Romantic Reds
Block of the Month - 8" (finished)

Romantic reds is a very useful block to have on file. Apart from making an easy BOM to complete it is also an easy one to use if you have group members who need a gentle introduction to applique.

We have used it in our quilting group as a group project for making a quilt for a member who lost a family member in the massacre in Norway. Some members made their own heart to applique onto their blocks while others used this BOM. It helped everyone when choosing a size of heart to use.

Blocks were made using a range of applique techniques. There was machine applique (my favorite), hand applique, needle turn and others where the edge of the heart had an embellishment sewn round it. Our special quilt was made in soft beige tones and looked stunning finished.

Here are the instructions for making this block.

Valentines Day is the theme for this month.

Use any fabric with red in it.

Cut one 8 1/2" square from your background fabric. Fold in half and half again, finger press to get the center.

Cut heart out of contrasting red fabric (if background is light use a darker colored fabric for the heart - if dark use a light colored fabric).

Use steam a seam or visoflex to iron onto heart fabric, cut out shape and iron onto background.

Machine or hand stitch heart, adding a pretty touch of lace, ribbon or embroidery.

If you want to make more than one, go ahead and have fun!

Click on the image below to download a PDF of this BOM.

To Romantic Reds Block PDF download

For those who would like to view a tutorial on how I do my machine applique click here. There are quite a few excellent applique tutorials on-line. Most of the machine applique tutorials use a form of adhesive product. My preference is for Steam-a-Seam and can be purchased at any quilting store. The other product I find very helpful is a spray starch. I use this to give body to the background fabric - this reduces any puckering that may occur.

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