Sweetheart- Applique Heart Pillow

Hello Makers! It is Sara from @SaraBQuilts and I have all the heart eyes for the collection I am showcasing today! Sweetheart by Riley Blake Designs and My Minds Eye is the Sweethearts candy in fabric form! Cute, pink, and super sweet- this fabric has Valentine’s decor written all over it! 

There are a lot of heart quilt and pillow patterns out there, but I wanted a heart shape that I just could not find. So I decided to make my own appliqué heart pattern for a giant bench pillow that needed a seasonal cover! It is so easy to do this and the options are endless once you get started. I went online and searched for heart clipart. Once I found the perfect heart, I printed it out on yardstick, cut it out, and I had my heart template! It is as easy as that. 

To mirror the Sweetheart Checks fabric, I decided to make my pillow cover checkered blocks alternating between low volumes/light pinks with reds/hot pinks. Collections with a limited color range like Riley Blake Design’s Sweetheart are great because there are so many variations within each color. I loved having multiple light pink, hot pink, red, and white options to play with!

Once my appliqué hearts were all finished, I sewed them together and prepped them for hand quilting. I usually use navy thread for hand quilting, but this time I chose black size 8 Perle cotton instead. I love the charm that the stitches brought to my pillow cover and how they made the Sweetheart fabrics really pop!

I love my appliqué Sweetheart pillow and can’t wait to decorate with it in February! Happy and very sweet sewing, friends! I can’t wait to see what you make with Riley Blake Design’s Sweetheart fabric!

-Sara (@SaraBQuilts)