In the Valentine spirit, I will be sharing with you a pattern that has been waiting for its comeback for 4 years! This will be a full heart version of my heart pillow set, so take note that while the process pictures are of the half heart patterns, the tutorial will be for the full heart pillow. It will make the perfect gift for your partner, friends, family, or yourself!
Tools and Materials
Fabric of your choice
Stuffing (I recommend polyfill but you can use cotton balls, sponges, or old fabric scraps)
Scrap fabric or embroidery thread for decoration
Trace and cut out the pieces
Trace the front and back pieces onto the “wrong” side, or back side, of your fabric. When you trace the back side, make sure you flip the template over so the two sides will line up perfectly when you sew everything together. Cut them out around half an inch outside your lines for the seam allowance.
If you want to decorate the front or the back of your plushie pillow, now is the time to do so! I like to sew felt scraps using a running stitch for images and I use embroidery for lettering.
To learn more about embroidery basics, check out the Embroidery 101 post!
Sew the pieces together
Start with the front piece and the edge piece. Place them so that the right side (or the outside) of each piece is facing each other. Line the strip up with the bottom corner of the heart, starting about half an inch down from the short end. Pin the halves together if you like, to keep the fabric in place as you work.
Sew the two pieces together using a back stitch for strength or a running stitch for speed.
When you’ve sewed all the way around, sew the two ends of the strip together and sew the back piece on in the same way. Make sure to leave about a one inch gap for turning the plushie!
Flip inside out and stuff
Through the hole you left, flip the plushie inside out and stuff it with the material of your choice. I like to use polyfill stuffing, but if you don’t have access to that, you can use scraps of fabric, cotton balls, or cut up sponges as filling instead.
After the plushie has been stuffed, sew the opening closed using a ladder stitch.
Now you have a lovely plush ready to be thrown at your loved ones or saved for the next time you see a friend (whenever that may be, stay safe out there y’all). I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine’s Day with whoever you’re spending it with and if you make this heart pillow, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Twitter at @thenerDIYblog! If you have any questions or comments you can also leave a message in the comments below.
If you'd like your crafting questions answered live, I stream on Twitch at twitch.tv/finding_doro.
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