Ah! It’s summer! Let’s make a summery craft!

How to make a sparkly, lavendar scented, double-sided, two-in-one seahorse for the one you love…

Handwork is sooooo soothing and empowering!

Here I will show you how to make a sweet lavendar scented seahorse for your love. Ideal to store inside a freezer and take out to hold for all manners of “boo boos” of the heart, soul and physical. This project will allow you to make a handstitched seahorse that looks totally different on both sides.

The completed project will look stunning on your Waldorf seasons table. It will also make a heartfelt handmade gift for someone special. Excellent way to get into the habit of making handmade gifts! Use it as a toy (the mermaid’s steed), home decoration, Christmas tree ornament (add a ribbon), hang on your rear view mirror and see it sparkle in your daily driving commute.

Materials and Tools:

This project makes 1 double sided seahorse.

You will need —
2 pieces of precut seahorse wool felt (different colors, for fun)
2 buttons for eyes
Embroidery floss of different colors
Sequins. Oh! How I love sequins!
Wool roving to stuff seahorse
dried lavendar… sweet lavender brings sweet memories

Needle for embroidery floss
Fine needle for sewing buttons, sequins
Sewing Thread (embroidery floss included)
Scissors
Mindful kindness for your love as you sew treasure for him or her.

This little project is ideal as a stress reliever for those long inavoidable one sided conversations with your beloved s0-and-so in your life. As you practice this grounding and fun handwork, you will appear much more attentive, centered and compassionate! (I sure look almost *patient* when I am sewing silently!) Relationships get healed when you are having too much fun sewing sequins on your seahorse to interject a defensive counterpoint! Make one for your mother-in-law, then make one for your daughter. If you have no daughters, give it to your son!

Instructions:

Seahorse Template

1. Draw a seahorse shape on a piece of paper. You may use my seahorse template here. Print PDF version here.
2. Cut out the seahorse pattern and tape it on top of  a piece of felt with packaging tape or any see through tape.
3. Cut out the seahorse shape by cutting through the tape, paper and felt.
4. Repeat with a second piece of (differently colored, if you wish) felt.
5. When both seahorses are cut out, place them together (like a “sandwich”, where wool and lavender will be stuffed inside later) and trim access felt.

<<photo of cut out sea horses>>

Decorate Seahorse

1. Mark the spot with a tiny “X” for one eye on the “outside” of the “seahorse sandwich” as a reminder. You’ll only want to decorate the “outside” of the seahorse, not the inside where you stuff with wool. This step is important to prevent you from accidentally decorating 2 seahorses facing the same side.
2. Decorate each seahorse cut-out one at a time, then sew together partially and stuff.
3. Place a button over “X” mark on 1 piece of seahorse felt cut out.
4. Separate floss into fewer strands, sew button to cover up the “X”. Alternately, use sewing thread.
   • {To get a “candy cane” effect, sew white button with red floss”}
5. Sew sequin on seahorse using a fine needle.
6. Repeat for second seahorse cut-out.
   • Optional: If you wish to hang this as a necklace, Christmas ornament or nursery mobile, sew in a loop of ribbon onto one of the top of the head of the seahorse cut-out at this time.

Stuff with Wool and Lavendar

1. For “variegated” color thread stitch affect, sew with one color for about 1 inch, then switch to a different color flossevery inch or so, for as many times as it amuses you.
2. Blanket stitch the 2 decorated seahorse cut outs together. Work from tip of nose → top of head → dorsal fin→around the tail → pause to stuff.
3. Stuff the tail with wool roving. Then wrap lavender in wool and stuff into seahorse tummy.
4. Continue blanket stitching from tail → tummy → stuff the head → finish stitching.
5. Voila! You are done! Smell the awesome lavender!
6. Be sure to check out my mermaids on etsy.com store here ! Mermaids love to ride seahorses.

Thank you and blessings on your day!

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