A Love Token to Stitch

Quilting is a craft that goes back at least several hundred if not a few thousand years. It was originally done out of necessity—to create warm bedding and clothing. While quilters still create various types of useful textiles, they also enjoy stitching items that are merely decorative.

This quilted heart is both pretty and functional. You could stuff it with batting to make a pincushion, potpourri for a scented sachet, or fine sand to create a needle cleaner/sharpener. (To read about some historical pincushions, see “The Charming Whimsy of Antique Pincushions.”) I stuffed mine with batting and added catnip, as a Valentine’s gift for my favorite furry feline!

Lucy with her quilted Valentine heart.

Materials

• Quilting cotton scraps: 2–6 colors in pinks and/or reds, 6 pieces total 1¼" × 5" each (or wider/longer, to be trimmed)
• Quilting cotton scrap: neutral, 1 piece about 5" × 5" for quilted back
• Quilting cotton scrap: coordinating color or print, 1 piece about 5" × 5" for heart back
• Quilt batting (polyester or cotton): 1 piece about 5" × 5", plus extra scraps for filling

• Thread: all-purpose sewing/quilting, in a coordinating color