As this country cottage pincushion shows, home is where the heart buttons are

What you need...

• Felt sheets, assorted colours
  Matching embroidery thread, stranded
  Card: white, blue
  Decorative papers, assorted
  Buttons: round, heart
  Polyester toy filling
  Paper rose, pink
  Bakers twine
  Eyelet, pink

instructions

1. Cottage Cushion - 1 Using the templates, prepare a felt house front in pale pink, a roof in blue, a door in deep pink and windows in white, plus a turquoise heart and flowers in turquoise, lilac and green. Cut a second house shape in white and a strip of pale pink, 2cm x 7cm, for the chimney.
   
   2 Pin the felt roof onto the house front, then make a running stitch along the bottom straight edge of the roof using blue thread. Arrange the door and windows on the front and use matching thread to sew in place with running stitch.
   
   3 Divide each window into four, using two strands of dark pink embroidery thread and long stitches, couching down in the centre. Attach the flowers in the same way, adding long stitch stems in green thread. Sew the heart to the front, just under the roof.
   
   4 Use matching thread to sew alternating pink and blue heart buttons along the roof edge. Stitch tiny buttons to the centres of the round flowers and another to the door. Stick the pink paper rose just above the door.
   
   5 Fold the felt chimney in half and pin to the wrong side of the roof. With right sides together, sew the house front and back together using blanket stitch and matching thread, leaving a small gap. Stuff firmly with filling and stitch closed.