All You Need Is....

It's that time of year when our thoughts turn to romance. Yes, Valentine's Day is just one week away.

Padded heart decorations are just one of the projects that we have been making in our sewing club this half term and they have been very popular. My heart has been particularly warmed by two boys in one of our clubs who decided to make heart decorations for their Mums' for Mother's Day - how sweet is that?

This weekend I have been playing around with ideas for heart decorations to have at home and to give as gifts. Here's a tutorial for one of them - a cute, quick to make, lovely gift; perfect to show that you care this Valentine's Day or Mother's day.

You will need:

• 2 x felt heart shapes approx 15cm x15cm
• 3 small flower shapes
• 2 felt leaves
• 15cm ribbon
• 3 buttons
• cotton thread
• toy filling

Step one:

Decorate the front of one of the felt hearts.

For my heart I chose to place the three flowers on one side and use cotton thread to embroider the word "love" using backstitch (If you are unsure of how to sew using backstitch click here to see my stitch guide).

Step two:

Pin the two felt heart shapes together and sew around the edges using running stitch. Fold the ribbon in half and pin place at the top. Sew through all layers of felt and the ribbon to sew it in to place.

Leave a gap approx 5cm along one edge and add the toy filling until your heart decoration is nice and plump but not overfilled. Sew up the gap.

Your fabulous padded heart is now ready to hang - Happy Sewing!

Adventures in Scented Candles and Other Weekend Makes

Yesterday was one of those days when you really didn't want to be out of doors - a grey, drizzly one giving me the perfect excuse not to leave the house but stay indoors and begin/finish a number of projects that have been on the back burner since Christmas.

I am going through a scented candle phase - their lovely warm glow and soothing scents can be found all around our house at the moment. Candle-making is not a craft I have ever indulged in until this weekend but I have had an idea for scented candles which I shall share at a later date. This weekend was all about practising.

So having bought my supplies online last week, yesterday I had a go at making my first ever container candles.

They were so easy to make. I went for a traditional "English Rose" fragrance and I still have lots to learn in terms of getting the fragrance right - mine turned out to have more of a subtle scent than I'd have liked, but I loved finishing them off with burlap and vintage ribbon - perfect as small gifts for loved ones.

I shall definitely be re-visiting candle making in the next few weeks and look forward to sharing the results.

My second completed project was this handsome fellow.

I started making this fox after Christmas - he has been lying around in pieces for a couple of weeks now so I was really pleased to see him finally take shape yesterday. He is made from a "Fluff and Fuzz" Pattern. I love these quirky designs from Amanda Berry and they are so easy to follow. I would highly recommend them.

Over the past year I have completely fallen in love with knitting all over again. Sewing will always be my first love but knitting is a fantastic evening activity especially during the Winter whilst watching TV. It's in my blood. My Mum is an amazing knitter. Here's a bed-runner that she has recently made using samplers of different knitting stitches and techniques. I adore it and think I may have to have a go at making one myself with a little help from Mum!