Heart Felt Valentine Banner

There is still plenty of time to make your house into the tunnel of love this valentines day. This banner whips up super easy - you could even make 2 or 3!
{Did somebody say v-day party?!!}

Here's what you'll need for one banner:
-1/8 yard {72" wide} deep red felt
{I think you know you can make it any color you want.
I do NOT recommend felt sold by the square here, it's too thin.}

-Scrap of 1/4" ribbon

-Basic sewing supplies + sewing machine

-Heart template. I used this one.

Trace and cut out as many hearts as you can from your felt.
I used the three largest sizes from the template.

Stack your hearts, varying the sizes at random. Make sure your banner will start and end with the largest heart. Stitch across the width of each heart (don't forget to back stitch your first and last heart). To make a chain, sew 3-4 stitches between hearts. Be sure you are gently pulling the last sewn heart forward as you stitch on nothing. This will prevent the stitches from building on top of each other and making a gnarly mess.

To connect the hearts, turn your hand wheel towards you to put your needle in the down position. Raise your presser foot and butt the next heart right up to your needle. Lower your presser foot and continue sewing.



Cut your ribbon scrap into two 4" pieces. Fold each one in half and pin to the beginning and end heart of your banner to form the hangers.
You banner may be all jumbled by now. Just be sure that you pin your ribbon to the front of one heart and the back of the other. {So that the hearts are mirror images. make sense?} Stitch across the ribbon

And your done! This banner is festive for any room, including the office, school, etc., but it also makes a dang cute photo prop.

I think the grandparents are going to love this year's valentine card!

{P.S. the word 'LOVE' in the first picture is spelled out with unfinished wood letters that I bought at my local craft store. They were 80 cents a piece. I painted them with metallic silver paint and adhered them to the wall with wall putty. so pretty.}

Heart Felt Valentines

Well after a little hiatus with a sickly computer... I'm back.
And I'm hoping you have room in your heart {and schedule}
for my pretty valentine project.
Don't be fooled by their super cute exterior, these are simple to make!

You will need:
assorted colors of felt scraps
assorted buttons
basic sewing supplies
lolly pops and candy sticks
and this template

did I say slash marks are for "view one"? I meant view 2.
Enlarge or reduce this image as needed so the heart template measures
approx. 4" wide and 4.25" long. Cut out templates.

Heart on a Stick Valentine

Fold your felt in half so you have two layers.
With a water or air soluble fabric pen, trace one heart per valentine.

If you're lolly pop is small, go ahead and cut out your hearts, two at a time.
Mine is a little on the larger size. {yes, we are still talking about the lolly pop. not my rear.} Instead of cutting out the heart on the line and stitching on the interior edge,
I'm going to use the pen line as my stitching line, which will make my heart a little roomier.

Cut around the heart loosely leaving a wide border, if necessary.
Using your pen, trace on your message. I did "xoxo" but "love" would be cute!

Using a zigzag or satin stitch, stitch over your "X"s and stitch buttons over your "O"s.
I used a tear-away stabilizer for the back to keep the felt from puckering.
If you don't have any, you can use wrapping tissue. Stitch through only one heart.

Pin the top layer of felt onto the bottom with the right sides facing out.
Stitch around the heart using a narrow seam allowance.
Be sure to leave a gap in the stitching at the heart's bottom point.

Trim around the heart.

Using that trusty old fabric pen and a ruler, mark a line on across the back of the heart.

Pinch the front and back heart and pull to separate.

Make a small snip and carefully slide your scissors into the opening.

Cut along the pen line up to but not through the stitching line.
Cut through only the back layer.

Slip the lolly pop into the slit with the stick going through the opening in the stitching.
Pull the top flap over the lolly pop to conceal it and you're done!


Cupid Struck Valentine

Trace and cut out two hearts per valentine.
Pen the slash marks onto the top heart.

Pin the two hearts together and stitch using a narrow seam allowance.

Using your presser foot as a guide, stitch around the inside edge of the
first stitching line. {This gives it just a little more visual interest.
You don't have to do it if you don't want to.} Using the same method
as the lolly pop valentine, cut through the slash marks.

Trace the arrow head and tail onto felt but don't cut out.
Note the DO NOT SEW lines marked on the template with double slashes.

Cut around the design but do not cut on the lines.
Pin to a second layer. Stitch on the drawn lines.

For those not familiar with how to 'pivot and turn' it's really easy.
Stitch to the end of your marked line and stop.
Turn your hand wheel {on the side of the machine}
towards you until your needle is in the down position.

Raise your presser foot and rotate your fabric with the needle still down.
Rotate until the center mark on your presser foot {most feet have one}
is lined up with the connected next line to stitch.
Lower your presser foot and stitch on.

Trim around the stitching. Your pieces should look like this.

Feed a candy stick through the slashes in your heart front. Slip the tail feathers onto the bottom of the stick and the arrow head to the top. You can keep the head from falling off by placing a small glue dot onto the candy and then pressing the felt into it.

See? Easy Peasy. And too stinking cute. The pen marks should dissolve on their
own in day or so. So let me know if anyone needs my address.
so you can send me one. I just love candy!

easy squeezey boa constrictor scarf

A little more advanced than the last project,

but don't worry beginners, it's still a cinch.

You will need:

• 1/4 yard each of two different colors anti-pill fleece
• 2 green buttons (I used 5/8")
• scrap of 5/8" wide red ribbon (I used a felt ribbon so it won't fray)
• basic sewing supplies
• sewing machine
  

Trim fleece to a 6" strip with both colors.

Cut 6" strip into 9" pieces.
(some of you may be thinking, "why didn't we just leave the strip at it's original 9" width and cut 6" strips instead?" Well you're sharp, but here's why:

this keeps the stretch of the fabric going around the neck, where it can useful.)

Continue cutting with both colors until you have 5 pieces of white
and 4 pieces of black. You will start and end with white.
This will make an approx. 50" scarf, a good size for a younger child.
Add more pieces for an older child.




Copy this template. This will be the snake's head.

Enlarge or reduce the image so the bottom edge measure 4 1/2",

And the top to bottom edge measures 6".

Fold one of the white pieces in half so it measures 4 1/2" x 6".
Place template on piece and cut around. Do NOT cut the fold.

It should look like a mutant two-headed snake.

Center your ribbon scrap on one head's "mouth" and stitch.

Starting with the bottom edge of the head, sew the strips together along the 9" edge alternating colors.

Be sure to sew right sides together

(remember anti-pill fleece has kind of a fur on the right side?)

Use up all your strips. Does it look like this?

Now fold it in half with the stitching and wrong sides of fabric facing out. Pin the edges.

At the bottom of the scarf, cut the last strip to a point.

Starting with the head, sew along the raw edge. You should be starting on the fold side of the scarf and wrapping around to the raw edge side. Sew all the way down the to tail.

Leave the short cut edge of the point open for turning.

Turn the scarf right side out through the opening in the tail.

Press it flat and hand stitch the opening shut.

Sew on the eyes and fork the tongue. I turned my buttons sideways so the holes would look like snake pupils. (If you're using a ribbon that will fray, you may want to fray check the cut edge.)

Well that should take care of the adventurous little boy on your list.
Just don't get too carried away when you're wrapping this around his neck.

He's not actually supposed to suffocate.

Although if you make this for someone a lot older, say your brother, or your husband,

I guess there will be times when there's no such thing as too tight...

But good luck getting a grown man to wear a scarf that looks like a snake.

curly girly boa scarf

Three cheers for our first fleece project! I know, I'm late. But it was too dark yesterday to take decent pictures. So without further ado... THE BOA SCARF

This is so easy to make! You'll need:

• about a yard of anti-pill fleece
  (more or less depending on who you're making it for)
• basic sewing supplies
• a sewing machine
• a comfy couch + good movie

* Start by cutting three - 4" strips along the length of your fleece. These cuts should run PARALLEL to the selvedge edge. This means that however long you want the scarf, that's how much fabric you'll buy. (for example: If you buy one yard of fabric, your scarf will be 36" long) 40" is a good starting point for a child's scarf. Add more inches for an older child, subtract for younger, etc. You'll want this to be a generous scarf so they can wrap and wrap and wrap.

* Stack the three strips on top of each other and pin.


* With a fabric pen, mark a line down the center of the scarf.
This is line will be your stitching line. Sew the three layers together.
Make sure you adjust your stitch length on your machine to be longer, since fleece is so thick. You may also want to lessen the pressure on your pressure foot, if you know how.


* Now you'll want to cozy up on the couch with your redbox copy of The Proposal and a decent amount of chocolate. (Didn't I mention that in the supplies list?)
If you are doing multiple scarves, sew them all first, then do this next part all at once.

Cut all the layers into about 1/2" strips. Cut up to the stitching but be careful NOT to cut through it.

(You're scarf will be very short.)

Now it looks good but we can make it even cuter.

One by one, grasp each strand at the base. Applying just a hint of pressure, let the strip run through your fingers and snap back into place. You can do this rapid fire, it doesn't have to be perfect or methodical. And you will get a good amount of fluffy lint up your nose.

VOILA!

A beautiful, luxurious scarf in no time. Wrap this up, put it under the tree of a special little girl, and I guarantee she will put it on immediately, and leave it on until May.

The big girls on your list might like this scarf also.

Play around with different colors of fleece to make something truly one-of-a-kind.

More fleece projects to come! I'll be checking in later.

And please don't hesitate to email me pictures of your creation.