Be Mine

 

Having eaten countless packets of Love Hearts over the past few months to satisfy pregnancy cravings, I was staring at the packaging and thought about making something similar out of felt and thread. Starting with yet another roll of the sweeties, I ate all the 'cheesy' lines ("text me" being one of the first) and decided to work on what was left.

These little sachets are filled with dried Hitchin Lavender (grown about 4 miles down the road from my house and picked up on the way to get my son from nursery so minimal stitching footprint) and each have a little label looped over to hang from bedframes (perfect for fidgetty sleepers), or on a coat hanger (pesky clothes moths love tweed, but hate lavender). Pop them in your drawer with your drawers and smile in the mornings!

You will need:
Pale coloured felt
Pastel embroidery threads
Ribbon or tape (for the hanging loop)
Slightly thicker lining fabric/dense wadding
Dried Lavender or any other dried herb you like
A cup or glass to draw around
A pencil
Scissors
A packet of Love Hearts

To make:
Open your sweeties and eat all the ones you can't bear to embroider. Then, draw around a suitable circle twice on the felt and once on the lining and cut out. Trim down the lining so it sits 5mm in from the edge of the felt (so your edges aren't too bulky). Sit one felt circle to one side.

Fold the front circle in half and draw half a heart (but not half-heartedly), unfold and copy to the other side. Your stitching will cover the line. Place the lining on the reverse, centrally, then pick a colour of thread (I use two strands) and chain stitch the heart. I like to start at the top, work down then go back to the top and down for the other side, but I'm a pedant who likes stitching all facing the right way. Add the lettering in chain stitch.Then in an equally pale thread (one strand only) pick out the inner and outer of the heart and the circle at the edge of the lining (in a simple running stitch -just keep it small).

Cut a loop of ribbon (or name-tape), about two inches long, fold in half and sandwich between the front and back felt circle. Using two strands of the pale thread, sew the two together including the ribbon all the way around in running stitch. About and inch and a half from the end, pause, and using a spoon, tip in some lavender, then close the gap. Done!