A little thank-you gift, step by step

Take one vintage tea towel, one embroidery hoop, one needle, one pair of scissors, two shades of embroidery floss

Trace hearts onto the towel using a cookie cutter and a fabric pencil

Stitch a simple design – in this case, double-bloom poppies in a soft shade of pink (French knots), with their sinuous blue-green stems (stem stitch). I did freestyle embroidery with this one rather than drawing a design on the fabric.

Fold the fabric in half, right sides facing, and machine or hand stitch around the heart, leaving a gap to turn right sides out. Cut around the heart shape ¼” outside the seam line, turn right sides out, and stuff with toy filling. Stitch a length of twine on top and knot.

Package it up with a little thank-you note and pop in the post!

(This particular token of appreciation is for Debbie at Serendipity Patch, who generously offered to share double-bloom poppy seeds with anyone who was interested. I received my batch of teeny seeds in the post last week, hence the poppies on the little heart. I don't know how many batches she posted, but that kind of generosity deserves a treat – thank you, Debbie!)

Happy crafting!

Chrissie x