This February, Kirstie Phipps brings us two heartwarming crafting projects, perfect for adding a handmade touch to Valentine’s Day! Whether you’re looking for a unique gift or a charming way to decorate your home, these beginner-friendly crafts are a lovely way to spread the love.
First, Kirstie will guide you through making adorable stuffed hearts on sticks using your choice of fabric, then she’ll show you how to create a beautiful bouquet of pom-poms on sticks—a fun and fluffy alternative to traditional flowers that will last long after Valentine’s Day and perfect for adding a personal, heartfelt touch to gifts or home décor.
These simple yet creative projects are a wonderful way to celebrate love and craftsmanship… Let’s get crafting!
Valentine's Bouquet
Skill level: Beginner
You will need:
- Heart template – printed and cut out
- 3mm x 30cm wooden dowel
- 1mm x 30cm wooden skewer
- Cotton fabric 13cm x 13cm, 2 pieces per heart
- Wool stuffing (5-7g approx. per heart)
- Yarn (3-4g approx. per heart)
- Thread
- White acrylic paint
- Paintbrush
- Glue gun with glue
- Vanishing ink fabric pen
- 4cm pom-pom maker
- Sharp scissors
- Fabric scissors
- Pinking shears
- Needle
- Pom-pom maker
- Chopstick or similar
- Sewing machine
To Make:
Step 1
Paint the wooden dowel with the white acrylic paint. Leave to one side to dry.
To make the heart sticks:
Step 2
Take two pieces of fabric and place wrong sides together so the colour or pattern is facing out on both sides. Place the heart template on top in the centre of the fabric and draw around it with the vanishing ink fabric pen.
Step 3
Starting 2cm from the bottom of one side of the heart, using a straight stitch, sew around the heart shape on the sewing machine. Stop sewing approximately 3 cm from where you started, leaving a gap.
Step 4
Stuff the heart through the hole created with the wool stuffing. Use a chopstick (or similar) to poke the stuffing into all areas of the heart. Stuff until the heart is plump, but where you are still able to sew the gap shut.
Step 5
On your sewing machine, straight stitch the gap in the stitching shut.
Step 6
Take your pinking shears and cut around the heart shape approximately 3mm away from the stitching. Also cut off any loose threads.
Step 7
Take one of the wooden dowels and place a line of glue from your glue gun neatly down the vertical centre of the heart, 1cm from the bottom of the heart to 1cm from the top. Place the wooden dowel on top of the glue and hold in place until the dowel is secured.
Repeat steps 1-7 to create as many hearts as you would like for your bunch.
To make the pompom sticks:
Step 8
Take your pom-pom maker, open it up and begin winding yarn around the semi-circle until it is full of yarn.
Step 9
Take the yarn to the other side of the maker and begin winding yarn around the semi-circle until it is also full of yarn.
Step 10
Close the pom-pom maker shut to create a circle. Take a sharp pair of scissors and cut the yarn along the middle of the yarn all the way around the circle, following the ridge in the maker.
Step 11
Cut a piece of yarn approximately 20cm long, Place the yarn through the middle of the pom-pom maker and tie two knots. Turn the pom-pom maker over, take the yarn to that side and tie two more knots.
Step 12
Open the pom-pom maker and remove the pom-pom. Roll the pom-pom gently in your hands to fluff up the yarn and create a ball shape. Using your sharp scissors, trim the yarn so the edges of the pom-pom are neat.
Step 13
Add a little of the glue gun glue to the sharp end of the skewer, insert into the centre of the pom-pom, ensuring it doesn’t come out the other side. Hold in place until attached.
Repeat all of the steps to create as many pom-pom sticks as you would like.
Tips and ideas
- If you do not have a sewing machine, you could hand stitch instead.
- If you would like to create different shapes, for example a star, use the same method but create a new template to use.
- You could make letters to spell out a word or a name.
- Instead of attaching the hearts to a dowel, you could attach them to ribbon or string to use as bunting.
- You may wish to add gravel or stones to the bottom of your vase to help the bouquet stand well.
- If you have a different style of pom-pom maker to the one pictured, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to create your pom-poms.
