Both Susi and I have plans to clean out and organize our craft spaces this year. She got a good start yesterday, but brought up a problem that we both share. We just can’t throw away those scraps from other projects; bits of fabric and ribbon, one leftover styrofoam ball, the last little bit of a ball of yarn. We just know that at some point those items will find a life in another project. This project is a perfect example of what I’m talking about…

I was actually going to call these Scrappy Potted Hearts because the hearts are made with leftover scraps; fabric from a quilt, a piece of a recycled sweater and a plaid that was used to make a doll skirt. I picked up the little red flower pots over a year ago on clearance for something like $0.25 (because, you know, I’d find something to do with them). The “stems” are just wooden coffee stirrers I grabbed at a coffee shop with a Christmas ornament in mind that never got made.

I think they turned out quite sweet and really this is one of those projects that can be totally different based on the fabrics you use. I wanted different textures, but I think it would be really fun just in different quilting patterns. Or you could knit up some hearts. Or do the hearts in a plain muslin and let your kids decorate them with fabric markers, what a great Valentine for grandparents.

Potted Hearts

Supplies:

• paper
• scrap fabrics
• matching threads
• stuffing
• wooden coffee stirrers or small dowels
• white paint
• small flower pots (My pots were quite small, only 1 1/2″ tall, you can use any size or color you like.)
• syrofoam that fits snuggly in the flower pots
• cotton balls or roving

Tools:

• scissors
• sewing machine (optional)
• hand sewing needle
• paintbrush
• styrofoam glue

1. Create heart patterns with the paper. Make sure they are an appropriate size for your pots. Use the patterns to cut the hearts from your fabrics. You’ll need two matching hearts pieces for each finished heart.

2. With the right sides together, sew each heart together either with a sewing machine or by hand. You want to leave a little opening at the bottom for the stem and one on the side to turn the heart and stuff it.

With my plaid heart I decided to sew it wrong sides together so that the seam allowances were on the outside. This fabric is such an open weave turning it would have made a mess and I liked the look of the fringed edges.

3. Turn the hearts right side out. Stuff. Sew up the opening on the side remembering to leave a little opening at the bottom for the stem.

4. Paint the coffee stirrers white. Let dry.

5. Put the styrofoam inside your pots. I cut down some balls I had laying around to fit.

Two were a little loose so I secured them in place with styrofoam glue.

6. Insert the stirrers into the hearts. Decide how tall you want them to be in the pots and trim as needed. I found the cut easily with scissors.

7. Press the stem into the center of the styrofoam as straight as possible. I then took it back out, put some glue on the end and reinserted it, just to keep things secure.

8. Cover the styrofoam with some cotton or roving. Glue into place.

I went with white because Valentine’s Day is still snowy here, but a green roving would make it look springy. Or you could go more natural and use a floral moss.

These come together so fast you can easily make a whole garden of them!