Girly Hearts

Here's a sweet lap quilt for Valentine's Day that's fun and easy to sew.

Pink scrappy hearts float on a lavender floral background, with a border of parallelograms around the perimeter. Girly Hearts is 48” square, and quilted with white thread in a free motion meandering stitch. I stitched and quilted on Janelle, my Janome MC9450 machine.

The Half Hearted die from Blue Wren is definitely one I'll use again. I actually sewed this quilt in December 2024, before packing up everything for our move. 

I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head that I don't know what to do next. Good thing I have a pending projects list, although it is getting longer and longer.

My current focus is cutting into my mountain of remnants. I can't stand to throw away even the smallest bits of fabric! Thankfully some of my dies can cut tiny pieces so I don't have to do it with scissors like our grannies did. Watch for lots of wild colorful quilts later this year.

Dies used:
Blue Wren
  6911 Half Hearted 9” block
  6015 Strips 1½”

Accuquilt
  55004 Parallelograms 3”
 55008 HST 3”

Sweethearts Dance

Purple and white scraps plus a new die and a classic block equals a happy little quilt for Valentine's Day.

The Interwoven Star is pretty when alternated with a simple heart block. I framed them with 2” solid lavender sashing strips. Backing and binding is a lavender mini gingham. My little Singer Featherweight (Annie) always stitches perfectly.

I quilted in narrow channels using light purple thread and a straight stitch. I finished this one very quickly, starting on Friday afternoon and finishing up Sunday morning. Sweethearts Dance is 32” square, small and adorable.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6364a Interwoven Star 8½”
Accuquilt
55018 Value die 2½” square & half-square triangles  
55017 Strips 2½” sashing & binding

Happy Valentine's Week!

 

Valentine Snowballs

Here's a sweet treat for Valentine's Day. These adorable red and pink heart prints and coordinating fabrics were all in my stash of goodies collected over the years.

Four snowballs in each color make up 12” blocks. For quilting, I used a walking foot and a ruler to straight stitch with white thread in rows of three.

Valentine Snowballs is 48” square, perfect for snuggling with your honey. I sewed this one with Laney, our Maui Blue and white painted Singer 301.

Accuquilt dies used:
55330 Snowball 6” finished BOB
55017 Strip 2½”

I hope your day 
is FULL 
of LOVE

Endless Love

For this lovely beauty, I used nearly all of the red heart fabric from my cache. Red, white, and pink prints are a nice combination for a Valentine quilt.

I used the 10” Periwinkle die from Blue Wren to cut twenty-five blocks. These were stitched on my Singer Featherweight, Annie. Borders and backing feature a red on red small floral print.

I quilted using Janelle (Janome MC9450) with red thread, in a serpentine stitch along block seams, then free motion quilted scallops around the center star section. On the 5” borders I added a pretty heart stitch and a larger serpentine with white thread.

Endless Love is 60” square, nice size for snuggling on the couch with my sweet Valentine, Jerold.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Blue Wren dies used:
6077 10” Periwinkle
6720 Magic Strips (borders and binding)

 

Feel The Love

Feel The Love

For this Valentine's week, my featured quilt is a sweet little wall hanging. Scrappy red and white hearts float on a background of pale grey mini-dots. Feel The Love is 23” x 33” and could double as a table mat. Red and white diagonal peppermint stripes are used for backing and binding.  Quilting was done in straight lines 1/2” apart with white thread.

I had a few red squares left over, so I whipped up a 6” square mug mat. These two were last week's project, along with straightening up my work area. Somehow things from other rooms in the house make their way into my space: shirts for ironing, receipts, magazines, sale flyers, etc. I took care of all of that clutter; now my space looks ready for creating more goodies.

Today I am sending lots of love to Fayetteville, Tennessee. Sir's Fabric was destroyed by fire on Saturday evening. What a heartbreaking loss for the owners, the employees, and the community. Thankfully, no one was physically injured. Sir's was a family owned business and I can't imagine how devastating this must be for them. I didn't go often, but I really stocked up when I was there. I am in mourning for the lost fabric.

Forget

Valentine's Day...

I'm waiting for the

discounted

CHOCOLATE

on the 15^th!

Happy Valentine's Week!

 

Fill Your Heart

All You Need Is Love

Since it's nearly Valentine's Day, and in honor of the Beatles, I give you a few Beatles love songs.  My best friend Pam and I swooned over Paul and John in 1964.  I still have the scratched 45's that we played on my little portable record player.  Their love songs are the best!


Words of Love
PS I Love You
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
And I Love Her
It's Only Love
All My Lovin
Can't Buy Me Love
She Loves You
All You Need Is Love


Love, hugs and kisses to my sweetheart Jerold.  We've celebrated 44 Valentine's Days together since we met.

Have a romantic and happy Valentine's Day!

"And in the end, the love you take
is equal to the love you make."  

John Lennon & Paul McCartney

Happy Valentine's Day

Love is the greatest refreshment in life.  -- Pablo Picasso

The heart that loves is always young.  -- Author Unknown

All you need is love.  -- John Lennon

 

Valentine Chocolate

Yeah, I know it's early, but February is nearly here and I was ready to whip up some new Valentine decorations. While sorting fabric, I found delicious colors for these two projects. Warm brown and caramel colors contrast nicely with batik reds for a table runner called Valentine Chocolate. A few half square triangles, squares and strips made it quick and easy. I just love how it looks on my kitchen counter.

Another simple project, One Heart, is an adorable door hanging for my mother-in-law. Since she doesn't see very well, I thought the black and white background would contrast well with the bright red heart. Neither project took very long to design or to finish, so I'm headed back to the sewing room to keep my creativity flowing and my fingers busy.

Useful Notion: February is the month of love, hearts, lace, and chocolate, with some bubbly wine and a few snow flurries thrown in for good measure. Enjoy it!

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.” – Charles M. Schulz

Put Your Heart In It

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, celebrated with hearts, flowers, candy, jewelry and perfume. I've always loved this holiday, even in elementary school with those goofy little valentines and candy hearts. A day focused on chocolate and roses is always at the top of my list! I'm not picky...any chocolate will do, a little bag of Hershey's kisses or a fancy two pound box of Godiva.

I'm lucky to have the same loving sweetheart for the past forty-two years. He's had plenty of time to figure out what I like, and he always remembers. Not just on holidays or anniversaries, but every day. A good relationship is created by making an effort, communicating, loving, sharing, and doing those extra little things for each other.

What things? We both do them. A sweet smile, a shoulder to lean on, or a hug while I'm standing at the sink. Filling a coffee cup, starting a load of laundry, ironing shirts, going out for breakfast, helping our parents, taking a walk together. A surprise little gift, a favorite movie, a call for no reason but to say I love you. I could go on and on. It's really about being nice, considerate, and helpful. He's a keeper, and I think he feels the same way about me.

Sure, there have been a few little bumps in the road. Everyone has those, especially when you've been together as long as we have. They require forgiveness, tolerance and understanding. The point is, you have to put your heart into anything worth having, whether it's marriage, family relationships, friends, your job or your life.

So, today, tomorrow and every day, put your heart in it and give someone love, friendship and a smile. You'll be happier for it, I promise.

“Above all, be true to yourself, and if you cannot put your heart in it,  take yourself out of it.”  – Unknown