How to sew Valentine’s Day decorations?
If you’d like to decorate your house or apartment for Lovers’ Day, we’ve got some ideas for DIY sewing items to get you in the romantic mood.
A garland of hearts
If you’re looking for a decoration that’s both simple and pretty, you can try your hand at making a garland of hearts. All you’ll need are fabric coupons and a thick thread (you can use wool, bias tape, cord, etc.). Start by drawing a heart on a small piece of cardboard.
Use this pattern to cut pieces of fabric, taking care to cut two from the same fabric each time. You can use coupons or scraps of fabric from your closet, or cut the shapes from old sheets you no longer use.
For maximum Valentine’s Day effect, choose fabrics in reds or pinks. All that’s left is to assemble the hearts in pairs, wrong sides together, 0.5cm from the edge (if you have them, you can iron-on one of the two hearts to make it stiffer) and notch the edges with special scissors. Then hand assemble each heart on the chosen thread, at equal distances. And you’re done!
Romantic cushions
Cushions are an inexpensive way to decorate your home. Depending on your needs, you can sew a large cushion for the sofa, flat cushions to slide over dining room chairs, or small cushions of around ten centimetres to place on a table or to decorate a bookcase.
To sew a Valentine’s Day-inspired cushion, you have several options. The most complicated is to assemble a heart-shaped cushion. Follow this step-by-step tutorial from Les Tissus Loups.
If you prefer to play it safe with a simple shape, you can sew a classic square or rectangular cushion in a light fabric and add one or more red or pink hearts using the appliqué technique, much used in patchwork. If you’re looking for an even simpler solution, sew a cushion with a heart-printed fabric.
A Valentine’s table
If you’re planning a romantic dinner, why not sew a placemat for the occasion? The free pattern from Mondial Tissus allows you to make a pretty linen or cotton pattern with a flounce. To adapt it to the occasion, use red or pink fabrics, printed with little hearts… You can also add hearts using the appliqué technique, or embroider a heart, a first name…
Our homemade placemat is a little different in appearance, but just as easy to sew thanks to the step-by-step video tutorial!
To go with these coasters, you can sew coasters using the same fabrics. Simply cut two heart shapes and sew them together back-to-back. You can use fusible interfacing to make the coaster stiffer and more heat-resistant.
You can sew a trivet in the same way and match the two on your Valentine’s Day table.
An envelope for sweet words
Valentine’s Day is traditionally the perfect time to send love letters and other sweet words. To personalize your missive even more, you can sew fabric envelopes. They can also be used as decoration if you place them around your home.
To sew a fabric envelope, go to our home-made video tutorial which explains step-by-step how to assemble each piece. The pattern is easy to adapt to your desired size.
This is a simple project suitable for beginners who have already begun to tame their sewing machine. As with previous sew-alongs, you can have fun choosing pink or red fabrics, printed with romantic hearts or flowers.
To personalize your envelopes, you can also sew on the first name of the person for whom the note is intended. Cut all the necessary letters from a contrasting fabric.
All you have to do is slip in a letter or card!
Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? Do you usually give small handmade gifts to your loved ones or partner?
