Heart Hand Warmers Tutorial

First off I need to apologize.  I know I said I would get this posted yesterday and you would be able to link up one of your Valentine Projects.  This just took longer to put together then I anticipated.  I will be showing another Valentine project on Wednesday and you will be able to link a project of your own. 

I thought for my kids teachers it would be fun to make them these little heart hand warmers for Valentines day.   I made a little tutorial in case you would like to make some too.

Supplies needed:

Flannel - this just depends on how many you want to make.  Each heart takes two 5" squares of fabric.  So for two hearts I would get 2 -  5" x 10" piece's of fabric just to be safe.
Patterned Fabric - Same as the Flannel
Rice - 1/3 - 1/2 cup of rice for each heart.
Pattern - Download here
Tags - Download here  (optional)

Step 1 - Cut out your heart pattern
Step 2 - Layer your fabric - flannel, right side of fabric, wrong side of fabric, flannel.  Trace pattern on the top layer and pin.
Step 3 - Cut out your hearts
Step 4 - Make sure your fabrics are layered like in picture #4

Step 5 - Sew around heart.  Starting at the arrow (like in the picture above), start sewing making sure to back stitch.   Sew around  your heart, when you get to the point at the top, be careful not to go in too far.  Stop sewing about 1 1/2 inches from where you started sewing and backstitch.

Step 6 - Turn heart right side out with the patterned fabric on the outside of the heart.  Fill our heart with rice.  If your going to use your sewing machine to stitch up the heart be careful not to fill the heart too full or your presser foot wont stay on the heart as you try and stitch it up.  Or fill it as full as you'd like and stitch closed by hand.

 

If you want to make the tags - just cut a piece of fabric a little smaller then your card-stock tag.  You can make the tag easy enough, or I just bought mine at the local craft store.  I sewed the fabric and happy Valentines paper on the front and the directions on the back.

Package up nice and pretty!

I hope you've enjoyed this week of Valentine ideas.  Hopefully you will be able to use some of them.  Remember to come back Wednesday for one more Valentine idea and to link up your own Valentine idea.  I will also be having a fun giveaway next week from my very first sponsor so be sure and stop by!

Best Sugar Cookes Ever

I got this recipe from my sister n' law a few years ago.  It is seriously makes the best sugar cookies I've ever had.  I mean with a lb of butter of course it has to be good.  By the way I always use margarine and it works just fine. 

Enjoy!!!

A week of Valentines - continued!

For some of the ladies I visit every month I decided to make some Valentine Hot Pads.  I was going for something that looked Valentine-ish, but could still be used throughout the year.  These were so much fun to make.  I think this might be the new gift for friends Birthdays.

I decided to use the aqua's, reds and pink from the Ruby line by Bonnie and Camille for Moda.  I'm really loving these colors lately.  My daughters room is in desperate need of a makeover so I might need to talk her into these fabrics.   I used cross hatch quilting for the first time and definitely will be using it again.  It's a lot of fun.   I think I will deliver these with a pretty plate of heart valentine cookies.  I'll post my recipe for that tomorrow, they are super good!

 I am thinking however that I need to get a walking foot.  Do you have one?  Would you recommend getting one?  Are they worth the money - since they are not cheap?

Here are a few little tips for making these hot pads.

- I used 2" x 9" strips of fabric so I could make four hot pads and have a little room for a nice straight edge.
- Use two layers of thin batting.
-When quilting I only quilted the top pieced layer and one layer of batting.  The other layer of batting and fabric for the back I added when I stitched on the binding.
-The idea for the tags came from Nana Company's blog (of course).  I'm almost a little embarrassed I copy her so much.
- Used a 1/4" seam allowance.

Hope some of your can use this for a little Valentine gift!

A week of Valentines

I meant to get this posted much earlier today, but it's been one of those days. You know the kind, tons of errands, laundry, grocery shopping, piano lessons.  Plus it's early out schedule this week for the kids in school. So just to add to this already hectic week I've decided to have a week of Valentine ideas.  I have a lot of half finished projects so I figured this would force me to get them done.

Here is the plan - I will have some valentine projects of my own this Monday, Wednesday,  and Friday.  Then on Friday (If I can figure it out),  I will have a post where you can link us up to your valentine posts.  Weither it's something you sewed up or cooked - whatever, just something to celebrate Valentines.

Here is my first project.  I sorta cheated on this one because it's not my idea.  There is a tutorial for this pillow over at Diary of a Quilter.   If you haven't already checked out Amy's blog you should.  Not only is she amazingly talented but super sweet. I changed mine up a little bit by adding the binding.   This valentine fabric is by Cosmo Cricket for Moda.

Downton Abbey is killing me. I'm ready to just go and buy the 2nd season.  Watching it every Sunday for an hour is just not enough.  The suspense is killing me, I NEED to know what is going to happen.   Have I told you how much I love the clothes on this show.  Sometimes I really think I was born in the wrong era.  Although the thought of wearing a corset isn't all the appealing.    I just love the dresses and hats though.

I hope your are all having a great week.  Be thinking of some  Valentine ideas.  I would love to have you link us up to them on Friday!

My valentine hexagon pillow is coming along. Hopefully I will have it finished with some pictures by Monday.   I sold some fabric on etsy and ebay and it seemed only right to use that money to buy some more fabric.  Please tell me you understand. 

I found this sweet fabric over at Fresh Squeezed Fabrics on Etsy.  Wow, I could get in trouble spending too much time over there.  She has such a fun selection of selection of Fabrics

I do have a plan for this fabric, I had to justify buying it somehow.  I have a lot of neighbors and friends expecting babies.  When I saw these bibs I thought they would be perfect.

Of course they are from over at Nana Company.  I fall in love with everything she makes.

I have a couple of other Valentine Projects I'm working on so come back on Monday, hopefully I'll have them finished.  I'm so excited, tomorrow I get to hang out with my friend Cami.  Me and Cami met when our husbands were in college up at Utah State.  We lived in the same apartments.   She's one of those kindred spirits.  Were going to try and hit every fabric store in Northern Utah :)!  

Hexagon Love!

 If someone would have told me in High School Geometry that I would have loved Hexagons this much I wouldn't have believed it.  I know...... most people take it in Junior High, but Math was never a strong subject for me.  I find myself wanting all my sewing projects to somehow involve hexagons.

It's probably pure laziness that I love them this much.  I mean there just isn't anything better then putting on a good movie and hand sewing some hexagons.  Right now I'm working on a Valentine project.  I loved making my Christmas Pillow so this this will be something similar to that, sorta.

Last night we had the prettiest snow storm that I just had to take pictures.    This is a picture of the outside of our house.   

I love it when it looks almost blue outside when it's snowing.  We live in a neighborhood with a lot of pretty, big, old trees and I love how they look in the snow.  I wish I could say I took these while a warm pot of soup was on the stove, but I took them from our car on the way to get Taco Time, it was one of those days.

baby it's cold outside!

It's been pretty cold here in Utah.  But honestly, I can't complain.  My twin sister lives in Calgary Canada and she would put me in my place if I did.  It has been a little colder than usual though.  I saw a tutorial for these cute little hand warmers over at Bee in my Bonnet (such a cute and fun blog).  I made one for my my oldest daughter and son and the neighbor boy they walk to school with.   They were a hit!  My son comes home from school wanting them warmed up too.    I love how the tutorial has you line them with flannel, it makes them a lot softer.  I'm thinking this would be the perfect Christmas gift for friends next year.

I have been busy sewing other stuff too, but I can show you yet.  It's my newest Moda project out of this fabric by Fig Tree that I just love.  It's called California Girl - I love it!  These are only a few of the cute prints and this picture does not do them justice.

Now for my critique of Downton Abbey.  Never mind - I still don't like Thomas.  Why does Matthews fiance have to be so nice and likable?  She's messing everything up  And there is my in depth critique,  Sunday evening seems like a month ago, I guess I don't remember much.