This is the time of year when the world turns to Valentine’s Day and sharing love with people in our lives. As sewists, we do this every time we sew something for someone we cherish. It is the love that goes into every stitch that makes our projects special.

I posted a photo of the Christmas Birds that mom made for my tree this year, and Kathy McMakin loved them. She asked Mom to create a simple, quick, and easy heart for you. It is the sweetest thing. These are such fun to make; you can cut out many and sew while you are watching TV or sitting in car pool lines!

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My first sewing project was an apron. I keep my apron as a reminder of the time my mom spent teaching me how to sew. The bright pink cotton is embellished with antique lace medallions that my grandmother gave me. I thought I was a designer extraordinaire when I hand stitched them to my finished apron. The gathering stitches are so bad, but for my first attempt it was to my liking. I must have been around 6 years old when I made it. But from that moment on, I was totally in love with sewing. I learned on Mom’s black Singer that made button holes and sewed straight stitches only. You had to finish your seams with pinking shears—no zigzag for me. My how things have changed since those days!

In Our Next Issue

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We are going to share with you the story of Little Pincushion Studio and Annabel Wrigley’s love of teaching children to sew. It is a charming story that you will love.

Well it has come full circle for me. I just bought my granddaughter her first sewing machine, a Baby Lock Sophia2. I can hardly wait for her to be there when I take it out of the box and we begin her sewing journey. This machine will last her for years and is the perfect size for her (and I might borrow it when I travel). She loves bright colors, and we are going to use Riley Blake fabrics for her first project: a pillowcase for her bed.

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Speaking of Riley Blake, did you know that they are bringing to market Crayola fabric? The fabrics are absolutely fabulous. Here is just a sample of some of the wonderful offerings.

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You will need:

  • Heart templates
  • Pins
  • Red and White Felt
  • ¼-inch satin ribbon, 10-inch length
  • Poly-fil or cotton for stuffing
  • Small red sequins
  • Clear glass beads
  1. Using templates, cut 2 large hearts from red felt. Cut 2 small hearts from white felt.
  2. Stitch white hearts together along the edge; center on red heart, and baste in place. This will give padding to the white heart.
  3. Place red hearts together, and stitch along the edge using a whipstitch. Leave a small opening for stuffing. Insert the hanger ribbon at the top before stitching.
  4. Stuff lightly, making sure to fill the point.
  5. Stitch sequins around the edge of the white heart. Bring needle up through the center of the sequin, slide glass bead onto needle, then go back through the center of the sequin to complete the stitch.
  6. Randomly stitch a few sequins in the center of the heart.

This is a fun project for young sewists. Decorating them is fun, and they make beautiful ornaments for a tree.

Happy Valentine’s Day from Kathy and me. We love your notes, e-mails, calls, and posts to our Facebook page. We read every one of them. I feel like we know all about your families, sewing projects, and your love of sewing. Mostly we know about your beautiful spirit of creativity that we celebrate!

Much love,
Kathy and Phyllis

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