Vintage and Modern Valentines: Part 2

Did we mention that we love Valentine's Day? Vintage and modern hearts are so beautiful in quilts.  Also, quilts are an expression of love; the love that goes into making a quilt can be expressed in tangible form on Valentine's Day.  Here are some wonderful quilts which caught our eye.

Broken Heart, 56 x 76" by Laura Jansen at Butterfly Quilting (Vacaville, California)

Laura Jansen is a professional longarm quilter who is based in Northern California. Her beautiful "Broken Heart" quilt won First Place at the 2011 Dixon California May Fair.  The three-dimensional appearance of the hearts is due to the use of two different red fabrics; the fabric on the right hand side of the heart is slightly darker. The hearts are based on the "Love the Log Cabin" pattern from the book 25 Years and Still Stripping by Eleanor Burns.  A friend of Laura's, who taught a class on the pattern, called it the Broken Heart quilt.

Close-up, Broken Heart by Laura Jansen at Butterfly Quilting

In this close-up photo you can see the details of Laura Jansen's lovely quilting (can you also see the log cabin?)  The setting blocks are filled with hearts and feathers, which are echoed by feathers inside the red hearts.  Laura has enhanced the 3D appearance of the hearts by quilting parallel lines in the darker strips. You might not be able to tell how large the hearts are from this photo; for perspective, see a photo of Laura with the quilt at Butterfly Quilting. Also, at Laura's Flickr photostream, you can see her gallery of Broken Heart quilts.

Heart and Feather Wholecloth Quilt by Leah Day at The Free Motion Quilting Project

As you may know, Leah Day is the free-motion-quilting guru who started The Free Motion Quilting Project. Now, with over 365 designs created, the project is a resource for thousands of quilters around the world !   The stunning Heart and Feather quilt shown above was the subject of her 10th Quilt-Along, and the pattern and instructions are free at this link.  You can find all kinds of FMQ tools and supplies, along with instructional books and DVD's at the associated online shop, Day Style Designs.  Last but not least, Leah offers a Craftsy class called Free Motion Quilting a Sampler (there is currently a 50% discount if you follow the link at Day Style Designs !) 

i heart you, 57 x 57" or 108 x 108", by Vanessa Christenson

Vanessa Christenson is one of the modern quilt designers we admire, and this luscious heart is her first quilt and pattern for 2013.  The "i heart you" quilt can be made in either a baby quilt size or a large throw; the easy pattern features half-square triangles as shown below. 

The "i heart you" quilt, and the faux-pleated pillow shown in the first photo are made with Vanessa's own Simply Color ombre pink fabric for Moda. Just think: a quilt like this can be made with only a single fabric, plus a white background !  We love ombres, which are so useful for adding dimensionality; Vanessa's collection has 6 different hues including a gorgeous graphite gray.  For more information see Vanessa Christenson's post at V and Co (you can find the 'i heart you' pattern here).

Heart and Home Village, 63 x 72" by Jan Millner, 2012 River City Quilters' Guild; photo by Quilt Inspiration

This charming "Heart and Home Village" by Jan Millner has eight heart-themed houses along with tree and bunny applique blocks, surrounded by a heart-and-ribbon border. Jan says: "[This quilt was] made in a precision-piecing workshop in 2010. The next year we bought and downsized into a red townhouse in a village – coincidence?"  The quilt design and kit are by Arlene Stamper and Melissa Harris at The Quilt Company.  The close-up photo of  Jan Millner's quilt shows "The Purr-fect Heart House" block; you can even see tiny cats in the front windows.  Jan won a third-place ribbon for this quilt; in this photo you can see her expert quilting, including the scalloped roof on the house.

Theresa’s Heart Strings, 62 x 48", by Theresa Caselman (Hemet, California) as seen at PIQF 2012.  Photo by Quilt Inspiration.

We spotted this cheerful heart quilt at the 2012 Pacific International Quilt Show; this scrappy quilt was made with 219 different fabrics. Theresa Caselman says: "As an artist new to quilting, I love creating with the endless palette of colorful fabrics. This is my first quilt using hand applique and hand quilting; it took me 2 years to complete."  Theresa embellished many of the hearts with trinkets and jewels. The "strings" are made with bias strips that are curved into different shapes. We recognize this whimsical design as "Heart Strings" by Cindy Cooksey (a pattern is available at Jukebox Quilts).

Image Credits: Images of Broken Heart, Heart and Feather Wholecloth and 'i heart you' are shown with the generous permission of the artists.  The other photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.