Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Elizabeth's Heart

Do you feel Springy today! I do! Spring is back in my step as well as my yard. My daffodils are poking their fat yellow heads above the soil. I can barely wait a moment longer.


What a perfect day to share how it is that I make my hearts. I have made them since childhood and have always given them away to people who inspire my life. Here you can see my stitching has been completed with very simple and basic stitches. I have used one strand of floss to baste my first heart on to a second cut slightly larger. Giving your heart a dry press with the iron a few seconds at this point will create magic, I promise!

Starting at the center of the heart, stitch to the LEFT between each pink with two strands of floss.

If part of your border is to be little flowers or shamrocks such as I have stitched here, they can be done during this step. Hearts secured, remove basting thread.

Attach your hanging ribbon with a few stitches. Position your heart back piece, stitching to the LEFT with one strand of floss, go down through the front of the felt between peeks then come up almost in the same spot. Needle will then go behind point of peek and down in next between spot. All of your stitches will be hidden behind the points on the FRONT of the heart. Check from time to time on the back of the heart to make sure you are not coming up in the same hole you went down in.

Be sure and stuff your heart with fiberfill before taking your last stitches. Here you can see how tiny the stitches are. They create the sewing line for the next step. Pull thread through the felt at a distance and cut off, a knot is not necessary.

Using three strands of floss, stitching from RIGHT to LEFT, following the tiny tacking stitches. Note the parallel placement of my needle. Bring needle up at first tacking stitch, down at next tacking stitch, back up the slightest bit ahead of first stitch. This is called the outline stitch, my very favorite stitch of all. I use this stitch to "write" my words.

All done and tucked inside my childhood Easter basket.

A day to feel Spring in my step. A day to share my heart pattern. A day to give thanks for wonderful friends who added their prayers to mine.


26 comments:

  1. hi sunshine! congrats to your daughter! and to you for raising her! beautiful heart! I love the TWO that you made for me..
    enjoy the sunshine and the warmth! I FINALLY took the christmas garlands and the wreaths down from outside the house today!
    hugs!

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  2. Oh Elizabeth!
    I am so glad she made it!!!!! I imagine you and your husband's hearts are about to burst! Yes, please tell her how happy I am for her.....
    And thanks for the tutorial, someday maybe I will be able to try this, but my fingers just don't co-operate most of the time when I have to push a needle thru anything.....I am so glad you are feeling better!

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  3. Congrats to your sweet girl! I knew she would do it!

    Oh, your hearts--you're always so generous in sharing your patterns--thank-you! I really am feeling the urge to do a little needlework again, thanks to you and your delightful projects! (Need to finish my tags, first, though--stop luring me to other things!)

    Glad you're enjoying a beautiful spring day--so am I...it's delicious!

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  4. Hi Elizabeth,
    Congrat's to your daughter! That is so awesome!
    I think that is my FAVORITE heart pillow that you have made. Those little bunnies are the sweetest!
    Warmly,
    Deb :)

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  5. Your heart pattern is sweet-thanks for sharing with us. Congratulations to your daughter-A great accomplishment!
    Sherry

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  6. Congratulations to the brand new Officer Andrus!!!!

    And to her proud parents, too :)

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  7. Congratulations to your daughter, quite the accomplishment!

    Thank you so much for sharing exactly how you make your hearts, I still don't know if I could make one as beautiful as your's are, but thank you!

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  8. Congratulations to your Officer daughter! You all must be extremely proud of her.
    Aw, and your signature hearts are "you" and always so special - but, I may just have to make this cutey Easter one for my display. Thank-you!

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  9. Congrats to your daughter. I think my 14 year old is going to take years and years to find his path. He just isn't interested in anything academic at the point. It's all about the socializing. Your Easter heart is so pretty and perfect. Wishing you a most beautiful day. :) Tammy

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  10. I prayed for her last night! Congratulations!
    Blessings, Sarita Boyette
    sboyette@tx.rr.com

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  11. Congratulations to your twirly swirly girl!! Your hearts are so pretty and finely made. I know the one I sent you isn't anywhere nearly as nice...I'll have to try to make another one now that I see how you've stitched them together.

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  12. Congrats to your daughter! You must be so proud of her! and thank you for the heart tutorial.

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  13. The sight of your hearts make me happy! ♥

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  14. Good Morning lovely lady,

    Congratulations to your daughter, the officer, and to the two extremely proud parents. Obviously you've done an excellent job in raising her. I'm so happy you're taking care of yourself and slowing down the crafting express train! We need our lovely hostess with the mostess, and her exsquisite writing ability to tantelize us with visits to the past. Have a great day, and I'm sending out prayers to Officer TSG!

    Lot's of hugs,
    Meri

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  15. Hi Elizabeth!

    Thank you so much for dropping in for a visit. You brighten my day too. :)

    Yippie yippie! Doing the happy dance over here for your twirly swirly girl!

    And thank you so much for your darling heart tutorial, you're so sweet to share it with us. Your little embroidered bunnies give me the giggles, they are so adorable.

    Happy happy day to you!

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  16. I am so happy for your daughter. It is hard when your young ones loose their way. Mine is finally on her path, too. Is completing her second year of her MSW and will be using her art abilities in her counseling.

    Continue to take it easy and feel better!

    Suz

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  17. Dear Em, Congrats to You and Your Daughter, being a Mother is such a joy, especially when are children reach there goals, we can Celebrate with them. This is the wonders of parenthood! So glad for your time to celebrate your journey of Motherhood.
    Thanx for your Lovely Easter Heart Pattern, that was very generous of you, and even though, I don't think I can embroider, I just might give it a go!:D

    Enjoy Your Sunshiny Springtime day!
    Christine

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  18. Congratulations to the new, shiny, Officer Andrus! I'm sure you are all going to celebrate in some fun way...you and the Mr. must be very happy for her. Prayers were answered...hugs all around!
    Your heart will be a special gift for your dear friend..I'm sure she'll love it. How could she not?
    xoxo
    Joyce

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  19. Congratulations to your daughter. So wonderful she made it! Thanks for the heart pattern and instructions. Groeten from a happy CB heart owner!!

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  20. Best wishes to Officer Andrus! I know you are so proud of her. I am so excited to see this tutorial for your wonderful hearts. No one does them as beautifully as you. Have a great weekend! Twyla

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  22. Thank you for these good times on your blog. I am often at the station to watch (over and over again) these wonderful articles that you shared. Really very interesting. All the best !

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  23. Thank you for showing how you do these hearts. I'd seen them doing a web search for Valentine hearts, and fell in love with them. It took a while to find who made them, and how, but it was worth the search!

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Your kind words mean so very much to me. Thank you for your visit! Elizabeth