While not technically a Valentine’s idea, what better tribute can there be to love?

I stitched up a small quilt honoring the rainbow flag, with my cat Jackson wearing his heart on his…umm…fur? The quilt actually does have straight lines, I simply did not have time to photograph properly before leaving town on a business trip ☺️.

Supplies: 6 FQs from this incredibly fun “Crayola” solid collection, 6 matching shades of Aurifil 50wt (+ black), MistyFuse (I like to fuse my small quilt layers so that they do not shift at my Bernina), scraps of black cotton (Uppercase Vol 3 💜) and red wool, and the outline of my beloved black cat.

I stitched 2 1/2″ strips together in the correct order, then fused Jackson into position, and stitched simple matchstick quilting to give the piece texture.

In case you’d like to borrow my cat 😉:

Stay warm…I’m headed out into -16 degree weather 🥶…

Greetings from the polar vortex today! 🥶 if you are hiding inside today, here is an excellent project 😉.

Some of you might recall my obsession with leaf-rubbings made into wine coasters…

…so for ❤️ Day I simply fused some awesome fabric (from one of Modern Quilt Studio’s collections💕) onto a square of moldable fusible…cut it into a heart shape..zigzagged the edges…pressed and molded!

A fun addition to your February table 😁💕!

Have you tried super-heavyweight thread in your bobbin to create cool designs? It is great fun…I do recommend keeping a second bobbin case, permanently set a bit looser, for these projects. Hand-wind the thread … in this project, white Razzle Dazzle from Superior Threads … thread your needle with monofilament … and mark your design on the REVERSE side. You’ll basically be working upside down ;).

For this valentine, I sketched a tribute to our beloved motorcycle on the reverse side of the postcard, inserting hearts for wheels ;), then fused a piece of red fabric to the front (which had enough surface interest but not TOO much.) By following my sketch with the needle, the bobbin thread created a dramatic image 😁. Vrooooooom 💕!

Super-fast idea for your ❤️ table! Crush those candy canes that are still hanging around from Christmas 😉 to form red-white filler for a teeny vase. Cut a branch from a shrub and adorn with red paper hearts on which you have written messages for your Sweetheart 💕.

So…remember that shimmering handful of Angelina in my Day 2 post? This is a pure-fun project, the result of which can be an ornament, gift tag, or even door hanger (you might embroider “sleeping” on one side, “disturb me :)!” on the other).

Supplies:

-pink or red Angelina fiber

-square of heavyweight double-sided fusible

-pale pink fabric for reverse side (I used a lovely shade from Windham’s Bedrock collection ❤️)

-thread that will make an impact…I used Aurifil’s 40wt in a rich red

-2 feet of cording (you can decide as you go as to final length, this will give you enough to work with

-pressing sheet! I swear by MistyFuse’s Goddess Sheets

Step 1– pull the Angelina fibers apart until they appear matted. This great material sticks to itself but to nothing else…if you have not tried it, pick up a sample pack at your local quilt shop.

Step 2– fold pressing sheet over the cloud you have formed and press into a sheet

Step 3– fuse to square base..then fuse pale fabric to other side. (Pale so that you can write a note to your valentine!)

Step 4– place square on cutting mat…trim away excess Angelina (save scraps for future art projects)…position on point. Using rotary cutter, trim into heart shape by forming bottom of heart from point…form rounded top. Use your scissors to finish top of heart.

Step 5– finish edge by stitching a tight zig-zag edge.

Step 6– switch machine to tiny straight stitch…and tack midpoint of piping down into top center of heart.

Hang wherever you like!

One of my enduring favorite quilt patterns is too simple to be called a pattern! Begin with a fabulous FQ bundle (who is not surprised that I fell for Tula Pink’s Tabby Road collection? 🐾🐾)…from each fat quarter, cut 2 squares and 2 hearts…mix and match until you are satisfied, then fuse, piece and quilt.

My favorite way to cut hearts (remember to MistyFuse first) is to cut square, fold in half, and free-cut one side of a heart. If they each turn out a bit different, all the better! To review:

Or…depending upon the fabrics…you may want to fuse the hearts to alternating squares as I did in this quilt (using Uppercase Volume 1 fabrics 💕) for a VERY special baby 💜:

A heart-themed quilt should feel like a warm hug, so for these quilts I tend to use wool batting and quilt very lightly.

Have a warm and cozy Saturday with your sweetheart!

Does your Valentine have a beloved pet? If so, this is a fun technique to try :). The supplies are simple: white batik (higher thread count = sharper image), a fabric pen (I love Tsukineko’s ‘Fabrico’ pens), and 2 spools 🧵 of thread: white and the ink color.

Steps:

1. Choose a strong-contrast photo and play with it in Popsicolor
2. Print it
3. Lay the white batik on top of the image and (using a light box) ink in any area that appears dark
4. Layer with batting and backing
5. Stitch the image, adding color thread wherever you’ve added ink
6. Stitch radiating lines, with white thread, in the background (not necessary if you are creating a postcard).

As this series of photos shows, a pale subject can also be the star…simply color in the background around the pet!

For more info, read Quilting Arts magazine (Feb/Mar 2017 issue) or watch my episode on Quilting Arts TV 😁!