Follow Your Heart Quilt

 Today I'm sharing my oldest UFO. 

I rarely buy kits, but I caved to temptation when I stumbled upon this one from Sweetwater on sale years ago. Looking back, it's been on my list since 2018.

It was the addition of the taupe to the red and white that lured me in. 

                                                   

I cut everything out a few years ago (May, 2022 - according to a blog post) and pressed the hearts to the blocks,

                                        

 but then everything was stashed back into the bin. I finally committed to this quilt last year, in April. I just sketch-stitched around each heart 3 times. I wanted a more rustic finish on the hearts:

The only thing I did differently was that I didn't applique hearts on every block - I left some of them empty, I used red thread instead of black, and I substituted a few fabrics from my stash. Oh, and I eliminated one size of heart that was included in the design. Jackie and Sandy quilted a design called Heart Fancy over it that's perfect, but difficult to see - this shot shows it the best.

I love the taupe print on the border

We're not done with winter here, but last week was unseasonably warm so I took advantage of the 70° weather and sat out on the deck a few days for a little while to work on the binding

Last year, I found this print for the backing that I thought would be a good fit

It's not very big at 70 x 78, but I I don't need every quilt to  cover a bed.

 I don't decorate for Valentine's Day but we have a partial wall in this house that separates the dining / living area from the entryway and I just hung it there

It's always fun to finish a quilt, especially one that's been sitting in a  bin for years. 

I'm quite smitten with this one