And a tutorial for sewing felt hearts
I’m beginning to realize how important it is to model wonder, and to regularly express curiosity out loud, in front of my kids.
Recently, I found myself wondering if I could sew a simple star out of felt. I’m not particularly skilled at sewing; I know a few basic stitches and that’s about it. But instead of dismissing the idea, I followed the curiosity. I gathered some felt, thread, and a needle and worked my way through a small craft project.
When I showed my kids the little star I made, they were genuinely impressed. My eight-year-old immediately asked if she could try sewing something herself. I gave her the supplies, and she dove right in.
Before long, she had decided to sew felt hearts for all of her classmates for Valentine’s Day. She made a plan, created a supply list, and worked steadily to complete the project almost entirely on her own (with just a little guidance from me).
It struck me that my small act of wondering, “Could I sew a star?” and my willingness to try, struggle a bit, and share the result had become a catalyst. It sparked something in her. What began as a tiny flicker of curiosity turned into a beautiful ripple effect.
This experience reminded me that modeling wonder doesn’t have to be big or elaborate. Even if you’re busy and don’t have the time or energy for a sewing project, simply expressing curiosity out loud matters. Wonder about a new recipe you’re trying. Pause to admire the moon. Notice the colors in a sunset.
When children hear us say, “I wonder…” they learn that curiosity is valuable. They learn that trying new things — even imperfectly — is worth it. And sometimes, that small expression of wonder is all it takes to inspire something truly wonderful in them.
Here are the instructions for the felt hearts:
Supplies:
- Felt
- Fabric with different patterns
- Needle ( big eye is important to make it easy to re-thread) and thread
- Fluff for stuffing
- Scissors
- Fabric pencil (or really any pencil to help with cutting out patterns)
- Decide on your shape. We did hearts for Valentine’s Day, but you could do stars, circles, squares, etc.
- Cut out your shape, make two identical pieces (one for the front and one for the back). If you are making a lot of them, then create a stencil that you can use to outline the shapes on the fabric so it’s easy to cut.
- Cut out your smaller shape in the fabric. We just did a smaller heart to be in the middle.
- Sew the smaller shape in the middle of the front piece.
- Sew the two pieces together, leaving an opening for the fluff. Stuff in the fluff and then continue sewing to the end.
Some tips: The big eye of the needle is important. The thread comes out easily and it’s best for the eye to be big so that it can be re-threaded over and over again. I needed to help with the tying knots and also tying up the last stitch so that it won’t come out. A nice pair of fabric scissors is nice for cutting the felt – they are sharp so depending on the abilities of your children, you may want to help them out with the cutting.
Have fun!
In wonder,
Rachel
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