My cushion for Mosaic, the bereavement counselling charity in Dorset still has a heart, but I found this fabulous embroidery pattern at Embgallery.com. I used a jade velvet which my Stepmum gave me years ago. It’s brighter than it looks in the picture, and found some little heart buttons for the back.

If you’re embroidering velvet you want to use a sticky stabiliser in the back of the hoop. That way, you don’t need to use the top ring that crushes the pile (although I have done it when I know the velvet will wash). You can also buy stabilisers to put on top of the fabric that either wash or iron away and stop the stitches sinking into the pile. I was annoyed to find I’d run out, and as I really wanted to complete this before the weekend, so risked working without it! I’m pleased with the result but it would have been a crisper finish if I had used it

Mosaic a charity supporting bereaved children, their families and carers in Dorset. http://www.mosaicfamilysupport.org.uk