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Why Dilly Dilly doll? Because "lavender's blue Dilly Dilly"

Materials:

1. Approx. 20cm x50cm lightweight plain cotton fabric for head and limbs
2. Approx. 15cm x 50cm lightweight patterned fabric for body
3. Scraps of wadding for stuffing
4. 75g of split peas to weight the doll's body
5. Small amount of lavender
6. Embroidery thread for hair and features
7. Sewing thread

An easy to make, decorative item. Here is how to make your own Dilly Dilly Dolls. Please Follow the pictures and instructions included. Doll measures 25cm.

1. Pattern for head arms and legs
2. Pattern for body/dress
3. Place pattern on material cut out
4. Pattern pieces cut out of material
5. Sew around head - 6mm seam allowance, leave opening for stuffing
6. Sew around legs - 6mm seam allowance, stuff foot and knot
7. Sew arms - 6mm seam allowance, knot and stuff
8. Sew body leave openings at bottom, top and sleeves, turn back 6mm on sleeves
9. Sew legs in place
10. Sew across corners of body, to give it a base
11. Attach hands to dress
12. Sew hair and features on head, use a colouring pencil for cheeks
13. 75g split peas and some lavender to weight the dolls body
14. Turn under 6mm seam at neck edge, run a double thread of gathering stitches, fill body with 75g split peas and lavender now pull up tightly, pushing the head through the gap and securing it with small hand stitches.
15. Finished dolls.

This basic box pattern made from a square piece of card has been around for a while and once you know how to make it, you'll find it useful for all kind of gifts, especially Manly Fudge! The box demonstrated is made from a 21cm x 21cm piece of card. The base of the box is made from a square 20.5cm x 20.5cm. This will give you a finished box measuring 7.5cm x 7.5cm x 3.5cm. You can glue the box, but it will stay together without. Decorating the box is the best bit, you can use your imagination. Some of my ideas can be seen in the photographs. You could use images from comics, personalise it with a photo, cutout wrapping paper images, cut leaf shapes or just a shop bought bow. At the craft workshops Susie and I previously ran, children loved making and decorating these boxes. It's a great activity for them.

Note: Line the box with greaseproof paper if you put fudge in it. 

I have found two easy Father's Day cards to make. Card designs for men seem to be limited, so I was pleased to find these and they can be used for birthday cards too. The designs can be easily adapted to suit the recipient's taste and their sartorial style Origami shirt and tie card video. Get creative with the tie, add a tie pin if you like. The second video shows you how to make a shirt origami shirt video . In the video there are dimensions for the piece of paper they are using, but I think it's a mistake and the paper should measure 26cm x 15cm. The cards are really easy, they just need your imagination.

These pretty lanterns are really easy to make you just need a few items-

Clean jars with the labels removed 

Mulberry paper or tissue paper, mulberry paper is more robust

PVA glue, watered down to a ratio 1:1

Garden wire

Pliers

Paint brush

Scissors

Glass beads optional

Cut and bend wire with pliers to make a handle on the jar, at this point you can thread glass beads onto the wire handle to make it more decorative. Cut the paper to fit around jar with a 1cm over lap, paint  the jar with the watered down PVA. Place the paper carefully onto the jar, now give the paper a coat of PVA to seal it. Leave the jar to dry. When the lantern is dry put in a tea light and hang in the garden. These lanterns are for fair weather and should not be left out in the rain.