Hearts & Crafts Project #14: Follow Your Heart

Welcome to Mattie's Hearts & Crafts Blog Series!

I think everytime I've truly followed my heart....good things happen.  This is the last project in the Hearts & Crafts series.  May good things happen!

LOVE you all, XOXO, & FOLLOW YOUR HEART!

FOLLOW YOUR HEART: Hearts & Crafts: Project #14
NON-STANDARD METHOD:  Raw-Edge Applique.

This is a super fun project.  If you made the LOVE Pillow, it is just like that.., but with a different size background & more letters and hearts.
MATERIALS:
Use scraps or: 
Heart: (4) 4" squares
Letters: (3) 3" squares per letter, but you can combine them and press onto larger pieces of fabric: (1) each of  H, A, T, W, Y, U, (2) R's (4) F/E/L (Cut out the whole group and you will cut the individual letter later...see instructions - see Step 1 & 2.
Background & Backing: (1) piece 16" x 36" (this allows for an approximate 5" overlap).   I used Painter's Drop Cloth from the hardware store for this pillow. 
Quiltsmart Interfacing: 4 small hearts from one panel of Sweet Hearts,  1 panel of Raw Edge Letters 
Pillow form: 16" square  
Fabric Glue - spray or Sew Line.
Matching or contrasting thread.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Cut fabrics AFTER reading ALL of Step 1 & 2  (actually, it is always a good idea to read all instructions so you know what is coming up next. There are several pics for these steps.  Cut out around the letters OR cut out groups of letters if they will be on the same fabric.
These letters fuse to the letter fabric, not to the background.  You will use a fabric glue for that part later.
Cut around (not on) the dashed line. Some of the letters are interchangeable making for a versatile interfacing panel.  For this design, cut letters as stated above in MATERIALS.  Cut the small heart away from the big heart - around the dashed line also.  You might have some from a previous project.  The "O"s were replaced with the hearts. 
BE CAREFUL: with the E, F, & L, as they will not be the direction that you normally think of them.  Look carefully at the following photos.
TIP:  I find it easiest to manage those letters if I fuse the entire "E" Group to fabric, and then cut out what I need. If your letters are all from the same fabric, you may fuse the entire panel to the fabric, then cut the letters.  





Use an applique pressing sheet to keep the pieces in their proper place and to protect the interfacing from getting too hot and shriveling.  If that happens to you, lower the temp on your iron. There are several more parts to step 3 - keep reading.

2) Cut out the letters and the hearts.  Cut the letters on the respective dashed lines for that particular letter.  Cut the heart on the solid line (in project #1, we sewed on the solid line - that is one of the differences in the methods). 
NOTE:  The E, F, and L will be flipped over top to bottom to be correct. Check before you cut.  The E is Easy.  Keep reading for the F and L.

 "F" looks backwards, but this is correct...as  you see when flipped over in the next photo.

 "L" also looks backwards, but is not when it is flipped over.
Note that the "A" will need the crossbar - otherwise it is a "V". Use tiny scissors to cut out the center of the A. 

3) Tuck background ends under 1" and finish with a zigzag or straight stitch, or as I did (in this finished pic), a simple stitch in a contrast thread - this adds a little interest to the pillow back.








4)Draw lines with a Frixion (TM) pen for placement of letters.  You don't have to have them straight.  I divided the pillow into 3 sections about 3.5- 4" apart and placed the letters within that space.

5) If you would like quilted or embroidered embellishments, this is a good time to use the pen to sketch where they will be.

6) Using fabric glue (I like SewLine), glue the letters and heart to the background fabric. You only need enough to hold them in place.  If you are new to this, you might want to secure the edges and corners.
If the interfacing is coming off the fabric letter, iron it again. 

7) Zigzag around the letters & hearts.  Keep the stitch on the letters/hearts and just barely pierce the background fabric. You can also use a decorative stitch. If you wish to quilt your piece (mine is not), now would be the time.  Use invisible thread if you want the thread to not show, and a contrast if you want it to show as in my heart.  You can also use a very close match and it will blend in, as in the turquoise thread I used for the letters in "Follow".

I used my Baby Lock Sashiko machine to embellish.

8) Press your piece....awesome! 

9) Center the words over the pillow form.... the RIGHT side is "inside".

10) Flip the pillow over. With the words on the bottom, right side inside (redundant, but a good reminder), wrap the bottom of the pillow over the top.  In this pic, the "bottom" of the pillow cover is on the right side of the photo.

11) Pinch the sides flat and pin the overlap together.  Slide the pillow form out.  

12) Flatten the sides and sew the side seams with a half-inch seam allowance.  Use a 2mm stitch and reinforce as needed across the overlap depending on the thickness of the fabric. Remove the pins as you go. Finish the seams with a zigzag stitch.  (The LOVE pillow is shown in this photo.)  Note: When using a (16") pillow form, it is common in upholstery to cut the pillow cover that measurement and to sew with a 1/2" seam allowance, so the pillow cover would finish 1" smaller than the form...in this case, 15".  This is done to have a nicely stuffed pillow. If making a super tiny pillow, I would make the cover only 1/2" smaller than the pillow form.

13) Turn right side out, use a pointer-creaser to gently poke out the corners.  

14) Insert the pillow form through the opening.You can close the opening with Velcro (TM), button, or ribbon, but in a small pillow there is not much reason - unless your flap is floppy. 
 If you have a different size pillow insert, you can use this same method - just fold your fabric around your insert and allow for at least 2" at each end for the overlap. The larger the pillow, the more overlap you want.  I use 6" for the overlap on a standard bed pillow (20" x 26").
Our XOXO pillow is EASY! It is the same size as the LOVE pillow....just different letters/hearts.
VARIATION:  Use the same methods to make a table-runner!  If you wish, you can even sew an envelope back to the runner so that it can be a bench pillow OR a table-runner.
Have Fun & Share YOUR Creation - we would love to see a pic!  
Follow Your Heart....
Mattie