Hearts and Tarts

It’s my Hearts and Tarts table runner and it’s the February quilt in the Better Homes and Gardens American Patchwork & Quilting 2017 Calendar.  

This beautiful calendar, available online at The Meredith Store, features 12 gorgeous quilts, complete with full project instructions and even suggestions for alternate colors and sizes.  

My Hearts and Tarts table runner is simplicity itself.  I paper pieced the heart blocks with a variety of pink solids and used candy pink perle cotton to big stitch quilt in the sashing and borders.  This quilt is soft and pretty—perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Here’s a close-up of the big stitch quilting:

And here’s the little quilt I made to test the idea for Hearts and Tarts.  The blocks in this little cutie are 3″ square.

And because I can’t get enough of these sweet hearts, here’s a fun little project that you can make with a single block.  It’s a 4½” square pillow that you can use as a pin cushion or embroider with a message and give as a valentine.

If you’d like to make your own little heart pillow, you’ll need to print a foundation pattern for the 3″ heart block (find the pdf here).  You’ll also need some scraps of pink and white solid fabrics.  

1 rectangle, 1¾” x 2½” (area A1)

1 rectangle, 2¼” x 3¼” (area A4)

1 square, 5″ x 5″ (pillow back)

1 square, 2″ x 2″ (area A2)

1 square 2½” x 2½” cut once diagonally to yield 2 triangles (areas A3 and A5)

1 square 3″ x 3″ cut once diagonally to yield 2 triangles (areas A6 and A7)

2 strips 1¼” x 3½” (side borders)

2 strips 1¼” x 5″ (top and bottom borders)

Putting this little pillow together is very easy.  Once you’ve got the block made, stitch a white 1¼” x 3½” strip to either side of the block, pressing seams towards the white strips.  Then stitch a white 1¼” x 5″ strip to the top and bottom of the block, again pressing seams towards the white strips.

Layer your pillow top with a small piece of batting and then embellish it as desired. I embroidered the “Be Mine” and “XOXO” using a backstitch and two strands of embroidery floss.  Then I used perle cotton to big stitch quilt in the border ¼” around the outside of the block.  The layer of batting will give the stitching a bit of dimension and will help keep the front of your pillow smooth when you stuff it.

Once your pillow top is embellished/quilted, layer the pillow back atop the pillow top with right sides together.  Stitch on all sides using a ¼” seam allowance, but leave a little space unsewn at the bottom of the pillow for turning.  Press the seam to set it, clip your corners, and turn the pillow right side out.  Stuff the pillow gently using fiberfill and blindstitch the opening closed.  And that’s it!  

Before I go, here’s another example of the gorgeous photography that you’ll find in the APQ 2017 Calendar.  December features my Winter Wraps lap quilt in the most charming scene—I just love this picture!

Happy Quilting!