A monthly box of sewing goodies, delivered to your door

Nautical Door Stop

Not to be put off, I had a few off cuts of the chambray anchor print fabric left over so I cut a piece to the size of a fat quarter and set out to make myself a cube door stop. I thought I’d share with you the process in case you fancy making yourself one.

Supplies

  • 1 Fat quarter
  • Contrast fabric
  • Ribbon or Trimming for handle measuring 6.5 inches long
  • Anchor template
  • Iron-on adhesive
  • Iron and Ironing board
  • Sewing machine
  • Co-ordinating thread
  • Scissors
  • Dried rice/beans/toy stuffing/mixture

From your fat quarter cut the following pieces;

  • 4 pieces 6 x 8 inches
  • 2 pieces 6 x 6 inches

To make the anchor piece, print off the template and, laying a piece of iron-on adhesive over the top, trace around the shape. Roughly cut around the shape and following the manufacturers instructions iron onto the wrong side of the contrast fabric.

Cut the shape out along the lines the peel off the backing paper. Centre the anchor onto the right side of one of the rectangular pieces and, again following the manufacturers instructions iron into place.

To secure sew around the edges using a zigzag stitch, pivoting the needle at the corners with the needle down. Alternatively you could do this by hand.

Next stitch the four rectangular pieces, right sides together to form a cube, using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. This will form the sides of the cube.

Take the ribbon or trim that you want to use on the handle, for this is used a piece of trim that went into the SewHayleyJane boxes waaay back in March. Lay it on top of one of the square pieces of fabric, making sure it is in the centre and matching up the edges. Stitch in place.

Pin the finished top to the sides, so that the right sides of the cube are all facing inwards. Stitch in place, taking it easy around the corners so that you are not catching any extra fabric underneath. If you want you can trim the edges with pinking shears.

Do the same again with the final square, on the bottom of the cube, leaving a 3 inch gap at one of the sides.

Once you have turned the cube through to the right side you can start stuffing it. Ideally I’d fill it entirely with dry rice as you need a bit of weight to it, but I used a mixture of rice at the top and bottom and toy stuffing to fill the rest and really pad it out. To pour the rice in use either a funnel or a jug with a spout.

The final step is to stitch up the hole using a slip stitch.

As always you can now marvel at your handiwork and find the perfect door to pop it in front of for some photos!