Craft blogger Jojo shows us how to make these adorable lavender hearts, the perfect handmade gift... read more
Gift buying can be a tricky business to get right. Handmade gifts however, are always a winner. They are the kind of gift you treasure forever, knowing the person really thought about what you would like. In this post I am going to show you how to make an easy lavender heart to place on doorknobs or use as a wall hanging. The perfect handmade present for a friend or family – and dare I say, a great stocking filler? Gasp! Is it too soon for Christmas talk? Nonsense. I’ve been dreaming of Christmas since August…
You will need…
– A4 paper,
– Pens,
– Scissors,
– Pins,
– Needle and thread,
– Stuffing,
– Dried lavender,
– Ribbon and buttons.
You could even use a different scent, like dried rose petals or a more wintery cinnamon or orange. Cheekily spritzing it with your best perfume could work too! Don’t worry if you think you can’t sew, because I can’t. I know enough to get by and I still can’t get my head around using these sewing machines! So this little tutorial isn’t that tricky but can look very effective. I find that with most craft projects, if you are careful and don’t rush, you will get the best results.
How to..
1. Start with your paper. I used an A4 piece and found that provided a generous sized heart, but you can make your heart as big or small as you like. Fold it in half and draw an almost tear drop shape. Cut around the drawing and when you open the fold, you should have a heart. If it is a bit of a funny shape, you can do a bit of editing with a pair of scissors, but I think a wonky heart is actually quite charming.
2. This will then become your template. Pin this down onto you chosen fabric. I chose Clarissa because it is one of my favourites! Make sure you pin it down in a place on the fabric where there is lots of pretty pattern. Then cut around the heart using the template as a guide. You will want to do this twice so you will end up with two hearts.
3. Place the two hearts together with the patterns facing into each other. Starting at the top of the heart, sew along in a simple running stitch. You will want to leave the centre of the heart unstitched so you can turn it inside out. Once you have done that, you can pop it to one side so you can address the lavender situation.
4. You can buy dried lavender from most florists, either in full stems like the below or in little jam jars filled with just with the heads, which would be perfect for this project. If you are feeling really dedicated, you could cut your own lavender and let it dry by tying it in bunch and hanging it upside down from a peg, or a beam in your kitchen.
5. If you have long stems of lavender like I used, you will need to brutally cut off the heads. To make this bit less messy (because it will get quite messy) you can place the heads together in a bowl or on a plate. Once you have collected all the heads, you can transfer the lavender into the heart using a spoon. If, when you have run out of lavender, you still have room left in your heart, fill it with a bit of stuffing or cotton wool.
6. Now it’s just a case of sewing up the hole in the centre of the heart. I stitched a loop of matching ribbon in at this point so I could hang my heart and then I embellished it with a button. Because, after all, what is a craft project without a decorative button to complete it?
How adorable is this? So simple and straightforward – to see more of Jojo’s crafty creations visit her blog Mis JoJangles here. One of our absolute favourite blogs, be sure to book mark!
To see more of the Laura Ashley fabrics that we sell by the metre (perfect for more crafty projects!) see here.