Warm Hearts

Valentine's Day on the horizon and here in Wales its St Dwynwen's Day on 25th January.  Dwynwen is our very own patron saint of love and in recent years has become quite popular - especially with Welsh card makers and crafters. 

I saw this little gift idea on Pinterest and thought I'd make some of these little hand warmers with a sweetheart theme - but of course they would be suitable on any gift-giving occasion during this cold snap.  I gave the red set to my sister to accompany her on early morning doggy walks.  Easy to make but I did alter to eliminate the pinked edges as my fabrics are loosely woven and would fray terribly in someone's pocket.  Stitch around with right sides together (leaving a gap for filling in the middle of one side!) then turn right side out, press and stitch again about a quarter inch from the edge - again leaving a gap for filling.  Fill with rice - I used a small funnel - then stitch the gap and handstitch the two edges left open by the filling gap.

And of course I couldn't resist a spot of pretty packaging.  Glassine bags are easy to find and are just a bit more stylish than cellophane I feel.  A tag and a bit of stamping to finish off.  Quick and easy!

Dwynwen is also the patron saint of sick animals so even if you don't have a luvvy duvvy inclination there's good reason to celebrate her day.  This is Llanddwyn Island (not really an island) where she founded a church and in the Middle Ages pilgrims visited the holy well.  A beautiful spot well worth a visit - especially on a sunny day.