap the remaining wire up and down the length of the stipe. If you would like a thicker stipe, tear some packing paper and twist it before lining it up with your wire and wrapping the remaining wire up and down the length of both. You should end up with a bit of a loop at the top of the stipe which you'll be able to use to attach the stipe to the cardboard circle from your kit. Create two small holes in the centre of the circle and use the small piece of wire to thread through the loop at the top of the stipe and pull each side through the bottom of each hole. Bring to the top and twist the wire to secure in place. At this stage, you may wish to secure more firmly by adding a blob of glue from a glue gun to the underside of the circle.
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Use the larger piece of crinkle silk from your kit to wrap the stipe. Start at the bottom and work your way up to the top. Once you've reached the top, simply tie off and cut any excess. I usually leave about 3-4cm to help keep the knot secure. At this point, you can also use some of the silk chiffon to wrap and tie around the top of the stipe to create a frill. Do this on top of the knot where the crinkle silk is.
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Now take the crinkle silk loop you created earlier on and place it around the stipe with the single row of stitching facing in and the double row of stitching on the outer edge. Gently pull the thread to gather the inner row of stitching tightly around the base of the stipe. Tie a knot to secure this and snip off the excess thread. The silk chiffon frill should sit visibly on the outside of this.
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Gently gather the double row of stitching on the loop. Don't gather too far as you'll need to be able to fit the edge around the circumference of the cardboard circle later on. Tie a knot to secure the gather.
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Take a handful of the kapok fibre stuffing and loosen in your hands before stuffing into the red toadstool top, begin to gently gather the stitch around the edge a little to hold the stuffing in. You can add more stuffing to the centre of the toadstool top to fill the shape out more if you wish. Be careful not to overstuff as this will make attaching the top and the stipe difficult.
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Place the cardboard circle on top of the stuffing and gently finish gathering the stitching over the edges of the cardboard, trapping the stuffing inside. Tie a knot to secure.
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Pin edges the crinkle silk loop to the cardboard along the double row of stitching & hand stitch in place using the cotton thread. Take the pins out as you go and tie a knot again to secure. Snip any remaining threads.
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Take the ribbon from your kit and fold the edge in half twice lengthways to make it slimmer, feed this through the jump ring and tie to create a loop with which you can hang your toadstool.
Your toadstool is complete!
Enjoy your decoration, be sure to hang it out of direct sunlight to preserve the natural pigments.