Valentine Blog Hop: Day 2

If Valentine's Day makes you think of roses, chocolate, and wine, it probably also makes you think of decadence. And there's nothing more decadent than vibrant, bold batiks--they'll spice up any design!

We're starting out this Valentine's week with a few fun tutorials (and of course, a chance to win some fabric!)

Today we have Debby Kratovil from Debby Kratovil Quilts blog sharing how her pattern "Hearts on Fire" works beautifully with a group of our Benartex Batiks. (And the pattern is free to all readers today!)

Hearts on Fire Quilt, as it appears in my 2012 Wall Calendar of Quilts

I woke up one morning in 2004 with an image of a split heart, each half on a rectangle background. I couldn't wait to get down to my sewing studio. I drew a half-heart and then its mirror image. Then I rummaged through my small stash of batiks. The rest is history! It was published in Quilt Magazine twice and also was the February quilt in my 2012 Wall Calendar of Quilts.

This was the first of about 10 patterns which I call Cookie Cutter Bonanza. It was a popular workshop for several years. All the blocks finish to 10" square. And the students had the choice of selecting any of the 10 shapes to work with during our class time (some people don't like hearts - can you imagine that?)

Here is my approach to this pattern. But I first needed some glorious batiks to demonstrate the steps. These batiks supplied what I needed!

A selection of Benartex Batiks

Here are the steps to making this block:

First, you need the template! The link for the pattern for the block and quilt is at the bottom of this post.

Use freezer paper to trace outline of the half-heart

The block is in two parts, with a left and a right half-heart. Use freezer paper to trace the half-heart from the template page. You can make a left and right template, or use the same template and cut half of your patches from the wrong side of your fabric. I like to use freezer paper because I can iron it to the right side of my fabric and I don't need pins. I cut it out and then reuse it to cut out more patches.

Both left and right templates (mirror images of each other

Don't throw these cutaways away! They are perfect for cutting little hearts.

Now, we use the large templates and iron them onto rectangles of batiks cut 5-1/2" x 9". DO NOT USE FUSIBLE WEBBING ON THE BACK OF THESE. You do NOT want to fuse these patches to the background fabrics. A light colored heart fused to a dark background rectangle will change color. A batik fabric has a high thread count and has minimal fraying. I have used fusible interfacing on the back of quilter's cottons, but never fusible Heat 'n Bond or Wonder Under.

Iron to right side of fabric:

Iron the templates to the right side of the 5-1/2" x 9" rectangles

Cut them out:

Cut out patches

Match them to background rectangles cut to 5-1/2" x 10-1/2":

Center and pin

IMPORTANT NOTE: Once you pin the first heart to the background rectangle (the one on the left), you will use this to align the mirror image unit (on the right). Then you use that one to help pin the next left one, and so on.

I am planning for 5 blocks, so I need 5 half-hearts for the left and 5 half-hearts for the right. I cut everything out, placed the patches together to make sure I liked the arrangement before I pinned all of them.

Now it's time to stitch! With my original quilt, I chose a turquoise rayon thread to use for ALL of the hearts. For this quilt I got a bit more particular, as you can see. I pulled out my threads to match the hearts.

Auditioning my threads

Time to stitch. I used a machine zig zag stitch.

Stitch and then trim away from behind the heart

I used these trimmed hearts in my outer border (see in quilt above). Nothing went to waste here!

Trim behind hearts BEFORE stitching rectangle parts together

And how does it look from the wrong side?

Two halves sewn with 1/4" seam; press seam open

And let's see what I did with those little cutaway hearts!

Five Hearts Blocks; two half blocks with the small hearts added

I cut two 5-1/2" x 10-1/2" rectangles of the lavender and blue batik. Then I stitched the little half hearts together and made four of them. Placed; stitched; added all together for this little mini: 20" x 30", needing borders.

Wow, that's fun, huh? And the pattern is now YOURS as a special Valentine's gift from Benartex and me. All you have to do is download it.

Click here for the Hearts on Fire Pattern by Debby Kratovil.

Thanks Debby! 

Thanks Debby! Head over to Debby's blog to find out how you can win a fat quarter bundle of some of Benartex's beautiful batiks. 

Don't miss our other Valentine's themed tutorials!

Day 1: Be Mine heart garland

Day 3: Heart pillow