Just a bit of silliness by way of another hearty garland {sorry I couldn't resist!}...this one is a quick and easy, almost no-sew project {just sewing buttons on} that was born out of the need to display some gorgeous Amy Butler prints in in a way other than leaving them in stacks all over the living room. But which one to pick? They are all so beautiful...you can't use just one...so this garland is two-faced...in a good way...two prints on one side...

...and coordinating prints on the opposite...

The no-sew part was prompted by the unhappy grumblings of my sewing machine : ( and my fear of pressing my luck with too much sewing before getting it serviced...enter Heat and Bond.

Have you ever used this stuff?...I'm sure you have. It's fusible web. I think there are several brands of it, but this is the one that I use. I love the stuff! It's great for applique work and all sorts of other fun things. It works on paper and fabric...I love it for making two sided fabric like in this garland. It comes in several different weights and is so easy to use. Every time I pull the stuff out I think of new uses for it...all sorts of ideas that would be fun to try.

To make the garland, you will need...

~one yard of fabric total {two or more coordinating prints}

~an assortment of buttons {two for each heart in your garland}

~needle and thread

~1/2 - 1 yd. fusible web {I used med-heavy weight for mine}

~ribbon or rick-rack {about 1 foot for each heart, plus and extra 3 feet for each end of the garland}

~notebook paper

~light weight cardboard or cardstock {an old cereal box works well}

~pencil or marker {if you have a fabric marking pen or pencil, that works best}

First, select several coordinating prints {I used 3} and, following the package directions, fuse them together using fusible web. Ta-da!...two sided fabric...like magic!...I'm so easily amused...but I really do love it...so easy and the weight of the fabric is so nice and substantial.

Next, make a stencil for your heart cut-outs. I drew and cut a heart shape out on notebook paper, traced it onto an empty cereal box, and cut it out. The hearts here are about 5" across {at their widest point}. After that trace around the cardboard stencil {directly onto the two-sided fabric}...

Cut out your hearts...I used pinking shears for mine, because I like the zig-zaggy edge but regular scissors would work just fine...

Once the hearts are cut out, cut your ribbon/rick-rack into 4-6" lengths. These will be the lengths that connect the hearts—you will need one for every two hearts on your garland. This rickrack frayed badly so I fixed the ends to keep them from unraveling with a little fray check—worked like a charm.

Next, sew the trim, to the heart with one button on both the front and back sides of the heart, like so...
First, thread the needle with sewing thread, knotting the end of the thread, and make a stitch on the heart at the spot where you wish to attach the trim.
Next, make a sandwich by placing the trim on top of the heart and placing a button on top of the trim. Bring the needle from the back of the work, through the heart, the trim and the button. Place a second button underneath the heart {on the backside of the piece} and bring the needle down through the first button, the trim, the heart and finally through the second button...

Sew the buttons on in this manner, going through a button on the front side of the garland, the trim, the heart, and a button on the back side of the garland with each stitch.

Repeat for each heart. As you work your way across the garland, you will use the trim attached to the previous heart, thus connecting the hearts together. For the last and first heart of your garland, you will use the longer lengths of trim on the outer edges. This will allow you to hang your garland.

Easy~peasy...just a little ironing, some cutting, a bit of armchair sewing, and VoiLa!!!

Many hearty returns...

xoxo~alison