Be Mine Quilt Topper

Toppers are small quilts that can be completed in a relatively short amount of time. The Be Mine quilt topper measures 70" x 40" and consists of five heart blocks, borders and an underlay.

Materials:
Toppers 2 book
2-1/4 yards of dark red fabric
1/4 yard of 6 or more red fabrics
1/4 yard of 4 or more pink fabrics
7/8 yard of white fabric
2-1/4 yards of backing
5/8 yard of binding
74" x 44" batting
thread
1/2 yard of fusible web
permanent marking pen

Directions provided are for machine appliqué. To hand-appliqué, add a seam allowance to the heart pattern.

1. Make a copy of the heart pattern from the book Toppers 2 for ease in tracing.

2. Trace five heart sets (small and large) from the copied heart (step #1) onto fusible web with a permanent pen (figure A). Tip: A permanent pen doesn't smear or smudge on fusible web.

3. Cut out fused-shaped hearts leaving approximately 1/4-inch on the inside and the outside of the drawn line (figure B).

4. Iron the band of fusible web onto the wrong side of the red and pink fabrics (figure C).

5. Trim each heart along the drawn line on the fusible web (figure D).

6. Peel the band of fused paper away from the small hearts (figure E) and position on top of the larger hearts (figure F). Press in place.

7. Stitch around the edges of the small hearts using a straight stitch or a buttonhole stitch. Set aside.

8. For each block, cut an eight inch white square and four 4-1/2" x 12" red and pink strips.

9. Randomly select and stitch red and pink 4-1/2" x 12" strips to each side of the white square. The first strip is only stitched on part way (figure G) and is finished after the fourth strip is stitched in place (figure H). Press seams away from the center.

10. Remove the band of fusible web from the large hearts and press onto the white block center (figure I) and stitch.

11. To skew blocks (left and right), place a 12-1/2-inch ruler or template on the right side of the block, tilting it to the right. The corners of the ruler or template should meet the edges of the block (figure J). Trim each block. Make two blocks in this manner. Repeat for the remaining blocks, tilting to the left (figure K).

12. Alternate the left and right blocks and stitch together (figure L).

13. For a queen-size topper, cut two pieces of 5-1/2" x 12-1/2" dark red fabric rectangles as spacer strips and stitch to each end of the topper (figure M).

14. For the first border, cut four white strips 2-1/2-inch wide by the width of the fabric. Stitch two white strips, end to end, together for the top and cut to the exact length as the block rows. Repeat for the bottom of the topper. Tip: This results in two pairs of white borders--one for the top and one for the bottom of the block rows.

15. For the checkerboard border cut 34 2-1/2" white squares and 36 2-1/2" red and pink squares. Stitch together alternating red and pink squares with white squares making each strip 35 squares long (figure N). Begin and end the checkerboard border strip with a red or pink square.

16. Stitch white and checkerboard borders onto the top and bottom of the block rows.

17. To make an underlay* for the topper, cut dark red background fabric 70-1/2" x 20-1/2". Stitch to the upper edge of top (figure O) and press. Tip: Table runners do not require an underlay.

* The quilted underlay piece holds the topper in place and is hidden behind the couch or under pillows.

18. Cut the batting and backing approximately four inches larger than the topper. Layer, quilt and bind to complete the quilt topper.