Not sure why, but I love, love, love Nordic decor. I come from the southernmost tip of Africa. It’s a hot spot. Our temperatures can get above 40’C. South Africa the polar opposite to Scandinavia.
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| Heart decoration |
The Scandinavians make hearts from fabric to decorate their Christmas trees. But these hearts also seem to fit in with country decor and I’ve seen them on door handles or keys.
I made a basic template for my heart using two glasses. See how in the picture. The template may look big but remember that you will be sewing a seam around the outside which will shrink it substantially. Traditionally these hearts are made from a plain red or white fabric. However gingham and a sweet floral print will look good. I used Shweshwe fabric for an African take on this.
You can recycle fabric off-cuts to create stuffing but stick to white or light colours as darker colours may show through. also cut off-cuts as finely as you can or the stuffing will be lumpy. I used left over ceiling insulation. It’s similar in texture to batting used in quilting.
You need: –
a pattern – use a glass, A4 sheet of paper, pencil and a ruler
fabric
matching coloured thread
hand sewing needle
ribbon
stuffing
sewing machine
scissors
pins
You do: –
First make your pattern as per the picture using a glass, paper, pencil and a ruler.
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| Make your pattern |
Pin your pattern to your fabric and cut out your hearts.
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| Pin pattern to fabric |
Cut a piece of ribbon about 15 centimetres long and slip it into your heart as per the picture.
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| Cut out heart from fabric |
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| Place fabric right sides facing and slip ribbon between heart pieces |
Place them right sides facing inward or facing toward each other and pin around the edges.
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| Sew around edge leaving open a space. trim away excess fabric |
Sew around the edges leaving a space to turn the heart inside out.
Trim away the surplus fabric.
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| Turn inside out and fill with stuffing |
Place the stuffing inside the heart.
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| Hand sew closed |
Hand sew the opening closed.
Voila! A heart for your door handle, cupboard door, keys or a Christmas decoration.
Find heaps more ideas in the Greenie Galleries if you scroll back to the beginning.
See you next week.
Greenie.