Introducing the Cupcake Crew and a Cupcake Tutorial

I'm so happy we have such a great bunch of people in the cupcake and tea swap (I hope I haven't forgotten anyone!) ...

A Spoonful of Sugar
Driftwood
Block-a-day
Pink Petal Designs
I Knit I Purl
Cottage Country Chic
Lizzie Jane
Flower Childe Cottage
Patty
Julz Dezign
Pug Yoga
Born to Read and Knit
Contented
Quilty Gal
Kelly
Sew Funky
The World of Twiggy Peasticks
Big Cats Emporium
Molly Cupcakes
Jelly Belly - Jelly Brain
Maiden Ramblings
Snail Blazer
Cake Makes the World a Better Place
Attic 24
Summer by the Sea
Indigo Blue
Viv
Daisy Quilts
Rose
The Chocolate Cat
Aus Rose
Generally Gemma
If I could set my soul free
Silver Pebble
Karen
From My Cherry Heart
Lianne
Isea
Desert Photography
Kids Napping? I'm Scrapping!
Rowan Willow
Domesticali
Four Wise Monkeys
Pam
Camp Sherry
Chicken Foot
Seven Stitches

And now, as requested, a little Cupcake Tutorial:
What you need:
1 x 5 ½” circle of felt
1 x 6 ½” circle of soft white cotton or flannel or something similar
some beads and or other decorations
cotton and needle for sewing
Small amount of polyfil or alternative stuffing
Optional:
Some pretty cotton material (a bright small print is better)
Fabric glue – I like Aleene’s Original Tacky glue

1. If you have chosen to use a cotton fabric print as the outside of your cupcake case - glue your circles of felt to the pretty cotton material – remember to use enough glue and make sure you spread the glue right to the edge of the felt. Put to the side to dry a little (don’t let it dry too long as this might make the felt too stiff to work with).
2. Sew a loose stitch along the outside of your 6 1/2 “ circle of cotton or flannel (I actually used some material I still had left over from the fake pashmina from Hong Kong.) Pull your thread to gather the edges of the circle ...... then stuff and sew shut. If you want to add a cherry to the top of your cupcake do this now – I tied a messy knot using red yarn.
3. Once your glue is dry-ish cut out your felt circle OR you can use a brightly colored plain felt. Mark on the inside of the circle about ½ inch down a dot 16 times. Run a stitch through each dot.
4. Pull your thread gathering the felt circle – do this slowly and encourage the felt to fold as you go.
5. Pop your stuffed circle inside your wavy cupcake case and tie off the cupcake case thread. Adjust the cupcake case to make the folds even. I found that the end of a knitting needle was helpful here – but a chopstick or something similar would also work.
6. Secure your cupcake to the cupcake cup using small stitches on the inside of the cupcake case.
7. Now all there is left to do is decorate your cupcake with a selection of sparkles or anything you fancy. You might also want to run a thread from the top to the bottom to make sure your cake does not bulge too much ...… but the decoration and tweaking is all personal taste.

Now I have to go and make my cupcake themed goodie for the swap ... and no more talk of cupcakes for a while (unless I eat one and it is so good I have to share the sugary news with you!)