2 Hearts: mini ornament

February could be called the month of Love because we celebrate St. Valentine's Day on the 14th of this month.  And we all Love quilting, so here's a tutorial for a lovely little mini ornament and there's plenty of time to whip up a few for someone you love this month.  They finish at a sweet 3 inches!  Perfect for adding to a Valentine card or as a little decoration around the house.

You will only need a few tiny bits of fabric from your string scraps.
Two 1-inch white squares
Two 1-inch red squares
Two 1-inch x 1.5 inch red rectangles
Two 1.5 inch white squares
Two 1-inch x 2.5 inch white rectangles for border
Two 1-inch x 3.5 inch white rectangles for border
One 3.5 inch square of muslin for the back
One 3.5 inch square of batting
Optional: 6 inch piece of 1/4 inch wide ribbon and a button or charm

Step one: Join the 1-inch red and white squares.  Use standard 1/4 inch seams.

Step two:  Add the red 1-inch x 1.5 inch rectangles to one side.  Doesn't have to be the same side.  I thought alternating actually gave a little more movement and balance to the block.

Step three:  Add the 1.5 inch white squares and make a 4-patch block. Square up if  needed.  Sometimes those little pieces twist a bit on me.
Step four:  Layer backing and batting.  Lay out your 4-patch in the center.  Flip over at the seam line and stitch over your seam through all layers.

Step five:  Open up your 4-patch and add borders, stitching through all layers as you add each one. Add alternating sides first, then top and bottom.

Step six:  Top stitch around the edges - through all layers - about 1/2 inch from your 4-patch, using the edges of the 4-patch as your guide lines.  I changed my foot and moved the needle all the way to the right so I could use the edge of the foot as a guide.

Step seven:  Trim edges close to your top stitching line.  Use a pinking shears or cut a straight edge.  Additional options are to blanket stitch or zig-zag stitch around a straight cut edge.

Step eight:  Add a hanging ribbon if you wish, and any additional embellishment.  I found a pack of heart shaped charms at Michael's Craft store in the wedding section and added one of those.  As you can see from the photo, I tried a pink print for borders and it looks great, but red would make the lower heart disappear - so make sure you have enough contrast.

Added bonus:  Makes a great Christmas tree ornament too!

Legal stuff:  This is a simple traditional pattern and only my photos and the wording of these directions would fall under copyright, so just don't copy those and pretend they're yours, OK? Otherwise, no restrictions that I am aware of on the use or sale of ornaments you make using this tutorial. They might be nice for a Church bazaar or craft fair.  Have fun!