Patchwork love
Celebrate the season of love with foundation paper pieced hearts.
You can frame them in simple hoops or frames, like we have done, or work them into pillow covers, bags or quilts.
This project has instructions/patterns for 3” and 5” simple heart designs, and more intricate 5” and 7.5” designs.
Materials needed
- Printed pattern of your choice – you need one sheet for each block you want to make, download using the blue button below
- A variety of fabrics for the heart and for the background: a fat eighth for the heart colour, and strips of approximately 20 x 5cm for each colour – you can use up scraps for this project. Make sure to have a contrast between the fabrics used for the heart and the background. Allow a little extra to add all around if you are going to hoop them.
- Embroidery hoops – we used an 18cm hoop for the 3” design, 22cm hoops for the 5” designs and a 27cm hoop for the 7.25” design
- Sewing thread – neutral colour like grey or beige
- Thin batting, approximately 5cm larger all around than the hoop
Equipment needed
- Sewing machine
- Open toe foot (optional) – makes it easier to see where you sew
- Glue stick or small pins
- Rotary cutter, small ruler and cutting mat
- Scissors
- Hand sewing needle
Download patterns / cutting files here
Step 1
Download the files and print one sheet for each block you want to make. Lay your fabrics out and decide on the sequence of colours you want to use. Cut them roughly into strips, as wide and long as the widest and longest part of the heart piece they are for, plus an additional 2 – 3cm per strip.
Step 2
Construct the block, following the numbers.
If you are new to the foundation paper piecing method, or would like a reminder, please read our What Is Foundation Paper Piecing explainer and step-by-step guide here.
Tip: below are the pictures of each block and the pattern next to it to help you plan your colours. Enjoy!
Heart Block 7.5 inch
Heart Block 5 inch
Simple Heart Block 3 inch
Simple Heart Block 5 inch
