Heart Bombing

You may have heard of "yarn bombing", where crafters covertly cover public objects such as a bus or a tree with hand-made knitting or crocheting.  It's a kind of graffiti or street art.

"Heart bombing" is different--it involves deluging an individual with hand-made hearts.  It's an act of caring for someone going through a difficult time.

I'm working with two of my friends to do a mini "heart bombing" for a third friend, "S", who is having surgery soon.  We are each sewing some hearts to mail to her to let her know we are thinking of her and wishing her all the best.  I already have a few hearts on hand that will be perfect for her, but I wanted to make her one that was new and special.  Here it is:

It was easy to put together.  Below you can see that I cut out a linen heart shape (using a template), then cut simple shapes for the house and tree free-hand.  For the words, I used a set of rubber alphabet stamps that snap together so I can stamp an entire word at once--I love that because I don't have to agonize over the placement of each letter as I stamp the words.  It's quicker, too!  (If you are inspired to buy some of these stamps, do yourself a favor and get TWO sets.  That way you can spell just about anything without having to un-snap and re-snap your letters.)

I chose the phrase "life is good" to encourage my friend to focus on the positive.

With the edges left raw, I sewed around the perimeter of each shape using my sewing machine.

I finished the hearts the usual way, and I included a loop of baker's twine at the top so S. can hang up the heart if she wants to.  I made two so I could choose the best one to send to her.

I'll be mailing all four of these hearts to her this week.  I think hearts are even better than flowers, and they last longer too!