Family Valentine’s Day Tradition: Literary Crafty Themed!!
Family Valentine’s Day tradition means to me, that beautiful ways to become closer to my family are about to happen. I confess I get very excited for Valentines day!
There’s nothing more important to you than your children, so don’t let another Valentine’s Day go by without adding a special family Valentine’s Day tradition that will bring you closer together!
This is a craft and literary family Valentine’s Day tradition that I know you will love!
This is sounding perfect for you Charlotte Mason inspired homeschoolers isn’t it? Yes did you say? Great! Because I had you in mind when I created this family tradition! Of course, this works wonderfully for every family that loves stories and crafts!
The craft part is the felt pouch, the story part is what goes in it.
This felt heart pouch is such an easy craft. This pouch is fun to make and will be cherished for decades!
The story that goes into the felt heart pouch is…drum roll, please! (How do you type a drum roll sound?)
The Sleeping Beauty Ballet!
The Sleeping Beauty story has all kinds of love within it. The parents’ love for their daughter, godmother’s love for her godchild, love between a prince and a princess…if it’s love you are looking for, then the Sleeping Beauty ballet has it!
There are seven cards, which means seven days of snuggling to read them with your children, seven days for you to watch your children become more and more excited to find out how the story ends, even if they already know the story, and be excited for how close Valentine’s Day is coming!
To read my Sleeping Beauty ballet story, to see if you must have the cards for yourself, click here.
For the felt pouch tutorial read on!
What You Have Missed
I don’t just create magical family traditions, but I also create handicraft embroidery lessons inspired by Charlotte Mason education.
In our continuing story, Charlotte and William Oak have befriended the most darling friend imaginable: a tiny wood nymph named Willow. Willow has been teaching these two siblings how to embroider using a sampler that demonstrated 5 embroidery stitches:
- Straight Stitch
- Running Stitch
- Stem Stitch
- Back Stitch
- Blanket Stitch
Last week, they finally finished their beginner embroidery sampler! They are now ready to start their next project. Which means you are ready for the Family Valentine’s Day tradition felt heart pouch.
Family Valentines Day Tradition
Charlotte and Willow Make a Felt Heart Pouch
It was an unusually warm late January day.
The Oak family’s 3-year-old and baby sister were taking a nap, mother was reading inside, dad was working in his office, and the two oldest Oak children, William and Charlotte, were chatting outside on top of their trampoline.
For now, we will leave mom to enjoy her book, dad to enjoy his work, and the little ones to enjoy their dreams. Our focus is with the conversation that was happening on the trampoline.
“I wonder what Willow will teach us next?” wondered Charlotte aloud.
“Well,” replied William who was equally interested in the next project, “Willow was so excited for us to learn the blanket stitch last week that she couldn’t help but happy wiggle.”
Charlotte burst out laughing with William joining her.
“Wasn’t that the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?” asked Charlotte wiping tears from her eyes.
Dear readers, picture, if you will, a tiny person, no bigger than your middle finger, with a round sweet face wiggling happily, then you will come a little closer to what our main characters are laughing about.
Willow’s, Charlotte’s and William’s embroidery teacher and friend is about the cutest and sweetest thing this earth has ever seen, except for your baby brother or sister at home of course!
“I wonder if I could make a dress using the blanket stitch like Willow did?” asked Charlotte.
“I wonder if I could make a tunic so I could look like Robin Hood?” pondered William.
Charlotte good-naturedly rolled her eyes. William was quite obsessed with Robin Hood.
Family Valentine’s Day Tradition
It’s Almost Valentine’s Day!
They continued their wondering, Charlotte realized that February was almost upon them, and that brought Valentine’s Day.
“Let’s go to Willow right now and ask her!” exclaimed Wiiliam, feeling brilliant.
Charlotte’s face lit up. Without speaking, she leaped off the trampoline and started running into the woods.
William was surprised by this but didn’t waste time in following his sister’s example.
They found Willow just outside her tree house, carrying a load of twigs, which were logs to wood nymphs. A boy wood nymph was behind her carrying his own bundle of twigs.
Family Valentine’s Day Tradition
William Meets Willow’s Brother
“Hello Willow! Is this your brother?” asked William. He had not met much of the family yet as Charlotte had.
“Oh yes, dear friend, this is my brother Ash,” replied Willow proudly. She was very proud of her family and liked to show them off.
“Hi!” said Ash, with his round chubby face barely peaking over the top. He looked at William and said, “You must be William! Nice to meet you!”
“Nice to meet you too.”
“What kinds of games do you like to play? I love playing freebee, soccer, volleyball, double-jump rope…” Ash continued to list all the games he loved to play including some that were unique to wood nymphs. The boys started talking together about the games, William loving the wood nymph games, and together they tried to figure out how two boys with such great height differences could play these games together, while the ladies talked.
“I was thinking about our next project with the blanket stitch. Valentine’s Day is coming soon; could we make something to decorate with?”
“Well of course we can!” replied Willow. “I’ll go bring our Valentine’s Day things we have made over the years. I’ll be right back!”
Off Willow went with her wooden load and came back holding a basket of pink, red, and white things.
Family Valentine’s Day Tradition
Deciding What Blanket Stitch Project To Do
Together the girls looked through the basket. There were wreaths made from hand-sewn fabric roses, wood-carved hearts painted in Valentine’s Day colors, embroidered fabric valentines, tiny stuffed hearts made from felt and sewn with the blanket stitch, and more.
Charlotte stopped looking and said, “These would be perfect! Such beautiful things your family has made Willow.”
Willow was pleased. She saw something similar in the basket and pulled it out. It was a heart pouch full of dried flowers. “What do you think of this?” she asked.
The pouch gave Charlotte an idea.
“Hey, this would be perfect for holding our story cards!”
“Oh yes! The story of the Sleeping Beauty ballet. I remember you read a part of the story for 7 days before Valentine’s Day. Yes, I think this will be perfect!”
The girls told the boys their plan. William liked the plan and Ash said he would see them later, for he had things he still needed to do, but was quite happy to have a new friend.
Having just been talking sports with Ash, William saw the tiny stuffed hearts and said, “This would make great balls! Our little brother Charlie will love them! Willow would you teach me how to make these?”
Of course, she would be delighted to!
Not wanting to wait, the decision was made that William would hold Willow, and the 3 would go to home and get started on the project right away.
Off they went. The walk was not long, and they arrived at the Oak’s back yard. Charlotte ran in to get the supplies. This is what she brought out:
- cardboard
- paper scissors
- fabric scissors
- pencil
- fake pink flowers
- paper
- white, red, and pink felt
- embroidery needles
- embroidery floss
- twine
- pins
- and a glue gun that Charlotte plugged into the outside outlet
The three got right to work. William was to make some small hearts as a throwing toy for Charlie, himself, and his dad, and Charlotte was in charge of the pouch. Willow started helping Charlotte first but went back and forth between the siblings to help.
Dear readers, the details for William’s stuffed heart ball tutorial, will have to wait until next week. We are concentrating on Willow and Charlotte today.
Family Valentine’s Day Tradition
Heart Pouch Making
“Draw a heart big enough to fit the 5 by 7 cards on the paper. Erase and fix it until you are happy with it,” directed Willow.
Charlotte followed the directions.
“Next,” continued Willow, “cut out the heart, pin it to the felt, and cut two of those out.”
When Charlotte had finished, Willow said,
“Pin the two hearts together. Now we sew the heart together starting where we pinned. We need to be careful not to sew the top together!
“When I sew with the blanket stitch with something 3D I go from right to left. How I showed you and William on your embroidery sampler was left to right. You and William work so hard I don’t think this will be a problem for you. The process is still the same and is not difficult.”
Willow showed her how with the sewing kit she always keeps in her pocket.
“Oh, that’s not too hard,” said Charlotte after sewing a few stitches.
As Charlotte sewed, Willow helped get William started on his ball hearts.
All the way to the other side went Charlotte. She sewed the top of the hearts separately so as to keep it a pouch.
“Do I cut the heart in the cardboard now?” guessed Charlotte.
Family Valentine’s Day Tradition
Almost Done Making The Felt Heart
“Righty-tighty you are! After that, glue the cardboard onto one side of the hearts.
“Next cut the 3 strands of twine a bit longer than what you want the handle to be. Glue the three strands here and start braiding. When you are done, glue the ends of the braid to the other side.”
Charlotte worked while Willow helped William with his hearts.
“Done!” William and Willow admired her work.
“Figure out how many flowers you want to glue on, where you would like to put them, then go ahead and glue them on!”
The countdown to Valentine’s Day Sleeping Beauty Ballet cards were inserted. All agreed that it was lovely.
Gratitude was felt by Charlotte and William, and pride shared by all three friends.
After Willow was taken home, William and Charlotte showed their work to mom and dad, who were pleasantly surprised, and properly impressed. The felt heart pouch found a place in the library, and the tiny heart balls were hidden to be gifted to Charlie and dad on Valentine’s Day morning.
It also must be said that Willow told her family at dinner that night what her big friends had done with excitement that her loving family shared with her.
We leave Charlotte and William to enjoy the glow of a job well done.
The End
Next Week
That was fun wasn’t it?
Again, if you would like to read the Sleeping Beauty ballet story before deciding on whether you wish to buy the cards then click here to read it in it’s entirety.
Come back next week for Willow teaching William how to make small felt hearts.
Until next time!
I’m new to embroidery and this looks so fun and something I could actually do with my kiddos being more of a beginner! Can’t wait to try it!
I’m so happy it looks fun to you! If you need clarifications on anything, please let me know! You can email me at tutusandfairytales@gmail.com
Very efficiently written post. It will be supportive to anybody who usess it, as well as yours truly :). Keep up the good work – can’r wait to read more posts.
This makes my happiness soar! I’m so glad it is providing you support.