Hello friends,
Gosh…. I’ve really missed you all during my ‘retreat’ and I’m so glad to be back now to my normal routine.
Today I have a new project tutorial that incorporates all the things we love…. shabby fabrics, faux patchwork, plus it’s quick and easy!
It’s a Hanging Heart Pocket.
February is a month in which we all get heart fever, but it is the month of love after all.
While this sweet project could of course be used for Valentine’s Day, it is perfect for any time of the year.
Don’t you just love projects that are both functional and decorative?
The Hanging Heart Pocket can be assembled in a couple of hours and does dual duty as both the gift and the gift wrap.
Fill it with friendship treasures like a gift voucher, picked flowers, sweets, jewellery, tags or postcards, crafting trinkets or maybe even a button card.
How to make the Hanging Heart Pocket
Materials:
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A collection of mix and match fabrics,
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Visoflex (or any brand of iron on applique paper),
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Backing fabrics,
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Wool felt,
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40 cm of wire to make handle,
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Heart template,
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Iron and ironing board,
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Sewing machine and basic sewing supplies.
You can use any size or shape heart template. This is the one I used.
Instructions:
1. Make your heart template. It can be any shape heart, from sweetheart to primitive. My heart template was 16 cm wide by 13 cm high. You may save my heart template (above) to your own computer.
2. Trace the heart template onto your patchwork backing fabric.
3. Iron the Visoflex onto the backs of a selection of the fabrics you have chosen, using a steam free iron. I roughly cut small squares of fabric. They are not perfect or even…. but it honestly doesn’t matter for shabby projects like this. Cut out enough squares to cover your front panel. Remove Visoflex backing paper, position fabric patches onto your piece of backing fabric and press in place with iron.
4. When you have your fabrics adhered to the backing fabric, you will need to fix the squares permanently using your sewing machine, so they don’t fray or lift. Sandwich a piece of cream wool felt between the faux patchwork panel and a plain piece of backing fabric. I set my machine to a decorative blanket stitch and simply stitched up and down the rows of square patches.
5. Sew around the heart outline several times, then cut the heart shape out, about 3 – 5 mm from the perimeter seam.
6. I made a second heart using just a plain piece of fabric for the front and back panel. This will form the back panel of your heart pocket.
7. I stamped the work ‘hugs’ onto a piece of ripped white linen. You could stamp any word you like… perhaps a name or ‘happy birthday’ etc. I adhered the word patch to the front of the heart using a small piece of iron on tape and then added a couple of decorative stitches and a button.
8. Lay the decorative patchwork heart on top of the plain heart. Mark on the side of the heart where you want to start and stop sewing the outer perimeter. For mine, I measured from the lowest point, back up the side of the heart 11 cm. Sew the side seams to join the two hearts, leaving the top of the heart open to form a pocket.
9. Make a hanger for your heart from 40 cm of wire. I decided to use a piece of rusty wire, but you could use any kind that suits your purpose and fabric theme. In order to attach the wire hanger to your heart, you’ll need to make 2 small holes on either side of the heart – just above where your side seam stops.
To make my holes, I used a large doll making needle to make a hole big enough to insert the wire end. You may need to juggle it around a little to make the hole bigger.
10. Insert wire end through hole, from back of heart, so that it extends out onto the front of the patchwork heart. Using wire cutters, twist the end around a couple of times to form a coil and then flatten against your heart using your wire cutters or pliers. When you have finished one side, repeat process to finish wire hanger on the other side of heart.
11. To finish, add a simple embellishment to the wire hanger eg. ripped fabric bow and/or tulle bow, a flower or paper embellishment.
Now your pocket is ready to fill with pretty gifts!!
[Pin for later]
If you enjoyed this project, see more faux patchwork projects
on my Tutorials page.
Happy crafting my friends,
♥
Kerryanne
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What a gorgeous piece, Kerryanne! Love this!
Love this but I’m not surprised as you always treat our shabby hearts with the most adorable projects. Thanks clever lady 🙂 xo
Sure am glad you’re back, got us spoiled. You’re always soo good to us.. Hope you enjoyed your time, think you deserved it and then some.
Am finally getting myself back into doing some crafting, making Valentines, thanks to so many wonderful projects on blog land,, including yours of course.
Youngest daughter and grand daughter’s birthdays coming up in early April so will have time to make these for them. Think will make one for grand daughter at college in CA, her b/d is Feb. 9th.when she’ll be 20 yrs. old. Two grand son’s/brothers just had their b/d/s also, they’re 21 and 19. Seems odd not to say other grand son’s b/d, he’s grandson that died of cancer on June 8, 2016, was 22.. Still very hard for me.
Anyway love this heart, will think of grandson that passed away when I make them. Hope I can do the hearts I make justice, out of practice.
Enjoy rest of your week and thanks so much for sharing this with us.
So cute dear! Love it! Thanks for sharing such an amazing idea!