Valentine's DIY: Embroidered Felt Hearts

Embroidered felt has such a sentimental, vintage vibe, which makes these sweet little hearts perfect for Valentine's Day. As I've said before, I'm not much of a crafter and even less of a seamstress, so if I can make these, you definitely can.

My mom, who is something of a felt genius, learned to embroider from her grandma and kindly agreed to help me on my first-ever sewing project. I chose a monochromatic pink color scheme for mine, but you could obviously switch out the thread and felt for whatever color combination you like (cream and gold would be really cute). We got these done in just a few hours and for less than $5.

Here's what you'll need for 14 hearts:
2 pieces of felt
1 package embroidery thread
1 needle
Scissors



Step 1: Cut Out Hearts
Cut out your hearts. You can use a cookie cutter to trace them and then cut them out with scissors, or you can make it even easier and use a die-cutting machine at your local craft store. Die cutting works best with thinner, cheaper felt. The hearts will be double layered, so cut out twice as many as the total number of hearts you want to make. I made 14 for reasons I'll share next week, so I cut out 28 hearts total.

Step 2: Embroider Half the Hearts
You can embroider however you choose. You'll only need to embroider half the hearts since the other will be the back. I love little French knots because they look precious and are so easy. Here's how to make them:

1. Knot your thread. You want your thread fairly thick, so use the whole strand.

2. Stick the needle up through the back.

3. Pull tight.

4. Place the needle on top of the thread.

5. Wrap the thread around the needle. Get a good grip on the string; you'll want to keep the tension.

6. Put the needle down through the felt right next to where you came up. Keep tension on the string with one finger.

7. Pull the string completely through. Pull slowly and not too hard.

Voila!

Once you master the French knot, you can do all kinds of things.

Step 3: Attach Loop
If you plan on hanging your hearts, attach a little thread loop to a heart that's not embroidered. Here's how:

1. Do this with the needle.

2. Pull tight.

3. Make a little loop with the thread, then stick the needle back through the original hole and pull tight, keeping tension on the loop.

4. Push the needle back up at the bottom of the other side of the loop and pull tight.

 5. Put the needle back through the felt.

6. Pull through to knot.

Step 4: Sew Sides Together
Use a simple little stitch to sew two hearts together. Here's how:

 1. Hold two hearts together. Push the needle up through just one layer first.

 2. Move down a little and push the needle back up, this time through both layers.

3. Repeat this easy little stitch all the way around the heart. Tie a knot when you're done to finish it. 

And that's it! Pretty easy for sewing, right?

You could use these in all types of Valentine's Day decorations: string together to make a garland, hang from the chandelier, tie on gifts, etc. I'll be using mine for a fun Valentine's Day countdown for the little ones. I'll share the details next week.