HOMESPUN HAVEN: Valentine felt sweets

Supplies
scissors
scallop edged pinking shears (for fabric)
needle, cotton thread and yellow embroidery thread
glue

Materials
felt (in dark brown, light brown, tan, pink, red, green and white)
poly fil stuffing
five medium size cupcake liners
red beads
red ric rac
small bakery box/or any small recycled box
stickers (hearts or Valentine style)
glitter
ribbon

We use three common stitches in this project:

Whipstitch, Running Stitch and French Knot. If you want a closer look at how they are done, you can easily find detailed instructions by searching online.

Directions

1) Decorate your box. Using various stickers, ribbon, glitter, markers or whatever you wish, create a fancy Valentine candy box to house your finished sweets. Place to cupcake liners in the box.

2) Cut out felt pieces.

You'll be making five different sweets: a brown square, brown circle, pink heart, biscuit square and a chocolate drizzled strawberry. (See photo for all the finished cut-out shapes.)

Brown square: Cut one 6" by 1" strip of dark brown felt. Cut two 1 1/2" by 1 1/2" squares of dark brown felt.

Brown circle: Cut one 5" by 1" strip of dark brown felt. Cut two 1 1/2" diameter circles of dark brown felt. Cut out a heart small enough to fit on top of one circle.

Pink heart: Cut two 3" by 2" rectangles of tan felt. Fold one in half and cut out a half heart shape. Unfold and trace heart onto second rectangle. Cut out second heart shape. Using the pinking shears, cut out a smaller pink heart out of pink felt.

Fold in half and cut an even smaller half heart out of the centre, using regular scissors to make a heart shaped hole. Unfold. Cut a 6" by 1 1/2" strip of white felt.

Biscuit square: With the pinking shears, cut outside light brown coloured squares (about 1" by 1"), 1 square of dark brown felt and 1 small circle of white felt.

Chocolate-drizzled strawberry: Find a glass or other circular object with a diameter of about 4" and trace the bottom onto a piece of red felt. Cut out. Cut a "pie piece" shape out of the circle (approx. 2 1/2"; see photo.) Cut out a 1" diameter circle out of green felt.

3) Assemble the pieces and decorate.

Brown square: Using a whipstitch, sew one side of the 6" strip to the outer edge of one square. Fill with a small ball of stuffing. Stitch on bottom square. Glue on a few criss-crossed strips of white and brown felt to decorate or be creative with your own design.

Brown circle: Using a whipstitch, sew one side of the 6" strip to the outer edge of one circle. Fill with a small ball of stuffing. Stitch on bottom circle. Glue on bits of ric rac and a small felt heart to decorate.

Pink heart: Accordion fold the white strip to make a tight ruffle, holding it in place with your fingers. Sew back and forth through all the layers, through the entire centre a few times to secure. Make a sandwich with the two tan hearts and white ruffle in between. Glue together. Glue pink heart cut out to the top and add clear white glitter to decorate.

Biscuit square: Stack and glue each light brown square piece, top with the dark brown piece and finally the white scalloped circle. Glue three red beads to the top to decorate.

Chocolate-drizzled strawberry: Sew the two cut sides of the cut-a-way "pie" piece together. turn inside out to hide seam. Using yellow embroidery thread, cover red felt with evenly spaced French knots. Place a small ball of stuffing in the middle. Using a running stitch, sew around the top of the circle to close the strawberry, tightening as you go and adding more stuffing if necessary.

Pull tight to secure (not so tight as to break the thread) and double knot. Cut small snips all around the green to circle (but don't cut all the way through) to create leaves. Glue to the top of the berry. Glue on small strips of dark brown felt for the chocolate drizzle.

4) Arrange your sweets in the cupcake liners and place in the bakery box. Give to your special Valentine or keep them all to yourself.

Next month: Generate feelings of an early spring by constructing your own dainty, fresh, and oh-so-pretty wire bird cage - complete with sunny songbirds, of course.