JOY Jam Hearts Tutorial

JOY Jam Hearts Tutorial

Easy peasy! The hardest part is choosing fabric, thread, and encouraging words. These two hearts, including taking the photos, took less than 45 minutes. 

1. Fuse fleece on the back of the fabric for the front. I really love rust-dyed fabric and save all the scraps, as well as scraps of fusible fleece. So far, all supplies for the two dozen hearts completed for Joy Jam have come from the scrap bin. LOVE that!

1. Apply my favorite metallic fabric paint (Earth Safe Finished opaque Shimmers) through a gorgeous stencil. This 6"-square stencil is from The Crafters Workshop.

3. While the paint is still wet, brush two colors of mica powders onto the open stencil areas and brush lightly to blend.

4. While the paint is drying, cut heart templates from cardstock. 

5. The paint dries in just a few minutes. It’s easy to move the template around on the fabric to preview the look of the finished heart.

6. I've adjusted the contrast so you can see the pencil outline of the two hearts on the stenciled fabric. It would not have been possible to get a third heart out of this, because the seam allowances need to be added to the outline. 

7. Position the printed twill tape (tutorial posted yesterday) on each of the hearts and stitch in place through all layers with a straight stitch.

The backing is also rusted fabric (yes, I rust printed fabric as well as solids) with fusible fleece bonded to the wrong side.

8. Front and back are placed together with fleece sides together. I really have to concentrate to make wonky stitching along the pencil marks, but several trips around the hearts with variegated thread provide a nice texture and color.

9. When the stitching is complete, cut around the stitching adding a small “seam allowance.” No, I don't measure.

Front and back. I love the serendipitous nature of rust-dyeing print fabrics! It has inspired me to look at the fabric bins in a whole new way.

Here are the two Joy Jam hearts ready for final embellishment (or not). Some of the recipients of my 100 hearts will be testosterone units (men) and will appreciate hearts free of lace, beads, buttons, and charms.

I hope you choose to join me in Joy Jam. Whether you make three hearts or three hundred, passing them to friends, associates, colleagues, or strangers on the street is a fun way to share JOY with someone and it will make you smile inside and out!!