Primitive Bed Spring Hearts Made With Love

I’m totally in love with Prim folk art, it’s so sincere and always comes straight from the heart. To celebrate Valentine’s day, I made these primitive bed spring hearts to give to all the special people in my life.

 

They’re really quick and easy to make. If you don’t want to put them in a bed spring you can hang them from the wall or a piece of scrap wood.

 

And you can add your own message to show how much you care. I made a whole bunch for a craft faire and they sold out within minutes 😀

 

Okay, before I show you how to make the Primitive hearts, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a crafty tutorial or DIY post!

What you need to make primitive hearts

• Scraps of material in  earthy colors (I used scraps of quilting fabric)
• Bits of lace, burlap, and ribbon
• Some buttons, bells, old keys, or anything else that will add some character
• Safety pins
• Coffee bags
• Printer and paper
• Pinking shears and stuffing

 

Making the Primitive Hearts

Before I could make the hearts I needed to stain the lace and ribbons. I couldn’t find any that looked rustic and worn, which is what prim folk art is all about.

 

So I had to try to change what we had in our stash. To stain the ribbons and lace, I added two coffee bags to some boiling water and let them soak for a few minutes, and then hung them up to dry.

 

The longer they soak the more rustic they’ll look. You can do the same with your material scraps if they look too new 🙂 Oh, and don’t throw the coffee bags away, we’ll be using them a bit later. While you’re waiting for your stuff to dry print some labels. You can make your own or you can download some here. Cut the labels out and use the wet coffee bags to stain them too. Seal with some Satin mod podge after staining so the color doesn’t fade over time.

 

To make the hearts, use the pinking shears to cut out 2 heart shapes from your material measuring at least 15 cm wide and 25 cm high (6″ x 10″). I found anything smaller was a bit difficult to sew.

 

Take the hearts and start playing around with the lace, burlap, ribbons, buttons, and keys.

 

Since these are Primitive style hearts, I tried to keep the accents simple and unpretentious in true Prim folk art style.

What is Primitive Folk Art

Primitive folk art or décor is well-worn, simple, and has that touch of naivety. It lacks pretense and any accents are typically small, unfussy, and rustic. So play around with your design and add layers of old lace and fraying burlap. A rusty safety pin and a button or two create interest without going over the top and looking “too intentional”.

 

The colors you choose also play a role. Warm muted colors (red, orange, creams, and beige) all remind us of lazy summer days and instill a sense of comfort and warmth. The patterns on the fabric compliment the innocence and simplicity of primitive folk art and décor.

 

Once you’re happy with the decorative bits, sew them onto the heart shapes and trim away any excess. You can also glue the bits and bobs on. 

Sewing the hearts

To sew the hearts together you have tow options; rights sides facing inwards or rights sides facing outwards. You can see how the finished heart will look depending on which one you choose below. 

Place the two heart layers on top of each other (wrong sides facing inwards or outwards) and sew around the outside edge of the heart – about 1/2″ or 1 cm in from the edge. Leave a small opening towards the bottom of the heart. If you  went for “right side facing inwards, turn the heart inside out before stuffing the heart firmly. Hand sew the opening closed. To finish off pin the label on using a safety pin.

 

You can tie the labels on with some twine too.

 

I styled my Primitive hearts in two ways. Some were hung from a rustic piece of scrap wood……

 

And a few of the others were placed in a homemade bed spring.

 

How to Make a Bed Spring

If you can’t find a bed spring (like me), they’re really easy to make.  You need some galvanized steel binding wire, a bottle, and some side cutters.

 

Wrap the wire around the bottle starting at the top and slowly wind your way down to the bottom.

 

Cut with the side cutter.

 

Pop your Primitive heart in the bed spring for a gorgeous rustic display……

 

……. or hang it from some scrap wood. Just take a few pallet offcuts and hammer in a rusty nail from your stockpile of salvaged nails and you’re good to go.

 

I can’t decide which I like more. The Primitive bed spring hearts …..

 

Or the ones hanging from the scrap wood.

 

Which do you prefer?

If you’d like the idea of making easy sew Primitive hearts don’t forget to pin the tutorial for later.

 

Sharing is caring 😉

 

Oh and if you’re looking for some of the things we used, we’ve got you covered Disclosure: Clicking on the links below, means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us make more amazing crafts to share with you 😉

 

And if you prefer to buy Primitive decor rather than DIY, then maybe these beauties will appeal.

 

Wishing everyone a beautiful valentine’s day filled with love and laughter and gifts made from the heart. Thank you for popping in for a visit.