Annabel wanted to do something special for Grammy. It had to be purple, because everything has to be purple. Hearts are also good. Grammy likes red and she is especially fond of ladybugs, so we decided to incorporate those four things into a handmade present. At 3.5 years old (today, in fact), Annabel is into lacing, beading, writing her name, and decorating with stickers.
I drew the larger hearts on paper by hand, traced them onto inexpensive red and purple felt and cut them out. Then I punched matching holes in the two hearts. If I were to do this again I would use an awl or scissors to make small incisions. I’d advise against using a paper hole punch (ouch!). I got her started lacing string through the holes to bind the hearts together. I realized that it was Annabel's first sewing project!
While she was finishing up and having a snack, I grabbed a heart-shaped cookie cutter from the kitchen and traced hearts on three different colors of paper: dark purple, lavender and red. Annabel took over and decorated both sides of the paper hearts with drawings and ladybug stickers. She carefully put the paper hearts inside the felt heart pocket and could not wait to give it to Grammy. You can imagine how that went. :)
A lot of wool felt just arrived in the mail from Weir Dolls and Crafts. Every color they sell, in fact (oops!). It’s so pretty! I have been collecting ideas on Pinterest on a new board, and I purchased a few patterns on Etsy that I can’t wait to get to. Hopefully I’ll have them on here soon!
