Thanks for joining me for Day 2 of my 14 Days of Love series. Have no idea what I'm talking about? Catch yourself up here. Go ahead! I'll wait! Great! You're back! Now that you know what's happening, I am excited to share some love with you!
It is no secret that I am an AVID reader! Give me an engaging book and a cozy spot and I will need little else for the day! So without a doubt something I always love to create is a bookmark of some kind. This year, I wanted to use some leather I have in my stash. (Why do I have this? Well, that's a story for another day). I decided I wanted to create a corner-style bookmark and, because we are all about the love here, I wanted it to look like a heart!
This is not as terribly challenging as you might worry, but I do have some pointers along the way! Let's get started!
First, you will need:
- thin leather
- a heart to outline
- pencil or pen
- scissors
- tape (preferably washi tape)
- a sturdy needle
- coordinating thread
- a thimble
Start by tracing your heart twice on the back of the leather. I used pencil, but since it's the back and on the inside, I would use pen next time. Then simply trim the two hearts out.
Next, tape the two hearts together, back to back. Tape at the top where you won't be stitching. This keeps the hearts lined up so there is minimal shift while you are stitching them together. Now just pull off a long piece of thread and double it over. When you pull your first stitch through the heart, you will run the needle back through the loop of thread. You have now started sewing without a knot! Now just keep going! Puch your needle through both layers from the bottom. When you pull it all the way through, place your needle over a little bit and starting pushing through from the bottom again.
This picture really has a lot going on. You're seeing the stitching, the tape, and some fun marks on my finger! Those marks are what I use to help space my stitching. I simply line one mark up with the stitch I made and line the needle up with the next mark on my finger. Now I wish I could give you details on the needle, but I don't actually think it's a leather needle. It's just a sturdy one I had in my pincushion. I do however recommend a thimble. Even with thin leather, pushing that needle through is a chore! And one you don't want to rely on your fingertips for.
So just keep stitching until you get to the other side. You can of course secure your thread there and call it a day. I, however, decided to work back around the area I stitched so my stitches made an "x". It was really easy because I was just pushing the needle back through the holes I'd already made!
When I reached the end, I ran my needle under a stitch and pulled back through the loop I made. I did this a couple of times and then ran the needle down the side under the stitches for about an inch. When I clipped the thread, the tail blends right into the stitch work.
This whole lovely piece actually only took me about half an hour! If you whip out a sewing machine, it would take less time than that! It would also take less time if you made it in felt, the perpetually forgiving fabric.
I hope you enjoyed your tutorial of love today! Come back tomorrow for another surprise!