Tutorial: Send some love with a jar of Hope Hearts

Leslie from Leslie’s Art and Sew has been making jars filled with Hope Hearts to give to people battling a major illness. The simple stuffed shapes are a reminder of all the love being sent to them by friends and family. This started out as a personal project, but she’s gotten such a warm response to her project that she’s sharing a tutorial and a kit so you can start your own. She shares a tutorial and template on her blog. And to help you get started on filling your jars, she will send you a Hope Heart Kit, with the templates, the printed tutorial, and three hearts already made. Go to her blog to read more about her Hope Heart project.

[photo from Lesllie’s Art and Sew]

Next Pattern:

I’m always tempted by the pretty velvets at the fabric store. So much texture! And the way the fibers catch the light! But sewing on velvet is trickier than you’d think. That nap that lends beautiful texture also likes to slip and crawl. That nap can also spell disaster if you cut a piece the wrong direction. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t use buy that velvet and sew it into something gorgeous, you just need to go into your velvet sewing project prepared. And Melissa at Melly Sews has a post that takes you step by step through sewing on velvet.

Velvet is such a luscious fabric, especially for winter sewing projects. Of course there are velvet Christmas sewing projects – stockings, tree skirts, santa hats – but velvet is beautiful for all winter. Think of all the gorgeous velvet dresses, evening bags, hair accessories, even pillows and other home décor that you see all winter long.

Melly Sews’ post gives you the tips and tricks you need to know in order for your velvet sewing project to end up a success. There are types of projects better suited for velvets, and kinds of projects to avoid. She describes the different types of velvet available. And she also tells the best way to lay out and cut your pattern pieces from velvet fabric. Her tutorial also covers marking, pressing, and of course sewing that beautiful fabric. There’s also a video included in case that’s your preferred method for learning.

Head over to Melly Sews to learn how to sew on velvet fabric.

And if you want to learn more about that lovely blue velvet dress shown, she has a post that tells more about it including 2 ways to style it depending on if you want to be more dressy or more casual.

[photo credit: Melly Sews]

Comments

susanab says
August 23, 2012 at 11:33 am
i <3 this! it's a heartfelt and wonderfully creative way for people involved in crafts to share themselves with people who are working through an illness. it would make everyone feel a whole lot better. good going, leslie. this is a real gift for us!
Leslie Andersen says
August 24, 2012 at 5:30 am
Thanks so much for featuring this, Anne; I hope everyone who could use some help starting a jar of hearts will contact me. This will be an on-going project of mine, so anyone reading this in a week, a month, a year, or more from now can still request a Hope Hearts kit.

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