Heart Sampler

I've been working on this project on and off for a few years; every February I'd sew one or two heart-themed squares.  This year I sewed one, and then, deciding I was ready to finish this, pieced them all together:

Close-ups:

The heart made of yo-yos (the link includes a little tutorial for impromptu free-hand yo-yos) was the first square I made; I got the idea from American Patchwork & Quilting's Febuary 2008 issue, from a quilt designed by Tonee White.  The two little squares are just little doodads I put together -- a heart-shaped yo-yo and a beaded heart for the top one, and three crocheted squares and a tarnished glitter heart for the bottom one.

This pattern also came from American Patchwork & Quilting, June2004, designed by Miriam Gourley (a beautiful quilt in soft, dusty colors).  I resized it, and in the process forgot about the border, which is why the hearts are so small against the background. I explain the applique technique here.

This one was inspired by yet another pattern from American Patchwork & Quilting, this time the April 2002 issue.  The designer (Tonee White again) had a five by five grid of different motifs; I used the hearts but added a simple felt flower and a button bouquet. I plan on quilting a horizontal and vertical axis in contrasting perle cotton, as was done in the original; I'll probably also quilt the rest of the piece that way.

This square came from a pin I found on pinterest; the original pattern is here.  I tweaked the measurements a bit to get a square, and added a border to get it to the right size.

Once I started putting together the different squares, I realized I needed one more 3" by 6" (finished) block.  I quickly whipped up a crazy rectangle using fabrics from the other sqaures, and used ecru perle cotton in three sizes to embroider the seams.  I tried to incorporate a heart motif in each one; in the process I developed a chain stitch variation that looks like a row of hearts; I may fine-tune it and write about it later.

It feels good to have put the top together.  I will probably set it aside for now, and quilt it next February.