Valentine's Day From-The-Heart Pillow

If you have wanted to pick up quilting, but would like to try a smaller project first, or maybe you are looking for a beginner's project... a pillow is a great place to start. It makes a quick and easy gift, and perfect for a young sewer, too!

You Will Need:

• Scraps of fabric
• Craft Stuffing or a Small Pillow Form

Cut:
2 Rectangles of the Heart Fabric: 3.5in x 6.5in
4 Squares of the Neutral (white) Fabric 2in x 2in
2 Squares of Neutral Fabric 3.5in x 3.5in
2 Strips of Neutral 2in x 6.5in
2 Strips of Neutral 2in. x 9in
2 Strips of the Accent (floral) Fabric 2in x 9in
2 Strips of Accent 2in x 13.5
1 Square of Accent 13.25in x 13.25in

1.) Using the Rectangle of Heart Fabric, and one 2 x 2 Neutral Square, sew the square in the corner on the diagonal.

Cut one quarter of an inch away from the stitching taking the corner off, and press open.

Repeat this step with the opposite corner. Do the same for the second Heart Rectangle.

2.) Sew the 3.5in Neutral Square onto the Lower-Right corner of one piece and the other onto the Lower-Left of the second piece. Sew as you did the smaller squares, cutting off the corner and pressing out.

3.) Matching the seams, sew the two halves together and press.

***IMPORTANT STEP: Use your rotary cutter to trim/even out these edges. As you will see in the next step I didn't do this, and it throws off the whole center.


4.) Sew the two short Accent strips to the top and the bottom of your block and press.

5.) Sew the long pieces to the sides. Press, and even the edges.

See that crooked center? Yep. That's what happens when I don't even the edges.

6.) Do the same with the neutral strips.

7.) Right-sides together, sew the block to the 13in x 13in square, leaving a section open for stuffing.

8.) Turn right-side out and stuff, then stitch the opening closed.

What a cute holiday accent and a great way to begin a love of sewing!