The Definition of Love (Plus a DIY Heart Garland!)

You probably already know that we have the most perfect definition of love in the Bible:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

You probably have also read and heard it so many times that you tend to gloss over the words. You may have even skipped through the above paragraph. But this verse gives us an easy-to-understand blueprint for what real love looks like.

The world has lost sight of the meaning of love. Fake and ugly replicas are everywhere and people fall for them and believe them to be real. Have you seen someone being treated poorly and when you ask them why they stay, they moan, “But I’m in love!” Really? Are you?

People have lost sight of what love is.

February is the perfect time to reread 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, focus on the words and ask ourselves if we are truly loving those around us. Because this description of love is perfect for all love and every relationship we have. Not just romantic love, but friendship, family love and just loving our fellow human beings.

I will quickly admit that I have fallen short of the mark too many times to count.

Valentine’s Day can be looked upon as a holiday that the card companies invented OR it can be the perfect time to do some maintenance on our relationships and see if we are loving with patience, kindness, and all the other characteristics that have been given to us.

I for one have always loved this time of year. I love the colors, the flowers, the treats and the reminder to check inside my heart and see if I’m measuring up to the perfect definition of love that we have been given.

The decorations I put up for Valentine’s Day remind me to love well. I fell in love with a homespun Valentine garland that I saw online and I just had to make my version of it. This could be a great craft to teach scissor and sewing skills, but I have to say that it was also a peaceful project for me to work on alone.

What You Need:

Ann Kirsten

Fabric scraps
Scissors
Embroidery floss
A needle
A heart pattern
Pins or double-sided tape

To find a heart pattern, I simply went on Pinterest and did a search for “free heart patterns” and then printed out the size I wanted. You, of course, could simply make your own pattern.

Then put two small pieces of fabric together, right sides facing out, tape or pin your pattern on top and cut the two hearts out at the same time. Repeat this until you have as many hearts as you want for your garland.

Ann Kirsten

Cut a piece of floss as long as you think you’ll need to sew around the heart (after you’ve sewn one you’ll know if you were right and then can cut all your floss the same length). I separated my floss into three strands to sew around the edges.

For sewing the hearts together, you can use any kind of stitch you want to. I like to use the blanket stitch as it adds a lacy edge.

Ann Kirsten

But you could simply do a running stitch, or a whip stitch. Whichever stitch you choose, start at the bottom of the heart and hide your knot in between the two pieces of fabric.

Ann Kirsten

Since you won’t be stuffing these hearts, you do not need to keep an edge open. Once you have sewn all the way around the heart, knot your thread and then take a stitch in between the fabric. This allows you to cut the thread off close without untying the knot.

Continue sewing all your hearts in the same way. This was such a peaceful part for me. You can sew them while watching television, listening to a book, or in the car while waiting for your kids to finish practice.

Once you have all your hearts sewn it is time to connect them. I used all six strands of floss for this. Lay your hearts out in the way you want them to look. Then, starting at one end, slip the needle through the left edge of the heart about one third of the way from the top. Continue through the middle of the two pieces of fabric (unseen) and out the right side of the heart. Move onto the next heart doing the exact same thing. Knot both ends close to the hearts at the ends.