Little Hearts - Complete!

I'm so tickled to have completed this UFO - it's been unfinished since 1997 or so!

I unearthed this project back in February and decided it needed finishing in honor of Valentine's Day.  I didn't quite make that deadline, but I persevered and put the last stitches in a few weeks ago.  I'm very pleased with the quilting design - simple but effective!

I outline quilted the hearts with red embroidery floss.

Hmmm...my supply of table setting props has dwindled over the years.  What I do have plenty of is dolls!  So, we have a Lady & the Tramp vignette - Bella Notte!

Candy Conversation Hearts

Not long ago, I found and finished an old UFO - a wallhanging of mini pieced hearts.  I enjoyed the technique and results so much I decided to make a second version, using some pink fabrics from my stash.

As soon as I finished the first block, I realized the pink hearts reminded me of the classic Valentine candy conversation hearts!

Once I had the blocks completed and the sashing attached, I snapped a photo and played with some creative calligraphy using Pixelmator.

I had way too much fun picking out different fonts and using them to create my own Valentine conversation hearts!

Ancient UFO Unearthed: Little Hearts Wallhanging

I unearthed an ancient UFO the other day.  Neatly packaged in a zip-loc bag were a few finished blocks, quilt block pieces, extra fabric and a page of instructions.  I immediately realized now was the time to finish this project, as the quilt featured pieced hearts, and Valentine's Day is nearly upon us!

The pattern is from a now-defunct magazine entitled Miniature Quilts.  I only have the pattern page, not the entire magazine, so I'm not sure of the exact date, but my best guess is 1995-1997.  If anyone has a stack of Miniature Quilts magazines, this is from Issue # 17.  The pattern was written to be made with plaid scraps, with black, white and red as accent colors.

I did my version with red scraps, some  of which are reproduction fabrics.  The blocks aren't too difficult to assemble, just a little fiddly because the pieces are small.  The strip of red fabric on the right side of the quilt is binding fabric I'm auditioning.

I thought it might be fun to use red embroidery floss (single strand) for the quilting.  However, after doing a little sample, I decided using red on the white sashing would make things look too busy.  I think I'll use the red floss to outline quilt the hearts and regular off-white quilting thread in the sashing.

Finishing this UFO was so much fun I decided to make another version in pink.  It's still a work in progress, but I'll share some photos soon!