project // cross stitch heart tag and bookmark (with SVGs!)

Show your love with these easy-to-stitch heart tags and bookmarks! The stitchable bases are just card stock that's pre-punched with the cross-stitch heart design. You can print them out and punch the holes by hand or use the SVG cutting files to make them with a cutting machine. So easy!

There are lots of places where you can buy tags or similar items that have a grid punched out so you can stitch whatever you want. But I thought it would be cool to have a version where you don't have all those extra holes. Basically, a way to stitch a specific design and have the grid match that. So I made my own!

I don't pull out my cutting machine very often because I don't do tons of paper crafts that aren't just printables. And vinyl cutting is still a bit of a mystery to me. But finding a way to incorporate stitching? Let's just say I may be doing more of this.




There's a lot to love about these, starting with the fact that cutting them out is easy. Even if you don't have a cutting machine, there's a PDF that you can cut and then just use a needle to pre-punch the holes.

But also, cutting them takes about the same amount of time as stitching them. Okay, maybe stitching takes a little longer, but not much. The hearts don't have very many stitches, so they whip up quickly, but they are still very handmade. Who doesn't love a little gift like that?



Here's what you need:

Heavy Card Stock
Embroidery Floss
Needle
Embroidery Scissors
Cutting Machine and Mat for Card Stock
-OR-
Scissors and a Large Sharp Needle

DOWNLOAD THE TAG AND BOOKMARK PDF

DOWNLOAD THE BOOKMARK SVG CUTTING FILE

DOWNLOAD THE TAG 1 SVG CUTTING FILE

DOWNLOAD THE TAG 2 SVG CUTTING FILE

Before you start stitching, prepare your tag or bookmark.

For a cutting machine, load up the file and cut the design out of heavy card stock. If any of the dots don't cut properly, it's okay. You can use your needle to poke them through.

If you're using the PDF version, print the file and cut out the tag or bookmark you're using. Use a large needle to carfully poke each dot on the template. It can help to place the template on cardboard or cork as you do this.



Now it's time to stitch! To make the heart design nice and solid, thread your needle with all six strands of embroidery floss.

Start stitching the design. Each set of four holes makes a full cross stitch. I like the work the first half of the stitches all the way across a row and then come back the other way to finish them.

You can't start (or end!) your thread with a knot here because it will just pull through the holes. Instead, secure the starting tail on the back of your work by stitching over it.

You can see here how my card stock stuck to my cutting mat a little and where I had a few dots start to tear the tag. This is all on the back and doesn't on the finished tag.



Fill in the whole design with cross stitches. At the beginning and ending of the rows where there's shaping, it can look like you should make a half stitch. But this is all whole cross stitches, meaning you need four holes in a little square. If you're unsure, use the finished photos as a reference.



Just as you need to stitch over the thread ends to start your stitching you need to slde your needle through the back your stitches to end the thread. Snip off the extra embroidery floss and you're good to go!



Okay, but really quick, let's talk about the back of your work. I'm a big proponent of keeping the back of your work as neat as possible. But I'm also never one to suggest that the back needs to be perfect. These hearts are a good example of both. There's no major jumping from place to place, but nor did I fret about the times where it made sense to skip over.

If this sort of thing bothers you, go ahead and glue a piece of decorative paper on the back. Otherwise, do what your math teacher says and SHOW YOUR WORK!



For the tags, go ahead and add a little hanger at the top. You can add a tassle to the bookmark too, if you'd like, but I didn't add the hole on this one so you can keep it plain if you prefer.




I really like these as an extra to go along with Valentine's Day (or Galentine's Day!) gifts, but that they also work for any time. The tags double as ornaments or decor, and the bookmark is obviously useful year-round for book lovers!



On Instagram I put up a poll and asked if Valentine stitching should be in red or rainbow. It was kind of a false choice because the correct answer is both, but I love that rainbow won out. And in keeping with that, I don't think you should have to choose. Stitch a whole bunch of these in all the colors you want!