This simple embroidery and felt project is perfect for beginners. You could just make one Rainbow to show your support for the wonderful NHS or make some hearts for Valentines day.
This is an updated version of a project I made a few years ago (see the original here). For this version I have added templates for a cloud and a rainbow and also added some shimmery crystals for extra sparkle.
You could make these shapes individually and hang them in your window to catch the sun or make a few of each and create a lovely mobile by fixing them to a paper straw as I have in the instructions below and hanging from the ceiling.
If you would like to watch me making a heart version of this project then watch my Sewyeah Stay Home and Stitch Instagram TV here (the tutorial starts around the 17-minute point)
YOU WILL NEED
Templates - download here ( they will download automatically to your download folder with a weird name!!)
Felt in a variety of colours (approximately 10 x 20 cm large) CLOUDCRAFT has a lovely selection
Scissors
Water soluable pen or tailors chalk
Embroidery threads in dark grey and various other colours
Embroidery needle
A small needle and cotton for beads
A selection of crystal beads (I love Swarovski ones but any glass beads will work)
A Paper straw
TO MAKE A HEART
1. Download the templates, cut out and pin to a piece of felt folded in two.
2. Cut out the felt heart.
3. Draw eyes onto each half of the felt heart.
4. Separate the dark grey embroidery silk so you have just two of the thinner strands of silk. Use a split stitch or back stitch to sew the eyes and eyelashes.
5. Pin the two cloud pieces together then use a contrasting colour of embroidery silk to stitch the two clouds together. A blanket stitch works well.
HOW TO BLANKET STITCH
6. Tie a knot in the end of the embroidery silk, bring the needle through the front piece of felt from the back (so the knot will be hidden inside the cloud in the end) Insert the needle back into the felt (through both layers) about 5mm further along the felt. Loop the silk behind the needle then pull the needle and silk through the felt.
7. Embroider around the heart then stop leaving a small opening for the stuffing.
8. Fill with a small amount of toy stuffing or felt scraps then stitch closed.
9. To make sure you don't have any annoying bits of thread on show, take the needle and thread through the stuffed heart and then snip away the thread so the end gets 'lost' inside the heart.
10. Dip a dampened end of a cotton bud into a blusher compact and add rosy cheeks to the cloud.
11. Secure a piece of cotton to the base of the heart with a couple of overstitches. Again you can hide the raw end of the cotton inside the heart by stitching through the heart from the back when you first start stitching.
12. Thread a few crystals or glass beads onto the cotton.
13. When you have your desired length of beaded tail, loop the cotton around the final bead and then thread the needle and cotton back through the beads back up to the heart base.
14. Secure the tail with a few more overstitches and then lose the cotton into the heart as before.
15. Thread a large needle with a longish length of baker's twine, sew through the top of the cloud.
16. Tie a bow with a double knot then trim one end short and leave the other long.
Repeat the above steps to make the cloud and rainbow. If you don't want to blanket stitch all your shapes together then using pinking shears or scalloped edged scissors and a running stitch to create some variety. (I've done this on the rainbow below)
The cloud and rainbow are made in the same way. For the rainbow above, I have cut the felt out with scallop edged scissor and stitched together with a simple running stitch. I have sewn the rainbow arches using a split stitch. (Sew the rainbow on both sides for maximum cheer!)
TO TURN INTO A MOBILE
17. Take one of your felt shapes and use a large needle thread the end of the baker's twine through the middle of the paper straw (be careful not to bend the straw as you do this.)
18. Repeat with your other shapes, making sure they are an equal distance apart. Secure in place with a couple of knots in the twine. Use the excess twine on the outer two shapes to hang your mobile up.
Hang in a window and admire. Wait till the sun comes out to see all the sparkle!
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