Valentine's Day is meaningful to me because my husband proposed years ago on Valentine's Day It was a meaningful moment that held a few surprises for both of us. As expected, we boarded a Valentine's dinner train in Santa Fe and enjoyed the trip into the New Mexico countryside. As we were enjoying good food and drinks aboard, the train stopped in Lamy, New Mexico, unexpectedly for a few hours. All passengers had to disembark and were strongly encouraged to have dinner at a large touristy Old West themed restaurant.
My husband and I grew up near Boot Hill, so we were not opposed to the restaurant, but we opted to skip the crowd, cancan dancers, and enjoy the crisp evening under the stars. It was there at that rural depot between the train engines and below the stars, my husband asked me to marry him, and I obviously said yes. Each year we celebrate Valentine's Day and remember the fun proposal. We've since visited that spot and the depot in Lamy, and the restaurant is no longer there. It's almost like it never existed...a figment of our imagination!
To prepare for Valentine's Day, I've been making some favorite heart embellishments to add a hand-made touch to the cards and small gifts I'll give my family. I love to make 2 types of hearts - crochet and quilted hearts. Chances are if you know me, you've likely gotten one of these fun hearts. These hearts are easy to make and a great use for leftover yarn and mini charms. Here's how you can make your own:
Crochet Hearts
Supplies Needed:
- Worsted weight cotton yarn scraps. You can use other types of yarn, but I like using cotton yarn because you can see the stitches better and the hearts are a bit thicker.
- Size G (4mm) hook
- Yarn Needle to weave in tails.
I've got a YouTube video with step-by-step instructions here and a free pattern here.
Quilty Hearts
Supplies Needed:
- Fabric scraps (Red, White, or Pink), cut into 2 ½” squares.
- Batting scraps, also cut into 2½” squares. This can be any type of batting.
- Backing fabric (light-colored fabric works best), cut into 2 ½” squares
-
Heart template (for tracing).
💡 Want to make larger hearts? You can use larger squares to create the heart size you want. I often use 3” or 3 ½” squares for larger hearts.
Find a free pattern here for these adorable hearts! Instructions to make little heart clips are included, too.
Creative Ways to Use These Hearts
Here are some of my favorite uses for these fun hearts:
❤️ Gift embellishments – Hot glue a mini clothes pin on the back and clip them onto Valentine’s gifts for friends and family. I also like to use them to clip a card to a gift bag, too.
❤️ DIY garlands – Clip the hearts to a rope or ribbon to create a fun decorative garland. You can even clip photos or mementos to the garland!
❤️ Say thank you! – I clip these hearts to my quilting invoices for my longarm customers. Many of them have a nice collection of these hearts as well as other embellishments I’ve shared!
I hope you had fun making these adorable hearts! If you were inspired, let us know—I’d love to know how you'll use these hearts.
Wishing you a wonderful and creative Valentine’s Day! ❤️