Today's tutorial is for a quick Valentine's Day project. I simply love Valentine's Day and enjoy making a little something to give to my friends each year, even if they roll their eyes at me. This year is no different, and I thought cupid's arrows would be a good way to spread the love.
To make a cupid arrow, you will need:
- Felt in red and pink, or any colors of your choosing
- Embroidery floss
- Embroidery needle
- scissors
- safety pin
Step One: Print out the cupid arrow template and cut out each shape. Use the template to cut two of each shape out of the felt. I used red and pink, but feel free to mix up the colors.
Step Two: Place the two rectangular pieces together and sandwich them between the two pieces of the tail, or fletching, of the arrow. Use a contrasting floss color, run the needle through the center of the felt pieces to hide the knotted end, and stitch down the center of the arrow tail with a running stitch. Make sure to stitch through all the layers of felt.
Step Three: Use running stitches at an angle along both sides of the tail to make it look like arrow fletching. Again, make sure to stitch through all the layers of felt. As you can see in the photos below, I didn't measure or mark where these stitches would go, and my stitches are a little uneven and crooked. If you prefer straight stitches you can use a water soluble pen to create stitching marks, then dab them away with a wet cloth. When finished, hide the knot at the end of your floss in between the two pieces of felt.
Step Four: Place the opposite end of the arrow between the two heart-shaped pieces of felt. This will become the arrowhead. Pin this in place to keep it aligned. Pull the thread with floss between the two heart pieces to hide the knot, and use a running stitch along the whole outer edge of the heart to attach them and enclose the rectangle. Hide the knot at the end of the floss in between the pieces of felt.
*I decided to trim off a bit of the rectangle here, shortening it by about 3/4 of an inch. You can trim it to the length of your liking, or leave as is.
Your arrow should look something like this.
Step Five: Use floss in a contrasting color, and create a blanket stitch along one long edge of the rectangle between the arrowhead and the tail/fletching.
Pull the needle through the rectangular pieces and blanket stitch the other side. Hide the knotted end of the floss between the pieces of felt.
Step Six: Take the safety pin and place it in the middle of the back of the rectangle. Attach the safety pin to the felt by carefully stitching to the back piece of felt. Make sure not to pull the stitch through both layers of felt.
Step Seven: Your arrow is ready to be pinned to a jacket or shirt.
Hope you enjoy and are able to give this tutorial a try!
This is super sweet! A great idea.
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