Stamped Embroidery Hoop Valentine's Day Art

 

You need absolutely no skill to make this little project, as the whole point is to create something that looks rather simple and homespun.  I apologize for the lack of instructional photos, but it really is very easy and only took me about thirty minutes to complete (and that's only because I restitched a bit of my heart.)

 

 

You'll need:

an embroidery hoop
stamp set
stamp pad
fabric (I used a leftover dropcloth)
embroidery thread
embroidery needle

I traced the hoop onto my dropcloth but cut out the circle about an inch or so larger than my traced pattern.  Then, I stamped one of my favorite movie lines (from Love Actually) onto the fabric.  I touched up the letters using a pencil which I found blended perfectly with my black ink.

Next, I stitched the heart freehand using a simple stitch.  Because I was going for a "rustic" I didn't sketch the heart first, but I'd recommend drawing it very, very lightly with a pencil.  I wasn't happy with the way mine was looking and I ended pulling out a few stitches to "reshape" it.

When you're finished, insert it into your hoop, tighten the screw at the top, and cut the excess fabric off of the back. 

 

I actually gave this to my best friend from high school because Love Actually is one of our favorite movies.  But I plan on making another for our soon-to-come bedroom gallery wall and the boy's wall of artwork in the hallway near their room.