Clearance decorations from one holiday are a wonderful inexpensive craft supply option for others. Recently I purchased plastic candy canes after Christmas. When two candy canes are placed together with their mirrored sides facing, the shape becomes a heart. Perfect as the base for a primitive Valentine's Day door hanger.
Approximate Time: 1 hour (not including drying time)
Supplies:
- 2 plastic candy canes, 24-inch
- quilt batting scraps
- ruler
- scissors
- hot glue gun
- muslin scraps
- pink or rose colored fabric scraps
- straight pins
- sewing machine
- brown acrylic paint
- cinnamon
- water
- measuring spoons and cup
- small bowl
- sponge brush
Instructions:
- Cut several strips of quilt batting approximately 1 inch wide. This is a great way to use up scraps of batting from other projects. An exact length for each strip is not important, especially if your canes are not the same size as the ones I used.
- Stand one candy cane with the bottom end at the top. Apply a dot of hot glue on the sides of the cane, just below the bottom edge. Fold an inch on one end of a batting strip over the end of the cane. The glue will hold the fold in place. This covers the end of the cane.
- Working in sections approximately 3 inches long, apply hot glue on the sides of the cane. Start from where the batting strip is folded over the end. Wrap the batting strip around the cane. When you reach the end of the strip, simply add another strip. Cover the entire length of the cane. Cover the other end of the cane in the same way as the bottom. Trim off the excess batting from the last strip used.
- Rip several 1-inch wide strips of muslin and attach in the same way as the batting. Slightly overlap each round of the wrapped strips. Completely cover the batting.
- Repeat steps 1-4 on the other candy cane.
- Lay the two candy canes on your work surface with the curved ends of the canes facing each other and touching. Wrap muslin strips around both candy canes where the end of the curved edges touch. For my candy canes, I wrapped about 2 inches together for a secure hold.
- Bring the bottom points of the canes together and overlap. Wrap muslin strips around the overlap to complete the heart shape of the door hanger.
- Rip 1-inch wide strips of pink or rose colored fabric to use as accents on the heart. Randomly wrap and glue sections of the heart with the accent fabric.
- Rip a 2-inch wide by 36-inch long strip of muslin and a 1-inch wide by 36-inch long strip of the accent fabric. Lay the muslin strip on your work surface. Center and pin the accent strip on the muslin strip. Top stitch down the center of the strips to attach. This is the ribbon for the heart's bow.
- Mix a tablespoon of brown acrylic paint, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 cup of water together. This is the stain mixture that will increase the primitive appearance of the heart hanger. Apply the stain to the fabric covered heart. Dip the fabric ribbon into the stain and wring it out. Allow both the heart and the ribbon to dry.
- Wrap the ribbon around the connecting, top-center of the heart. Tie the ends into a bow.
- Hang the heart at an angle by one of the bumps, or add a wire loop to the center-back for a straighter display. Other options: Hang the heart casually from a peg hook, or simply lean it against a wall or piece of furniture.
By cyndee kromminga from Winfield, KS
