Who doesn’t love the idea of love and hearts.
Valentine table runner with chenille, couching, and pleated textures.
This table runner is made completely with my Babylock Solaris with upgrade 1 and 2 installed, no purchased designs were used.
Couched Heart
The Couched Heart block was created on a Babylock Solaris with upgrade 1. It can also be created on a Solaris 2.
First, I created the center block using the embroidery couching function. This is a built in design that was added to the machine with Upgraded 1, released in 2019. Using the stamp feature I created a basic outline and with IQ Designer I closed the openings in the design so I could use and add a Fill to the background of the heart.
This design alone would look very nice duplicated and just changing the color of the yarn used in each stitch out. When I went shopping for yarn I was hoping to find a red and pink variegated but I guess the yarn companies didn’t think I needed it for this project. Or maybe it was just the store’s choice to not include a variegated variety in my choices that day.
After I finished this block I knew I wanted more texture in the other blocks so I explored some of the other features of the machine.
Pleated heart block
Creating the Pleated Heart block can be done on any machine with Babylock IQ Designer or similar.
The pleated heart is made by ironing pleats in my fabric and creating a reverse applique. I used one of the decorative stitches found in IQ Designer line properties to do the final stitch around the outside of the heart. The steps to create this block are
Prepare your heart fabric by pressing accordion style pleats
Stitch out the outline of your block -cutting size. I was making my blocks finished 8” x 12”. My first thread stop was directly on stabilizer and I stitched out an 8 1/2” x 12 1/2” rectangle. This gave me a positioning outline for my batting
I placed my batting inside the first stitched out rectangle. My next thread stop was an 8” x 12’ rectangle stitching the batting to the stabilizer.
I trimmed the batting on the outside of the stitching attaching it to the batting. This reduces batting bulk in my future seam allowances.
The next thread stop stitched the outline or placement guideline for my pleated fabric. This is stitched directly on the batting no fabric yet.
Create a heart in IQ designer using the shapes using the Line tool
Place the pleated fabric on top of the batting within the placement guideline for the heart. Stitched out tack down thread stop for the heart which is duplicate of the last thread stop.
Trim the pleated heart fabric close to the outside of the tack down stitching.
Place the back ground fabric in side the first 8 1/2” x 12 1/2” rectangle stitched. Stitch a tack down stitch a duplicate of the very first thread stop.
Stitch another heart outline over the background fabric. When this stitching stops carefully cut the inside shape of the heart out of the background fabric close to the inside of the stitched line.
Finally stitch another heart outline. This will stitch over the edge of the background fabric and the pleated heart fabric. This stich was created IQ Designer using the chain stitch line property. I wanted to give it a lacy look border.
The very last step adding a background fill from IQ Designer. I chose the rose because I think Valentines day is all about hearts and flowers. And sometimes candy is nice particularly if is expensive chocolate candy.
The Chenile Heart block can be created on any machine with IQ Designer or similar.
Ready your fabric to create the chenille heart. I used on piece of the block base fabric and four pieces of pink fabric. Sine I am making a 5 x 7 block for demonstration I cut my fabric pieces 6 x 6 and stacked them together.
Now at my machine I am going to create the same block outline stitch, batting tack down stitch, and heart outline stitch just as I did on the Couched heart block and the Pleated Heart block. If you didn’t watch either of those videos you may want to refer back to it.
In IQ Designer create
a frame to crop
diagonal stitch lines for the chenille effect.
and use the crop frame to only reveal the diagonal lines inside the heart
Duplicate the heart outlline stitich to tack down the fabric stack for the chenille heart
Duplicate the the block outline to tack down the block base fabric
Duplicate the heart outline on the block base fabric to have a cutting line to reveal the fabric to be chenilled for the heart
Add a decorative stitch (I used the candlewicking stitch) on the outline of the heart
Add the fill design on the outside of the heart in your block
I see some chenille bunnies on my table for Easter!
Happy Valentines Day!