Sweet Little Heart Barrettes

I made a New Year's Resolution to learn to sew. And...I did my first handsewing project today! My daughter and I made these sweet little heart barrettes for her and her little sister.

 The tutorial made it super easy to follow. All we had to buy was some felt, embroidery floss, and the snap style barrettes. We weren't able to find ones quite as small as the ones pictured in the tutorial, so our heart barrettes came out a bit larger...but I still love them. And so do the girls.

I am also loving The Purl Bee website. So many beautiful and inspiring projects! Many of them are way over my skill level right now, but I still enjoy looking:). I just added the blog to my google reader so that I won't forget to click over and check out the new projects. I also subscribed to the Living Crafts Blog.

We made a few different versions of this barrette. This is my first real experience with the running stitch, and my daughter was right. Nothing to it. Of course they aren't perfect or anything, but I'm telling myself it's not bad for a first try. My biggest challenge, honestly, was with the cutting. I am not good at cutting straight lines or smooth curves or.... pretty much anything. Guess I missed too much kindergarten or something!

I am already planning to make more barrettes in pink and red for Valentine's Day. And I just love the pinking shear version shown on the tutorial. Unfortunately my pinking shears have seen better (and sharper!) days. Note to self: add pinking shears to sewing wishlist.

I am still working on knitting a scarf for my son. I didn't get around to trying the sewing machine again today, so hopefully tomorrow I will squeeze that in. I really want to get started on my first machine project!