This is a great project for using up scraps of fabric and give a Scandinavian flavour to your festive decorations.

You will need …

• Fabric

• Felt

• Buttons/Beads (optional)

• Ribbon/string

• Stuffing

• Needle & pins

• Thread

• Scissors

• Paper & pencil (for the templates

How to …

• Start by creating your templates, you will need one for the fabric and a smaller one of the felt. For the fabric template, don’t forget to add about 5mm seam allowance.

• Cut out your fabric and felt using the templates. You will need to cut out two from the fabric and one from the felt for each decoration you make.

• Take one of the fabric hearts and stitch on the felt and button/bead in the centre of the heart.

• Place the right sides of the fabric together. Take the ribbon or string and cut an appropriate length for a hanging loop. Fold the ribbon or string in half and place it between the two pieces of fabric so the ends of the loop are sticking out of the top centre of the heart slightly. With the ribbon or string sandwiched in this way, when you turn the heart the right way out the hanging loop will be securely fastened.

• Thread the needle and start stitching on the right hand bump and working in an anti clockwise direction. I recommend backstitch to make sure everything is securely stitched. When you get to the hanging thread make sure you stitch through the ribbon or string.

• Continue stitching all the way round but leave a gap of 2-3cm. Tie off the thread but don’t snip the end as you will continue using the thread later. Snip into the seam allowance every 1cm - but be careful not to snip into your stitching, this will help get a smooth finish.

• Turn right side out and make sure all the edges have been fully turned out. You could press the seam allowance if a smoother finish is needed.

• Carefully stuff the heart, you want some padding but don’t want it to be over stuffed. You could add some spices such as cinnamon or cloves in with the stuffing for some lovely Christmassy smells.

• Carefully stitch closed the opening using an invisible stitch.