a sweet forever valentine -- the tutorial

with valentine's day approaching, and with my tree print pillows still very much on my mind, i whipped up this sweet forever valentine for me and my hubby.  using lots of fun and easy techniques, it was a quick project to make -- a couple of hours (with most of that being drying time for the paint) from start to finish -- i think it turned out super-cute.  

and, because i love you all so, i decided to write up a tutorial so everyone can make one for their sweetie!

so here we go...

the first step -- gather your supplies:



*natural-colored kona quilting cotton (top fabric)
*red kona quilting cotton (bottom fabric)
*embroidery floss -- to match the fabric colors 
*9" embroidery hoop
*a heart-shaped paper doily
*quilt basting spray
*red spray paint
           and...
*pins and needles
*scissors (small ones, if you have them)
*water-soluble fabric pen 
(these are the fabrics, embroidery floss, and spray paint that i happened to have on hand -- feel free to use whatever you like!)

next, cut each fabric piece into a square approximately 13" x 13":



now, put your paper doily right-side-down on an old towel or some other goo-safe surface, and apply a light coating of quilt basting spray to the back of the doily.
(be sure to be in a well-ventilated area...  the fumes are pretty strong)



turn the doily over and press it firmly to the center of the natural fabric and stick it on as best you can:



now get the spray paint, and (using the doily as a stencil) apply a light, even (or not, depending on how faded you want it to look) coating of spray paint to the fabric:



when dry, or however long you can wait, peel off the doily.  your heart might be a little bleedy (cannot resist those bad puns) but that's okay.  your heart may not be picture perfect, but it's still lovely.



and let the fabric dry....

when it's dry, take out your water-soluble pen and draw a small-ish heart in the center of the stenciled heart: 



and then cut it out with your scissors:



now, put the natural fabric on top of the red fabric, and put them into the embroidery hoop:



put in a few pins, and find your red embroidery floss and a needle.  use 2 strands of floss:



and make a running stitch around the edge of the heart, like this:



and when you are done, it will look like this:



now (almost done!) using your water-soluble pen again, write your names or love message inside the heart:



and use backstitch and your natural-color floss to embroider them (i used 3 strands this time).  any remaining ink can be sprayed lightly with water to erase the pen marks.  you might also want to iron the fabrics now to get any wrinkles or creases out...  be sure to use a press cloth to keep the paint off of your iron's soleplate.



center the heart in the hoop and stretch it nice and tight:



trim the egdes:



and apply some fabric glue to the inside edge of the back of the hoop.  press the fabric down firmly, one little section at a time, until the edges of the fabrics are securely attached to the hoop.  ignore any goopy globs, and let it dry.





now, hang it on the wall, stand back, and admire.  or, wrap it up and surprise your sweetie!




i hope you enjoy this little project!  
if you make one,  i'd love to hear about it.  better yet, send me a link to your photo so i can check it out!

*please remember that this project is for personal use only.  please do not sell any items made from this tutorial.  feel free to link to this page, but do not copy this tutorial or take any of my photos without asking.  i'm happy to share, but stealing makes me sad.*


note:  though i've read, bookmarked, and followed many a tutorial, this is the first time i've attempted to write my own, so if something is unclear, please let me know!




thanks for reading, sweet friends!
xoxo