Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day dear friends and fellow stitchers!

Many of you have generously shared your hearts with us and I added a few I couldn't resist from around the Internet. Enjoy!

QuiltBus offers a broad assortment of cat quilts and many feature hearts. But this one, That Lovin Feline, for some reason is my favorite. I hope to hang this in my house one of these days! A kind of upside down heart formed with the body shapes makes this a 'heart' quilt with a feline touch that makes my heart sing!

QuiltBus says, "These two cats are sitting with tails intertwined as they snuggle together under their parasol. That Lovin' Feline will melt the heart of any cat lover. This charming quilt measures 13" x 17". Pattern includes easy-to-follow instructions and full-size applique artwork. Order That Lovin Feline from Friendship Designs for 8.00 This pattern is eligible for the first class shipping rate.

Gerrie Congdon created these colorful collages. The first one was donated to a Hearts for Anna fundraiser.

Gerrie explained, "It is my own hand dyed and printed fabric. This was made for a person who works for The Artful Home. She had breast cancer and no health insurance.

They had a hearts for Anna auction and artists could donate heart related art for the auction. I made this with hand dyed fabric background with embellishments of silk and organza that are dye painted. I did some seed stitching in the brown fabric using a luscious hand dyed Perle cotton form Elin Noble."

Gerrie offers another heart collage that makes me think of a colorful butterfly's wings.

Gerrie said, "I made this last year when I taught a valentine collage class here in Portland.

Marilyn Napper offers a couple of hearts dedicated to and delivered to her beloved Gabe and Abbi. (See below.) She writes, "Here are the valentine's I made for my grandbabies. The purple frilly one is for my heart baby granddaughter who has had twp open heart surgeries (one at 5 months and one at 2 and 1/2 years) and is doing just great. 

The more manly one is for my grandson, who will care less cause he's only 14 months.

Judi Hurwitt painted a reclining heart drinking a fizzy cocktail on a fiber art postcard for Hearts For Anna last year.

Cathy K. made a heart as a treatment on a CQ block this year; it involves many techniques.

She explained, "First, a moleskin-type fabric was cut in the shape of a heart and appliqued onto the block. Then I beaded a heart (from directions found on the internet) and placed that in the center. The edges were covered with a trim, but it was a bit short, so I decorated the upper left corner with a button-centered yo-yo.

I added some stitches and beaded sequins along the inside edge for a little more bling, but not anything to take away from the bead center. The heart was placed in a position to take advantage of the ribbon roses I'd made to the lower right. The pearl-beaded heart, dyed heart lace applique and pink lace were also my work."

Here's a pic of a pink and ivory crazy quilt heart I made several years ago, Betty Pillsbury said. I believe Betty is rather modest about her work. This is so much more than a 'pink and ivory quilt. Such beautiful details and fine embroidery.

Betty will be teaching some classes along with Sharon Boggins and Allison Aller at An Adventure in Crazy Quilting in April.  

Hearts fit every need

Sometimes a heart is exactly what one needs for a fabric project. 

The following quilters used hearts for very different reasons and of course, just for fun! One chose the familiar shape as a first -- a beginning. Another picked it for utilitarian reasons and a third added it as embellishment. The fourth -- added to a collection of 'must do' patterns and projects.

Each certainly made good use of the dear little icon. 

You may pick up a few helpful hints and a new pattern to try. I particularly like Jacquie's Crazy Tumbling Hearts quilt for a baby quilt -- Dawn 

Jacquie Scuitto shares her first quilt, a crazy tumbling hearts pattern. She said she made this when she had limited stash and only a vague idea of what she was doing. I think she's a natural!

 

Jackie Campbell emailed in response to my request for hearts and asked, "Does appliqueing a small, bright pink heart onto the back to cover up the thread nest I didn't notice until it was too late count?  I did that recently, signed my initials on it, and the client thought that was just the sweetest touch.  I may do it all the time now, thread nest or no." 

Jackie, who at the time saw this as a dirty little secret did not take photos of the cute little heart. But because I like graphics, I picked up a photo from EnMart -- just in case you don't know what a thread nest is. I suspect that Jackie's little nest was not nearly so magnificent a mess as the one pictured here. But her tip is one to tuck away for future use. 

Thanks Jackie! 

 Michele Guthrie demonstrated how to make 'heart' fabric on her Textile Traveler blog. 

I believe this technique might be similar to what Nina Lise Moen explained on her website, only with the addition of painted graphic embellishments. 

After making the fabric, Michele then cut the fabric into ATCs -- beautiful work! 

She gives instructions at her blog. 

Diana Feit and I are both collectors of quilt patterns and books and ephemera with good intentions of making them all! 

She contributed this quilt pattern offered free at the Janome site. I am itching to get it made! I just love it. There's something about it that makes me smile whenever I look at it. Time to head to the sewing room. 

Thanks Diana and Janome. 

Love, love, love this pattern.

Heart Quilts: Quirky and With a Story To Touch Your Own Heart

When I requested "show me your hearts," some quirky needlers took me literally and gave me the most dramatic reproductions of their human, flesh and blood hearts.


Alexandra Walters stepped out of her usual style to create this heart using blackwork embroidery stitches.

I like it!

You might want to check out her knitting blog. Ummm nothing says Valentine's Day like a knitted cap featuring humping deer....

Those knitters, what they don't think of ! 

Nancy Hinds sent me her heart quilt "Have a Heart," which is a touching tribute to the courage of a newborn grandson and that hope and love that surround him. It documents the trials and surgeries of Jackson. Definitely a quilt with a message! And what a story behind it.

Nancy writes: "My grandson, Jackson, was born August 3, 2005, in New Orleans.  He has several birth defects, including half a heart (one atrium and one ventrical), no spleen, transverse stomach, one kidney, two superior vena cavas, and missing several pulmonary veins.   He had his first open heart surgery just 3 days before Hurricane Katrina, and was one of four babies in the PICU at Tulane Med Ctr in downtown New Orleans when the storm hit.

He was evacuated after the storm to Lafayette, LA, which was hit with Hurricane Rita.  He was then moved to Austin TX, but due to his extreme condition had to be transferred to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston for further treatment. 

In his short life he has had three open heart surgeries and three abdominal surgeries.  He is preparing now for the next step in open heart, which will hopefully bring more oxygenated blood to the lower part of his body because his oxygen levels run in the upper 70s.  The doctors will be building a channel that will come out of the lower part of his heart and go under and around his right side to the left upper lobe of his lungs.  (The right upper lobe has not had blood flow for years and is useless.)

This small quilt, Have a Heart, shows the drawing one of his cardiologists made of his heart.   I have beaded a "channel" to represent the surgery he will be having next.  This child is a treasure and has captured the hearts of everyone he comes in contact with.  This was just one small way I found of dealing with his unusual heart issues.  I will always remember what someone told me in the hospital...........after explaining Jackson's condition he said, 'Well, when he falls in love he will just have to say "I can only give you half a heart!'.

Heart Season

Is your fancy turning to love, hearts and Valentine's Day? Want a little something to remind you of romance, something that won't give you thunder-thighs or kick up your allergies? Well, diamonds would certainly fill the bill, but if you're minding your budget after the holidays, maybe a sweet flowery watercolor quilt will make your heart flip. And yes, speaking of hearts, why not create a heart design such as the one on this little quilt, similar to what D. Pappas features on the front of her Quick Watercolor Quilts book?

Of course there is always the log cabin heart quilt -- not too difficult. The foundation pieced heart....well all of these ideas are compiled on a hearts on quilts website.

Down here in Florida and I suppose elsewhere, there is a delightful vine -- well an insidious vine if left unattended -- but it has the most perfect heart-shaped leaves. Whenever I envision hearts on quilts, I see this vine. Hearts twining everywhich way, clinging, blowing in the breeze, embracing.

For a more formal arrangement of hearts and romance, I discovered C. Jean Horst's "Heart of Roses" quilt book. It is such a delightful change from the usual Valentine or heart fare, yet so traditional and reflects on the Amish techniques of the author's Lancaster County.

Of course there is a different kind of heart quilt -- those made for charities that help adults and children dealing with loss, grief, illness, heart disease, neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, etc. Google heart quilts and you'll find these groups in the mix. Or maybe get a few friends together and make a quilt for an organization or someone near and dear to your heart who is having a hard time of it.

In 2008, we can make a difference. We MUST make a difference. Just look into your heart and find what it is you should be doing to help yourself and your fellow man. Giving to others -- now that's what I call true love.