Hearts

Emma completed her second project with Pat when she was 6 ½. It was a Valentine’s Day wall hanging. Just like when she was making her bird wall hanging, Emma went over to Pat’s after school a couple of afternoons during January. Pat let Emma pick out a selection of patterned red fabrics from her stash. She showed Emma how to trace a heart onto the fabric from a pattern. Then Emma carefully cut out the hearts, fifteen in all, in about four different fabrics and three different sizes. Emma and Pat arranged the hearts on a large rectangle of white felt and then Pat ironed them on with a special adhesive. Afterward Pat let Emma sew on a few decorative buttons here and there to punctuate the piece. Emma folded over the top and carefully sewed a sleeve to hold a wooden dowel. Then Pat gave Emma some white and red yarn to attach to either end of the dowel. The masterpiece was complete, except for one important detail. A little patch which they added to the back on which Emma carefully wrote, “By Emma. January 23rd, 1999.”