Be Mine - Say it with a quilt
What better way to show someone you love them and care for them than with a message of love on a warm, snuggly quilt?
Be Mine is the fourth of the alphabet quilts, and now available in the pattern shop.
I'm not sure I'm finished making word quilts yet, I'm really enjoying putting sentiments on quilts, whether they're large like Be Mine and Holiday Spirit, or small ones like Ghostly Greetings, or anything in between.
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Be Mine quilt pattern
Be Mine is another block-based word pattern using my signature bold, geometric alphabet. This pattern makes a 50" x 65" throw size quilt, and is suitable for advanced beginners.
It includes the instructions for the 9 letters to complete the word, plus the heart block, and of course finishing instructions to complete the quilt top.
The quilt pattern comes with two colourways. The cover quilt version uses 8 fabrics, and each fabric is used for two blocks. The rainbow version uses a different fabric for each letter or heart, and is perfect for Fat Eighths or Fat Quarters.
Fabric choices
Be Mine works best with solids, blenders, or small-scale non-directional prints.
I picked 8 different half yard cuts of fabric for my cover quilt (plus an extra one for the binding), from various Valentine's Day themed collections. They were All Small by Stof, Love Blooms by Lella Boutique, Hello Spring by Clothworks, Love Struck by Art Gallery, and Sweetheart Holiday Essentials by Stacy Iest Hsu.
The background is Peppered Cotton in Ink, and I love how the different prints pop against the dark background. Peppered Cotton is a little looser weave than your regular quilting cotton, so it was fraying a fair bit when I was making the blocks and putting the quilt top together, but it was worth the extra bit of hassle because I love the subtle texture of it.
For the backing, I used this gorgeous I Heart Ombre Metallic in Cherry by V&Co. I love how the ombre worked out across the whole back. I had never used an ombre fabric on the back of a quilt before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but really wanted to try it out. And I am glad I did.
Quilting
My cover quilt was longarmed by Jen Swallow of Happy Wife Quilting. She used the Dear Heart pantograph, and I thought it was just perfect for the quilt. We picked a light pink Glide thread for the quilting and it worked out perfectly by blending into the letters just enough to not "cover" them with quilting, and standing out enough on the dark blue background to add an extra dimension to the quilt.
I had originally planned on quilting it myself, but then couldn't decide how to quilt it. I have a tendency to go for a wavy stitch when in doubt, but I thought this quilt needed something a little more. And I didn't want to use it as my practice piece to try out my new heart quilting ruler.
Another fun option could be an overall stipple on the background, leaving the letters to stand out.
Variations
The Be Mine quilt pattern has fabric requirements listed for two options, a "rainbow version" and the "cover version". For the cover quilt, I used the same fabric for 2 letters each, but I also played around with some mockups in EQ8 to see what it would look like if every block was a different colour. I love this pastel rainbow on black, I think this would make a lovely quilt for a little girl's room, but I could easily see this on a grown-up couch, too :-)
Or you could also swap out the word LOVE at the top and substitute it with another XOXO for more of a conversation hearts kind of feel.
If you don't want to make a full quilt, the pattern can also be used to make smaller projects, such as a table runner, long pillow, or a wall hanging, by using just one of the words. Simply use the block instructions from the pattern, make the ones you need, and then add borders according to your own preference.
