Free Pieced Heart Table Runner for Valentines - Tutorial -

Valentines Day is coming! In order to chase away the dark, dreary and wet days here in the Pacific Northwest. I'm sprucing up the home with some Valentine decorations. I was thinking it was time I tried Free Piecing some hearts for a Table Runner, using inspiration from the Free Pieced Pumpkin Table Runner I made a couple years ago. You can find it HERE, and HERE.

Free Pieced Hearts are easy. Here's a little tutorial to help you along. {sorry about the rotten pics. Two words. Need SUN}

Step 1
Start with 2 red squares (these are 1 1/2") and 2 white squares (also 1 1/2")

Step 2
Lay the white squares on top of the red squares, right sides together. Draw a diagonal line from one point to the other. Sew on this line.

Step 3
Now trim away, leaving a 1/4" seam.
Press open

Step 4
Sew together as shown
Here is the V of your heart

Step 5
Add the middle your heart by sewing on a piece the same width as the V piece and however long you'd like your heart to be

Step 6
Now let's add to the width of your heart. Sew a strip to each side of the middle of the heart, as shown.

Step 7
Now for the trimming. This will be the general shape of the heart. I chose to trim this one long and skinny. Sort of like a primitive heart. You could make it shorter and chunkier just by how you trim it.

Step 8

Now to add white around the heart to form a quilt block. Add a white piece to the top. The same width as the heart piece.

Step 9
Now add the side pieces.

Step 10
Press Open

Step 11
Lay one of your quilting rulers on top of the heart piece. Try and trim it to a square. This one was almost 6 1/2" square. I trimmed the top pieces and now I know I need two smaller pieces on the bottom to form the square.

Step 12
Here you can see I added the two bottom pieces and then trimmed the block to a 6 1/2" square.

I added white to each 6 1/2" block to make this Table Runner right around 10" x 33" in overall size.

Here are some close ups of the hearts. Hopefully you can see the seams enough to get a general idea of how I made the different shapes.

Every heart but the larger middle heart in the Table Runner, started with 1 1/2" squares to form the V.

I added two squares to either side of the V on this one, then the middle piece, then the bottom piece. Then I trimmed it to a heart shape. Notice I cut the corners of the top of either side of the heart on this one.

I left the corners on this one.

Tah Dah. Easy Free Pieced Hearts! Would be cute on Pot Holders, or framed too.

ooxx`jodi