Valentine's Day Table Topper

Materials:

• 1-1/2 yards fabric for top and bottom
• Scraps or fat quarters in at least 5 different colors/patterns
• 2-1/2 yards bias tape
• Fusible felt
• Steam-A-Seam
• Pattern Page 1 and Pattern Page 2
  
  

Instructions:

1. Print the patterns and cut them out. To make the patterns actual size, use newspaper. For the top/bottom pattern, use a folded piece of newspaper.
   
   
    
2. Fold the top right corner down to the bottom left corner and crease.
   
   
    
3. Do this one more time.
   
   
    
4. Place the fold edge of the printed pattern along the solid fold of the newspaper. Trace the top curve of the pattern and cut along that line.
   
   
   
   
    
5. Open up and it should look like this:
   
   
    
6. Fold top/bottom fabric with cut edges meeting so you'll have a double layer big enough for the pattern. Pin the pattern on and cut out.
   
   
    
7. Cut your scraps/fat quarters into 2 inch strips. If you have a rotary cutter and a self-healing mat, stack the fabrics and cut them up all at once. If you don't have one, marking two inches with chalk marks is the easiest way I've found.
   
   
    
8. Using 1/4 inch seams, sew together in five strip blocks, mixing up the order of your fabrics. Press seams open.
   
   
    
9. Even up the ends of your blocks and cut them into 2 inch strips.
   
   
   
   
    
10. Now sew these strips together in 5 strip blocks (1/4-inch seams again) and press the seams open. Mix up the patterns so that every block looks different. You'll only need 4 blocks, so you might want to save the other strips for another project.
    
    
     
11. Trace four heart appliques onto the top side (so it will have the adhesive on it still when the sheets are separated) of Steam-A-Seam. Take the bottom sheet off and iron onto the wrong side of each block.
    
    
     
12. Cut out.
    
    
     
13. Remove the remaining paper piece from the appliques and position on the table topper fabric. Iron on.
    
    
     
14. Sew along edges of appliques with a zigzag stitch. On my Brother, I used a .2 length and 3.5 width.
    
    
     
15. Using the top/bottom pattern, cut a piece of fusible felt. Fuse to the top. Pin top to bottom.
    
    
     
16. Sew around the outside of the hearts and again on the inside of the zigzag stitches. Free motion quilt on the portions of the top fabric that are showing.
    
    
     
17. Finish the edges with bias tape, and you're done!