How to Make a Scrappy Heart Quilt Block ~ a Tutorial

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I hosted a fun, quick Valentine’s Sewalong on my YouTube channel this weekend.. and since I know there are many of you who prefer blog tutorials, I thought I’d also write it up here on the blog. I’ll post a link to the video at the end…

On Saturday, I posted how to make the Scrappy Heart Quilt Block, and on Sunday, I showed how I turned it into a sweet cushion cover… Sylvie and Loki approved it immediately:

So now that you know it is pet-approved, we can get on with the tutorial!

Scrappy Heart Quilt Block

There are a lot of scrappy heart blocks out there, but I wanted mine to be a little different, and I wanted to use up smaller scraps than those I had seen before. I have a bunch of 2″ squares that need to be used, so I went on EQ8 and had a play with some of the blocks in there… and adapted one to make this block:

Many scrappy heart blocks use half square triangles, but for this one, we are doing it a bit differently. We are mostly using 2 inch squares and then larger triangles to make the large heart block. Also, instead of making square blocks, we will be making 3 1/2″ x 12 1/2″ rectangles as our base.

While we are only making one scrappy heart block in this tutorial, you can make as many scrappy hearts as you like to turn into a lovely quilt, table topper, wall hanging, or a cushion cover like I did!

I am working on making this into a scrappy heart quilt pattern, so stay tuned for that. This is the perfect pattern to get through a lot of your scrap stash because one block uses sixty-four 2″ squares!

For now, there is still time to make one of these for Valentine’s Day, but it doesn’t just need to be for that, I like hearts any time of the year!

Materials Needed

Scraps – we are using 2″ squares. If you don’t have any already cut, grab your scrap bins and start cutting! If you have an Accuquilt Go! it makes it pretty quick and easy using this die.

Background fabric

Sewing machine, rotary cutter, mat, and other general sewing and quilting supplies

Fabric Requirements for One Scrappy Heart Quilt Block

Sixty-four (64) 2″ scrappy squares

Two (2) 6 1/2″ squares of background fabric

Four (4) 3 1/2″ squares of background fabric

Scrappy Heart Quilt Block Tutorial

1/4-inch seam allowance used

Step 1

We are going to start with half of our scrappy, 2″ squares, so take thirty-two (32) 2 ” squares and lay them out in eight rows of 4 squares. Sew them together and press.

Make TWO of these units.

Step 2

Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of all the background squares, corner to corner.

Step 3

Place the 6 1/2″ background squares right sides together on top of the two scrappy units like this:

Note the direction of the diagonal lines – they are facing in opposite directions.

Pin and sew on the drawn line. Then cut 1/4-inch away from the sewn lines.

Press the triangles away from the rectangle and towards the background fabric.

Your units will look like this:

Step 4

Working with one of the above units at a time, place one of the 3 1/2″ squares with the diagonal line right sides together on the top left corner. Note the direction of the diagonal line:

Stitch on the diagonal line, then trim a quarter inch away to cut off the corner.

Press towards the background fabric. Your unit should look like this:

Step 5

Take another 3 ½” background square and place it on the top right corner of the unit like this:

Stitch on the diagonal line, then trim a quarter inch away to cut off the corner.

Press towards the background fabric. Your unit should look like this:

And now we have half of a heart! On with the next step!

Step 6

Add the remaining 3 1/2″ squares to the top of the second unit in the same way.

Step 7

Sew the two units together like this:

And it is done!

You can use individual blocks to make a simple wall hanging or a cushion cover, as I did:

As you can see, I have already made some more quilt blocks, and over time, I will be sharing some more patterns to use these blocks in.

If you would like to have a printable pdf pattern for this and the instructions for making the cushion cover above, you can purchase that here.

You can watch the Heart Block Tutorial on YouTube here and the Cushion Cover Tutorial on YouTube here.

Ok, grab your favorite scrap fabrics and let me know if you make a heart or two!

Watch the Heart Block Tutorial Video

Watch the Cusion Cover Tutorial Video