Someone once told me that the best way to store your quilts is flat on a bed. The only problem with that concept is that after a handful of quilts, the bed is no longer flat. After a couple hundred, the bet looks more like a heap of quilty fluffy-ness.
Regardless, that's how I store my quilts. 'Flat' on a bed in our spare bedroom, pretty side down to minimize the impact of the sun on the colors.
I haven't counted lately, but there must be at least a hundred quilts on that bed in the spare room. Thank goodness nobody likes us, because it's quite an order to stack the quilts off the bed to expose an actual bed under all this!
I love making quilts; I will continue to make quilts; but I don't need any more quilts!
When a project crossed my attention that allowed me to make something fun, portable, colorful, and meaningful I was excited, motivated, and inspired. Before too long, I was making 6" hearts - lots of them. And they are all busy doing good things for the folks at the local hospice. And a big bonus: No stack of hearts waiting for their purpose! (Learn about Heart Fulls HERE)
It was only a matter of time before the original designs just had to be shared in the form of kits and patterns . . .with none other than . . . YOU!
Since I began sharing photos of the hearts, the Cardinal, based on your feedback quickly became a favorite.
And now. . . They are here!
Why are cardinals so popular?
Perhaps it is because they are, hands-down, the most striking visitor to backyard feeders throughout the eastern and central states all year long, but especially in the winter months when they are in high contrast to the white and muted tones of winter time.
Perhaps it is the legend of the Cardinal which, according to the Farmers Almanac, ties the bird to several different cultures. Well known is the phrase "Cardinals appear when angels are near," and many attribute the site of a cardinal signals a message from a loved one.
Needless to say, it's the perfect subject for the central subject of the newest Heart Fulls kits (three current color ways shown below) and PDF pattern download.
Following the pattern, Heart Fulls ornaments are made completely by hand, taking advantage of brightly colored felted wool and cheerful subject matter for the designs.
Video tutorials and a stitch library walk you through each step in the wool-applique-on-cotton process.
Everything you need - wool, background fabric, easy-to-needle stiff interfacing and woven interfacing by Lazy Girl Designs - to make two 6" heart-shaped ornaments is in the kit. Excluded from the kit are needles and thread, so dig into your stash to find some fun colors to mix in!
Got Stash?
How about the immediate download PDF version?
More designs coming soon!
Happy Stitching!
Head Hummingbird
Hummingbird-Highway.com
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