Pocket hugs have become a thing recently. Just a little token to give or send to a friend or loved one to let them know you are thinking of them. They are also great for kids for first day’s back at school or going on camps or overnight trips. A pocket hug can be tucked into your pocket so you have a constant close by reminder that you are loved. Isn’t that a lovely idea?

It takes very few sewing skills and just some scraps of felt and fabric to make a pocket hug or two, they are quick to make too, the kind of craft you can do whilst watching tv in the evening.

I have a kit with everything you need to make 3 pocket hugs now available in my Etsy shop.

Let’s get started.

To make a pocket hug you will need:

• Felt

• Scraps of fabric

• Buttons, lace trim, ribbon bows or broken jewellery bits

• Embroidery thread

• Embroidery needle, scissors

• Paper or make heart template or download and print mine here

Optional: a tiny bit of fibre fill (recommended if your felt is floppy, not necessary if it’s not!)

Optional: Something to make a ‘pocket hug’ label

• I used a scrap of plain white fabric, a permanent ink pad and alphabet stamps

• Or you could use iron on printable fabric transfer paper, a permanent marker pen or maybe even embroidery a message on the back instead

First I made my ‘pocket hug’ label, a personalised message would also be nice. ‘Thinking of you’ or ‘I love you’ or maybe a ’to: and from: ‘ type message would all be nice.

The alphabet stamps I used are actually meant for car mechanics to use for marking engines and metal but they worked great for this too. I just stamped the words onto the scrap of white fabric and cut it out.

Now you need to assemble the other bits that you need.

Cut 2 felt hearts and 1 fabric heart. Choose your own size of heart or use my template here.

Stitch the fabric heart onto one of the felt hearts, I used a blanket stitch for most of the ones I did, but a running stitch works too. You can find my guide to some basic, useful embroidery stitches here (I’m afraid I didn’t include blanket stitch though - I’ll add that to the next one!) You might find a stitch you prefer to use, anything that holds the fabric in place will work.

Now is the time to add any more embellishment that you’d like to. Bits of lace, trim, buttons, ribbon bows, bits of broken jewellery - sew on anything that you have in your stash that takes your fancy. Go mad and add a lot or just a little, or none at all. Anything goes!

Now stitch on the pocket hug label, if you are using it, onto the other felt heart. I just used a simple running stitch.

But the 2 felt hearts together, wrong sides together and stitch around the edge. When you just have a small gap left pop just a little fibre fill type stuffing in, especially if your felt is very floppy. Then sew up the gap.

Don’t over stuff the heart if you want to send it in the post. I don’t know what it’s like where you are in the world but here in the UK you can send an envelope up to 5mm thick on a normal letter stamp, and up to 250mm on a large letter stamp. Any thicker than 250mm and you’ll need to send it as a parcel and the cost spirals dramatically! Definitely keep the thickness less that 2cm to get it in to that large letter size!

If your felt is very thick or stiff you may decide not to add any stuffing at all.

(oh good grief, don’t look at my lockdown nails in this photo, look away look away, nothing to see here!!)

That’s it, your pocket hug is finished. Now make more for all your friends.

You could add a little pot pourri or dried lavender if you’d like to make the pocket hugs smell nice too.

Pop the heart in a nice handmade card and send it to someone who needs to hear that you are thinking of them. I’ve got loads of handmade card ideas here on the blog if you want some ideas.

It was fun to play with different colours of felt, and print fabric scraps. I raided my craft stash for little bits and pieces to add to embellish them. I tried a little bit of embroidery too.

Do you have any friends or loved ones who might like to receive a pocket hug? You can get a kit to make 3 pocket hugs from my Etsy shop that will contain everything you need.

I’ll be sharing this tutorial at these link ups