Get busy crafting a friendly face to offer to a favourite teacher or accompany you to the dentist.

MATERIALS
Tracing paper
Pencil
Scissors
White felt
Red felt
Brown felt
Green felt
Needle
Black thread
Pink thread
Red thread
White thread
A handful of stuffiffing
Waxed string
Pins
Brown thread

HOW TO
Trace and cut your apple pieces from the template below.
Use black thread to apply a face to the white part of your apple, then use pink thread to stitch some rosy cheeks.Use red thread and blanket stitch to sew up the three darts on the red felt piece. Once all three seams are closed, turn it out so the stitches are on the inside – this will give you a nice, rounded apple. The opening of your apple skin should just about match the size of your apple face.Place your apple face and apple skin pieces on top of one another, with both the face and the rounded point of the skin facing outwards.

Starting from the top, use white thread and blanket stitch to sew your apple face and apple skin together. When you are three-quarters of the way around, pause your stitching and stuff your apple.Knot your string* and pin it, with the knot sitting just inside the top of your apple. Close up the seam, making sure to secure the string with the last couple of stitches. Tie off your thread.Roll the small brown felt piece into a stalk-ish shape and use brown thread and whip stitch** to sew up the side. Attach the stalk behind the string of your apple with a couple of stitches and tie off.Finally, add the green leaf to the base of the stalk with a couple of small stitches and tie off the thread. Apple complete!

*Trinket string
I have used 18cm lengths of waxed string to create the looped strings on each trinket. You could also use ribbon or yarn. To knot your trinket string, fold it in half and pinch the two ends in your non-dominant hand and the folded point in your other. Create a loop and pull the folded point through, while using your hand to shift the knot as close to the ends of the string as possible, before pulling tight.

**Whip stitch
Use this stitch to attach (or appliqué) one piece of felt on top of another. Pin your felt pieces in place. Starting underneath, poke your needle up through the top layer of felt, then pass your thread over the edge and poke your needle through to the underside of the bottom layer. For a diagonal effect, pass the thread over the edge at an angle.

This is an edited extract from Trinkets by Cat Rabbit.