Scrappy Heart Block Tutorial

In the spirit of upcoming Valentine’s Day, I wanted to make a scrappy heart out of fabric I had on hand; then I took it one step further and decided it would be fun to make a tutorial.

Overall, this block is perfect for the beginner quilter because it’s super easy and quick, but that doesn’t mean an experienced can’t quilter can have fun making it! It makes a great gift or a nice mini for yourself…I hope you give it a try.

To get started, choose your fabric. The pattern requires 2 ½” and 3″ squares for the heart section, also for the heart background, so strips, squares or scraps will work. I chose ten different prints as to have plenty of variety.

Materials needed: Equivalent of one fat quarter of color/print fabric in at least 3” strips or scraps for heart; one fat quarter of background fabric. General sewing/quilting materials such as a ruler, cutting mat, rotary cutter, thread, scissors, pins, iron, sewing machine.

I used fabric left over from a quilt I made myself a few years ago, Riley Blake Designs Just Dreamy 2 by My Mind’s Eye. To this day I absolutely love that quilt because the fabrics are so cute and happy, also making them perfect for this project. And the colors are great for Valentine’s Day! For the background fabric, I chose Kona Cotton White .

Here are some general guidelines:

Use 1/4″ seam allowance throughout
Press seams open (not borders)
RST = Right Sides Together

Once you’ve chosen your fabric, it’s time to cut.

From printed fabric, cut:

20 – 2 ½” squares

5 – 3″ squares

From background fabric, cut:

5 – 3″ squares

2 – 2 ½” squares

2 – 2 ½” x 4 ½” rectangles

2 – 2 ½” x 12 ½” rectangles (borders)

2 – 2 ½” x 16 ½” rectangles (borders)

Next step, draw a diagonal line on the back of all five 3″ background squares in preparation for making half square triangles (HSTs).

To make HSTs: Place a 3″ background square on a printed 3″ square, RST. Sew ¼” on both sides of the drawn line. Make five.

Cut on the drawn line. Press. One sewn unit will give you two HSTs, you’ll have ten total. Trim to 2 ½” square. For superior accuracy, I used my Bloc-Loc ruler; however, a regular quilter’s ruler will work fine.

Time to choose your layout. I spread out my colors fairly evenly, but anything goes!

Tip: It’s a good idea to take a photo of your block once the layout is decided; it’s a helpful reference tool when sewing the block together.

To make rows, sew squares together keeping in layout order. I usually press seams in opposite directions per row for nesting purposes, but because the squares are rather small, open pressed seams will help reduce bulk. The block will lay flatter having done so.

Keeping your rows in correct order, sew together in pairs, and then sew pairs together. I used a pin at every seam so they’ll line up nicely.

Results from all that pinning!

With your block sewn and pressed (measuring 12 ½” square), the next and final step is attaching the borders. Pin one 2 ½” x 12 ½” rectangle to each side of the heart. Sew*, press toward border.

*Tip: When sewing on borders, place them on the underneath side of the block (feed dogs side) to avoid sewing pressed seams in the wrong direction. Also, if your border is a bit longer (as mine was), the feed dogs will help ease in the extra length.

Attach one 2 ½” x 16 ½” rectangle to both the top and bottom of the heart block. Press toward border.

And done!

Block measures 16 ½” square.

I haven’t decided what I am going to do with mine, there are so many options! I could make it into a pillow, a quilted mini or add others to it and make it into a quilt. Also, be sure to trim all the threads off the back before doing anything; it’s a terrible task but makes all the difference.

Tip: Since I used 5″ squares, I had leftover pieces from cutting the 3″ squares. To reduce waste, I cut them into 1 ½” squares so I could use them in future projects.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Note: I am not endorsed by any products I have mentioned or photographed in this post; they are just items I like, use and wanted to share information on.