Valentine's Day Sewing Ideas
Valentine's Day is surely the sweetest, cheeriest holiday to brighten seasonal moods. Gifting of flowers, jewelry, and sweets commemorates the day as well as handmade sentiments to present to those most close. Fabric and paper heart shapes in every imaginable size and color seem to be everywhere this time of year. Red, pink and white are most favored colors to make represented heart shapes large and small to use as t-shirt appliques, cut and sewn into fanciful heart pillows, to hang as a garland on mantel or window, adorning front door wreaths or fluttering on cut branches displayed in a vase.
Thankfully the shape is easy to reproduce when crafting a template to use for cutting out of fabric, lace, or paper.
Consider the following when looking for inspiration to begin a Valentine's Day sewing project. Just add a splash of your own heart-felt creativity when choosing fun fabrics and embellishments to sew (or even no-sew) an endearing project using the conventional symbol.
Heart appliques on t-shirts - trace a heart shape onto the paper side of fusible webbing, fuse by ironing onto the wrong side of the chosen fabric, cut out the shape, peel off the paper backing, place onto the front of the t-shirt and iron. The heat will secure the heart shape to the t-shirt fabric. Machine stitch around the edge of the heart shape using a close narrow zig zag stitch or any decorative machine stitch to permanently secure. Consider applying several heart shapes from small to large in a variety of prints or solid colors that cascade down or across the front of the t-shirt as an embellishment.
No sew Valentine's Day fleece heart pillow - perhaps the easiest of all, cut out identical heart shapes approximately 10 or 12 inches wide from two different colors of fleece, one solid and one print or plaid is striking. Lay the hearts one on top of the other and using chalk or a template, draw a smaller heart shape on top of one about 1 1/2to 2 inches from the outer edge. Use this line to cut 1/2 inch wide or slightly smaller strips all around both heart edges, cutting both at once. Tie strips that lay on top of each other in a knot, all around the heart, leaving an opening for stuffing firmly with poly fill, then continue tying strips to finish the pillow. The resulting tied frill around the pillow makes for an interesting edging.
Valentine heart garland - cut out and stitch together several heart shapes cut out of felt or fabric and hand stitch onto satin ribbon. Cut two of each heart shapes, stitch close to the edge leaving an opening to softly stuff with poly fill, sew closed, then pink the edges or trim close to the stitching with sharp scissors. Embellish each heart with lace, tiny satin roses or antique buttons. Hang from a mantel, drape across a window or along a stairwell for a festive look.
Burlap wreath with hearts - use a wire wreath form in the shape of a heart or traditional circle and 1 or 2 rolls of wide burlap ribbon, red or a natural wheat color. Secure the ends of the burlap ribbon to the underside of the wire frame and then push up a section of the ribbon to the front side so it forms a soft bubble, continue pushing up the burlap and scrunching at the same time so the wire frame is eventually filled with soft folds of burlap. Each fold can be tied to the frame with pipe cleaners cut in small lengths and tied to the back side or simply hot glue the burlap to the back of the frame after all the folds have been pushed through to the front. Add some stuffed felt heart shapes and ribbon to the front for embellishment. Hang on front door or window.
Tiny felt hearts on branches - cut out several small red, white or pink hearts from felt. Hot glue the hearts in various places to curly willow branches or birch twigs and place in a vase for a Valentine's Day centerpiece. This is an easy scrap felt project that kids would love to help decorate.
Today the stylized symmetry of the heart symbol - made from two perpendicular lines and two circular intersecting arcs, represents not only a metaphor for romantic love and affection but modern-day healthy living considerations as well. The heart shape has even been used by medieval royalty on coats of arms, banners and seals, as a religious symbol depicting the Sacred Heart, stamped on coinage representing the seed or fruit of some plants, in this Internet age as an emoticon ( <3 ) used in online communication and of course as a suit on contemporary playing cards.
Sew happy, sew inspired. Happy Valentine's Day.
Thankfully the shape is easy to reproduce when crafting a template to use for cutting out of fabric, lace, or paper.
Consider the following when looking for inspiration to begin a Valentine's Day sewing project. Just add a splash of your own heart-felt creativity when choosing fun fabrics and embellishments to sew (or even no-sew) an endearing project using the conventional symbol.
Heart appliques on t-shirts - trace a heart shape onto the paper side of fusible webbing, fuse by ironing onto the wrong side of the chosen fabric, cut out the shape, peel off the paper backing, place onto the front of the t-shirt and iron. The heat will secure the heart shape to the t-shirt fabric. Machine stitch around the edge of the heart shape using a close narrow zig zag stitch or any decorative machine stitch to permanently secure. Consider applying several heart shapes from small to large in a variety of prints or solid colors that cascade down or across the front of the t-shirt as an embellishment.
No sew Valentine's Day fleece heart pillow - perhaps the easiest of all, cut out identical heart shapes approximately 10 or 12 inches wide from two different colors of fleece, one solid and one print or plaid is striking. Lay the hearts one on top of the other and using chalk or a template, draw a smaller heart shape on top of one about 1 1/2to 2 inches from the outer edge. Use this line to cut 1/2 inch wide or slightly smaller strips all around both heart edges, cutting both at once. Tie strips that lay on top of each other in a knot, all around the heart, leaving an opening for stuffing firmly with poly fill, then continue tying strips to finish the pillow. The resulting tied frill around the pillow makes for an interesting edging.
Valentine heart garland - cut out and stitch together several heart shapes cut out of felt or fabric and hand stitch onto satin ribbon. Cut two of each heart shapes, stitch close to the edge leaving an opening to softly stuff with poly fill, sew closed, then pink the edges or trim close to the stitching with sharp scissors. Embellish each heart with lace, tiny satin roses or antique buttons. Hang from a mantel, drape across a window or along a stairwell for a festive look.
Burlap wreath with hearts - use a wire wreath form in the shape of a heart or traditional circle and 1 or 2 rolls of wide burlap ribbon, red or a natural wheat color. Secure the ends of the burlap ribbon to the underside of the wire frame and then push up a section of the ribbon to the front side so it forms a soft bubble, continue pushing up the burlap and scrunching at the same time so the wire frame is eventually filled with soft folds of burlap. Each fold can be tied to the frame with pipe cleaners cut in small lengths and tied to the back side or simply hot glue the burlap to the back of the frame after all the folds have been pushed through to the front. Add some stuffed felt heart shapes and ribbon to the front for embellishment. Hang on front door or window.
Tiny felt hearts on branches - cut out several small red, white or pink hearts from felt. Hot glue the hearts in various places to curly willow branches or birch twigs and place in a vase for a Valentine's Day centerpiece. This is an easy scrap felt project that kids would love to help decorate.
Today the stylized symmetry of the heart symbol - made from two perpendicular lines and two circular intersecting arcs, represents not only a metaphor for romantic love and affection but modern-day healthy living considerations as well. The heart shape has even been used by medieval royalty on coats of arms, banners and seals, as a religious symbol depicting the Sacred Heart, stamped on coinage representing the seed or fruit of some plants, in this Internet age as an emoticon ( <3 ) used in online communication and of course as a suit on contemporary playing cards.
Sew happy, sew inspired. Happy Valentine's Day.
Related Articles
Editor's Picks Articles
Top Ten Articles
Previous Features
Site Map
Content copyright © 2023 by Cheryl Ellex. All rights reserved.
This content was written by Cheryl Ellex. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission. Contact Cheryl Ellex for details.
