DIY Valentine’s Day crafts include love birdies which are so easy to make, even a beginner can make them. These love birds can be made for any occasion or for any time of the year. Farmhouse and primitive décor lovers can adapt the fabric to their lifestyle and décor. DIY Valentine’s Day crafts to make and sell include sewing crafts like these love birds.
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Sewing Tutorial for DIY Valentine’s Day Crafts
Download the free PDF sewing tutorial and templates to make these birdies! Watch the YouTube video below for step-by-step visual instructions.
Easy DIY Love Birdie Video Tutorial
Materials Needed to Make the Love Birds
- 6” square of fabric for the (bird) heart (cotton or linen is best)
- Sewing machine (or hand sew, no machine needed)
- Sewing machine or hand sewing neutral thread
- Embroidery floss (black for eyes, optional)
- Wool or felt (felt or wool scraps) for the comb and beak (optional heart)
- Template material (freezer paper, a cereal box, or stencil plastic)
- Marking pencil or pen (wash away or fade away pen is preferred)
- Embroidery thread
- Eyes: glass beads, buttons, embroidery thread, or other
- Stuffing: Cotton, Polyfill, lavender, buckwheat hulls, etc.
- Hand sewing needles
- Hanger material: jute, yarn, etc. near the top of the heart to hang the bird
- Hanger: Old wood branch, dowel, wire hanger, use your imagination
- Optional: Insert wooden dowel through the birds and place it in vases, wooden boxes, etc.
Directions Needed to Make Birdies
Cutting and Marking the Patterns for the Birdies
- Cut out one comb, one beak, and 2 eyes for each bird, use wool or felt
- Optional, cut a large rectangle the size of the pattern for the beak and comb (trim once sewn)
- OR, if using embroidery thread, glass beads, or buttons, don’t cut out the eyes
- Sewing a long thread through both fabrics where the eyes will go is a great place holder
- Cut out 2 squares on the dashed lines of the heart (or double the fabric and cut once)
- Make a template of the heart with freezer paper, a cereal box, or stencil plastic
- Trace the heart-centered inside the square-use a light color pencil or fade-away pen
- Mark, where the comb, eyes, and beak will go on the heart and slit, is optional
- If cutting ONE slit (do it now) then with right sides together continue to the sewing directions
Sewing the Love Birdie Pattern
- Sew the heart from point 1 to point 2, backspace before and ending the stitches
- Push the comb and beak inside the bird, upside down
- Finish sewing the rest of the way back to the beginning, from point 2 to point 1
- Backspace the beginning and end stitches
- If you chose to make an opening between points 1 and 2 for turning inside out, OR……
- If you chose to cut a slit in the back or front of ONE piece…….remember it will be a mirror image when you turn it inside out-if you cut the slit with the beak facing left, when turned inside out the beak will now be facing the right
- Turn the birdie inside out, using either method mentioned above
Finishing the Birdies
- Stuff with natural cotton, Polyfill, lavender, etc.
- Finish sewing the side opening if you decided to go that route
- Whipstitch the slit opening closed if you decided to make a slit to turn birdie inside out
- Add the little heart over the slit (embroider initials, date, etc. before placing the heart on)
- Create the eyes with embroidery, glass beads, buttons, etc.
- Add little dashes (eyelashes) above the eyes (optional)
- Use a type of hanger, jute, yarn, etc. near the top of the heart to hang the bird
- Stuff with natural cotton, Polyfill, lavender, etc.
- Finish sewing the side opening if you decided to go that route
- Whipstitch the slit opening closed if you decided to make a slit to turn birdie inside out
- Add the little heart over the slit (embroider initials, date, etc. before placing the heart on)
- Create the eyes with embroidery, glass beads, buttons, etc.
- Add little dashes (eyelashes) above the eyes (optional)
- Use a type of hanger, jute, yarn, etc. near the top of the heart to hang the bird
Aging or Staining the Birdies (optional)
- Use a solution of water, cinnamon, a splash of vanilla extract to “age your birdies”-see below
- Oven dry at 200* for an hour (turning every 10 minutes) or air dry
- Use a type of hanger and display those pretty birdies all-year-round!
Download the Free Love Birdie Template
Craft Ideas and Techniques
It all depends on what “look” or theme you are trying to achieve with these DIY craft birdies. I like the primitive look. But it all depends on the fabric. If the fabric is already old, I will not enhance its aged appearance any further. Using an old dress, shirt, apron, etc. would make it more special than plain store-bought fabric.
If you own a mothers’ or a grandmothers’ embroidered tablecloth, towel, or even a table runner and use that to make these birdies. You will have enough material to share the birdies with those or other members of the family who would be excited to receive something made from something these wonderful women may have owned and used.
How to Age Crafts for The Primitive Look?
Aging crafts, especially primitive dolls are a must for me. It is so easy and once you make a batch of coffee stains, it will last in the fridge for quite some time.
How to Make Coffee-Cinnamon Stain for Aging Primitive Crafts?
- Use the cheapest instant coffee (1/4 cup)
- 1 cup of boiling water
- Use the cheapest cinnamon from the dollar store (1/4 cup)
- Splash of vanilla extract (cheap dollar store imitation extract is great for this)
- Stir the coffee and water until dissolve
- Add the cinnamon and vanilla extract and stir very well
- Use hot on the craft project if you want, it will not hurt them
- Shake often, especially during each use
- Store in the refrigerator, add more instant coffee and cinnamon as needed
Ways to Dry Primitive Dolls that are Coffee-Stained
There are quite a few ways to dry a primitive craft such as a doll once you paint on the coffee-stain. I prefer to use my dehydrator since I can forget about it and it doesn’t take my time to remember it is in there.
If the dehydrator is in use, then I will revert back to the good-old-days and use the oven. Even drying out in the sun will work, no tools or watching needed. For my soon-to-release blog and video, I dried my other Valentine’s Day dolls in front of the fireplace!
Dehydrator Method to Age Primitive Crafts:
- Set the dehydrator on the herb setting, or around 190 degrees
- Set your craft on a silicone dehydrator sheet
- Check every ½ hour
- Rotate as necessary
Oven Method to Age Primitive Crafts:
- Set the oven on the warm setting, or around 190-200 degrees
- Set your craft on a silicone or baking sheet, lined with a Teflon sheet
- Check 10 minutes
- Rotate as necessary
Sun Method to Age Primitive Crafts:
- I like to use old cotton sheets for drying dolls
- Layout in the shade if possible, a nice breeze is best
- Check every hour
- Rotate as necessary
- The stained item will bleed into the sheet which makes it ready to use for the next project
Silk Tie Valentine’s Day Quilt
More sewing craft ideas can be found in my YouTube video, Silk Tie Quilt. Using a loved one’s silk tie could be made into this Valentine’s Day Birdies. Embroider the loved one’s day in the heart before sewing on the birdie.
Quick and Easy Valentine’s Day Crafts
Glass pebble magnets and heart fingerprint glass gems can be made in minutes. Visit Glass Pebble Magnets, Crafts, and More for a blog, free printables, and an instructional video. This craft is very inexpensive and the little ones can help with this craft.
Valentine’s Day Stockings
Even though Christmas has come and gone, the free patterns created in Farmhouse and Christmas Primitive Christmas Stocking Pattern could easily be adapted to a Valentines’ craft by using heart fabric, embroidering hearts on the stockings and more.
Salt Dough Keepsakes
Salt dough crafts can literally be used any time of the year by changing the stamp in the dough. Adding cinnamon and molding hearts makes this an instant hit for the family to make on Valentine’s Day.
I have a complete tutorial as well as more ideas on Easy DIY Salt Dough Keepsakes. Stop by and check it out.
Valentine’s Day Crafts for Men
Even the man in your life would welcome a homemade gift on this occasion. Have you ever tried making beard oil as a gift? It is so easy and takes a few ingredients. Beard oil will last months but only takes minutes to make.
Check out How To Make Own Beard Oil and SAVE which will include a video by myself showing you how to make it!
Mercury Glass for Valentine’s Day
When I made the blog post and video DIY Mercury Glass With Vinegar and Water, I definitely had this heart holiday on my mind. Making mercury glass using dollar tree items is unique and inexpensive.
As you can see, this dish can be used all year long. Fill the dish with candies and when they are gone, use them for plants, catch-all dishes, and more!
Don’t forget to check out the post and video, Gift Ideas Using DIY Mercury Glass. There are many ideas to get those creative juices flowing with what to do with all those mercury glass projects you made. This craft is very addictive.
Conclusion for DIY Crafts
Making homemade crafts such as these craft birdies is so much fun, inexpensive and will allow you some time to relax and get creative. Try using material that you may already have around the house including old clothing and aprons.
This sewing project is so simple and can be done at the cost of next to nothing. It can also help your sewing skills if you’re a beginner or expert sewer.
Interested in more sewing ideas? Check out Martha Stewart’s 31 of Our Favorite Sewing Projects. Furthermore, If you are interested in 73 Best Valentine’s Day Crafts be sure and check out Country Living’s post on this.
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Such beautiful ideas! You’re skills are amazing! 😍