Keepsake Valentine

By Courtney Kyle, Art Director of Sew Beautiful and Stitch Craft Create

Valentine's Day is coming up and boxes of chocolates, candies, roses, and cards with messages of love will inevitably be exchanged. It's a holiday that brings a little warmth to a cold season, and gives us an extra reason to make time for someone we love. If you're like the team here at SCCmag, you probably enjoy making special hand-made gifts for the people you love. So, this Valentine's Day you should make something that will be kept year-round rather than stashed in a shoe-box once the day fades away!

This cushion was made using fabric scraps, felt appliqué, and a bit of hand-embroidery. The base fabric was an old knit blanket, the scraps that make the frame around the heart were from a vintage pillow case, and the felt heart was stitched onto a left-over piece of white lining fabric. Click here to check out our quick and easy felt appliqué tutorial.

Tips & Tricks:

• To make this project quick and easy, use glue-baste to hold your fabric pieces in place for stitching, no pins required! (We recommend Roxanne's glue-baste, found here, for any and all stitching projects!)
• When personalizing your gift, use your own handwriting to jot a message on the pillow--it makes the gift more personal and sincere. Lightly write on your fabric with a pencil or a wash-away marker, then do a simple back-stitch over the writing to forever embed your message.
• This project is perfect for using sentimental pieces of fabric like an old baby blanket, grandmother's doilies, or anything else you have stashed away. Instead of keeping all of those pieces stashed in a trunk, breathe new life into them by turning them into a precious one-of-a-kind gift for someone you know will appreciate it.