From the HEART

These pretty makes are perfect for Valentine’s Day

HEART OF FLOWERS

This is a fab way to use up all those little scraps of fabric left over from past projects.

YOU WILL NEED

✽ Pencil ✽ Cardboard ✽ Scissors ✽ Felt (colour to match your fabrics) ✽ Double-sided tape ✽ 30cm ric rac ribbon ✽ Fabric glue ✽ Coloured card ✽ Lightweight fabrics ✽ Fray-stop fabric glue ✽ Newspaper ✽ Paintbrush ✽ Cutting mat ✽ 10-20mm durable steel, flower-shaped punch (for leather crafts) ✽ Small hammer ✽ Large needle ✽ Flower stamens

TO MAKE

❶ Draw and cut out a heart

(17cm wide) from cardboard. Stick to a piece of felt using double-sided tape. Draw a 3cm border around the heart on the felt and cut out.

❷ Cut the border (edge of the felt to the cardboard) from the bottom point at 1cm intervals around the heart. Fold each ‘tab’ over the card and stick with double-sided tape.

❸ Loop the ric rac ribbon and stick to the (non-felt side) of the heart (where the tabs have been folded over) with fabric glue.

❹ Cover this with another glued heart cut from coloured card or felt.

❺ With newspaper underneath, cover the back of fabric with fray-stop glue using a paintbrush. Leave to dry.

❻ Put the fabric on the cardboard with a cutting mat (facing right-side down) underneath.

❼ Cut out lots of fabric flowers using the flower-shaped punch – flower side down on the fabric, tap the top with a hammer, several times. Try this on offcuts first to see if you’re applying enough pressure.

❽ Once you have a good amount of flowers – rest them on the heart as you go – pierce a hole in the centre of each with the needle and thread through a stamen. Dab fabric glue on the back and leave to dry (upside down).

❾ Cover the front of the heart with flowers, starting at the top, using fabric glue, trimming the stamens to finish.