Making small gifts for holidays is something I enjoy, not to mention it saves me a lot of money. The money I do spend is on the frugal supplies I purchase all through the year at yard sales, auctions and thrift stores.
For Valentine’s Day sew up a batch of faux fur Valentine pillow stacks. They can be used as a holiday decoration or as a replacement to a stuffed animal on a child’s bed. This project takes minimal sewing skills and a small amount of faux fur. Before purchasing your fur, dig through your storage boxes for your child’s old Halloween costumes. If you have fur costumes that are no longer needed, there is no reason why they can’t be recycled into something else. This recycling method can also serve as a special childhood memory.
Things you will need:
Paper
Pencil
Measuring tape
Scissors
Faux fur scraps
Straight pins
Sewing machine
Stuffing
Hand sewing needle and thread
5/8-inch-wide ribbon
Step 1
I made my heart shapes the traditional way. I folded paper in half, traced half a heart on the fold, then cut out and unfolded. You can make your hearts any size you wish. Mine were 8 1/2 inches tall by 10 inches wide (lg.), 6 1/2 inches tall by 8 inches wide (med.) and 5 inches tall by 5 1/2 inches wide (sm.).
Step 2
Fold each of your faux fur pieces with the right sides facing each other. Pin one heart on each folded fur fabric. Cut around each heart through both layers of the fabric. If your fur is really thick, you may need to cut through one layer at a time.
Step 3
Remove the paper patterns and pin together the two fur layers of each heart. Sew around each heart using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Leave a 4-inch opening on the edge of each heart.
Step 4
Clip the valley between the bumps of the hearts and cut off the bottom points (seams only). Trim the seams to 1/4 inch. The clipping and trimming will remove the bulk of the seams.
Step 5
Turn the hearts right side out and fill with stuffing. Hand sew the openings closed.
Step 6
If you are using faux fur with long fur fibers, you will notice that the length of the fibers are caught in the seam. Run the head of a needle or the teeth of a comb along the trapped fibers to pull them out.
Step 7
Cut a 46-inch length of matching 5/8-inch-wide ribbon. Stack the heart pillows in graduating stages from large to small. Place the stack on the center of the ribbon length. Bring the ends of the ribbon to the top heart and tie into a bow. Trim the ribbon as desired.