This is a cute stitch, I like it way more than the buttonhole wheel itself. ;-) I think I first saw it in a post by a Japanese embroiderer on Instagram, but I can’t remember who. Anyway, when I saw it I had to try it for myself.
1) Draw a heart and put a dot in the centre but a little bit closer to the top than the bottom. You can draw the lines so you get even segments of the stitches if you want.
2) Bring the needle up at the point of the heart, then push it down at the centre dot while you hold onto the thread so you don’t pull it to the back.
3) Bring the needle up along the outline of the heart, inside the loop of the thread you’re holding. Pull the thread tight.
4) Then, again holding on to the thread, insert the needle through the centre dot.
5) Bring the needle up along the outline as in step 6 and carry on in the same way until you reach the point of the heart.
6) The last spoke of the heart should line up with the spot where you started the heart. Secure the last spoke with a tiny straight stitch.
Finished buttonhole heart. :-) ♥
This is such a cute stitch! Thanks so much for the tutorial, I'm definitely going to have to try this one in the future :)