Greetings and Salutations! Jenn, here, with a fun project just in time for Valentine's decorating–be it your mantle or a box of something for a friend or partner.
I wanted to play with Helmar Fabric Stiffener & Draping Liquid and decided to use some basic shapes and simple tools to create some hearts, "sculpted" out of fabric.
To make your own, cut some 3" squares of fabric (cottons and natural fibers work best, man-made fibers are more slippery and might need a bit more coaxing to hold their shape) and do a quick running stitch along two sides of each square. You'll need two squares per heart, so keep your numbers even.
In a plastic container, mix some of the Helmar Fabric Stiffener and Draping Liquid with an equal amount of water. Also, roll up some balls of foil to use as a form for the heart pieces.
The next step is where things get delightfully messy, so please pardon the lack of in-progress pictures. Dunk each square of fabric in the diluted draping liquid to soak it, then squeeze out any excess. Draw up the ends of the thread to gather the fabric and snug it around one of the foil balls to help set the swell of each heart-side, forming the free corner into a bit of a point.
Once dry (up to 24 hours later, but for small things like this it may dry much quicker), gently remove the foil from the fabric and trim the dangling thread ends. You can also trim up your fabric edges, but I like the slightly messy look of the pinked and frayed ends.
To join the half-hearts together, punch some guide-holes with a 1/8" punch along the outside edge of each piece, all the way around. Then use a tapestry needle and thread, yarn, twine, or whatever you prefer, to stitch two halves together into a whole. If you start and end at the bottom you can have a built-in little tassel. If you start and end at the tops you'll have a handy hanger–the how is up to you.
Once they're all stitched together, what you do with them is completely open. They'd make cute ornaments for a Valentine's tree, a nice little package tie-on, or string them together for a fun garland.
Wishing you creative days!
