Valentine's Argyle Sweater - a tutorial

Valentine's Day is almost here! and here is a cute way to make a plain old sweatshirt look special for the day. Argyle with HEARTS!

It is pretty easy to do...and FAST. You can put this on a sweatshirt you make yourself (that is what I did, and I think it is a bit easier since there is no back to wrestle with on the machine), or add this to an already done sweater. **This would look super cute on the back of a cardigan too!

Here is what you need:

Download the pattern and template here

small bits of felt
embroidery thread

Here is what you do:

Cut out 5 hearts using the pattern. (if you don't want to use the template I am also including the measurements for the layout, so you can just cut out hearts that measure approx. 2" x 2" )

Now take your sweatshirt front (or back, or wherever you want to put the argyle) and find the center. Draw the center line with a fabric marker or chalk. Now you can use the template and transfer the marks onto the shirt, OR you can draw the following lines on your shirt to make sure the hearts are evenly placed

Take your hearts and place one along the center line, take the others and place them centered on each 2" mark on either side, switching their directions. you can sew around them with a straight stitch or a zigzag stitch

take a ruler and draw diagonal lines between the 1" marks you made between the hearts. draw lines in both directions

Now you can either use a thick thread in you machine and sew over the lines, or you can use embroidery thread and sew a straight stitch by hand (I like the look of the embroidery thread, and found that the thread on my machine did not stand out enough, but it really depends on what thread you are using and the look you want)

Done! , now you can finish your sweatshirt as directed or wear if you used an already done peice! 

easy peasy

Happy Valentine's day

~Christine

Valentines' Sparkle Hearts - DIY tutorial headbands, brooches and more

I think these are my favorite little things to make! they are seriously addictive! These cute little puffy sparkle hearts are so fast and cute to make, try to make only one...go on..I dare you!

With just a small amount of felt, stuffing and some sequins and beads - you can make a ton of these to decorate almost anything

What you need:

Here's how:

Cut two of the same size hearts out of felt

take one heart and sew on sequins and beads, or just sequins (this is the top)

Take the other heart (this is the back) - if you are making a brooch, then sew the back pin on now

lay the top on the back (right sides out) and sew around the outside edge with embroidery thread, leaving a small gap. You can either sew with a straight stitch or a whip stitch

take a small amount of stuffing and put it in through the gap, you may need a pencil or knitting needle to help get the stuffing in. (I put enough stuffing in so they are slightly firm and hold their shape well)

Stitch the gap closed

All done! how cute is that!!??

You can add hair pins to the back with a glue gun, you can also hand stitch a thin loop of elastic to the back to make a cute hairband

My daughter made a bunch for her friends, so we bought some plain cards to make valentines. I punched some holes in the front of the card to put the pins/brooches and used some alphabet stamps to write a cute message

Make a whole bunch to fill up a bowl, or how cute would these be as a garland! Now go an make you some sparkle hearts!

Sequin heart elbow patch - tutorial

 How cute is this???
I was on the hunt looking for a cute somethin' special for my little girls to wear on Valentines, and found nothing ( that I would be comfortable with them wearing anyhow...:) )
I know they love sparkles, so I came up with this cute little elbow patch idea that works with any long sleeve pattern you have.

Perfect for Valentines day (or any day really...what doesn't look good with sparkly hearts?)
This works with any pattern, knits or wovens, and can actuallly be put anywhere on the shirt, not just the elbows as an embellishment. You could even add this to an already made shirt (although it would be tricky to add to the sleeve on a ready made garment) *** I have used my Sweetheart cardigan pattern...coming soon!)

What you need:

• Sequins
• Seed beads
• thread
• heart shape cut out of card stock/thick paper (any size you like, mine was 3" high)
• small amount of interfacing
• fabric for your garment, or a ready made piece of clothing 

Here is what I did:

take your sleeves and fold them in half length wise, press well to create a fold line. This is the center line to line up your heart. (I like to hem my sleeves first to get the placement right, but this depends on what you are making and your pattern's directions)

take your heart shape and place it just about half way up from the hem on the right side of you sleeve

make sure to center the hear along the center line you pressed to make sure it is even

trace you heart

if you are using a knit or thin fabric then you will want to iron on a small piece (slightly larger then your heart) of interfacing on the back

Tip - I like to take a scrap piece of felt and put my sequins and beads on it, keeps them from blowing/rolling away and makes them easy to pick up

Starting along the edge of the heart, pull your thread through the back of the sleeve, sew on a sequin from behind, add a seed bead to the thread, go back into the top of the sequin (skipping the bead) and go to the back of the sleeve. See how the seed bead holds the sequin in place without showing the thread? nice!
start again coming up just beside (about 1/4" or less) of the sequin you just sewed.

Continue going around the outside edge first, and keep going until you fill up the heart

now do the other side!
complete your garment as directed.


What a glam way to celebrate Valentines!

~ Christine