Valentine's - not just cards

Happy Valentine's Day!  Some may consider this holiday a "non-holiday".  Just a consumer based card holiday, that is, when people used to send cards.  Well, whether it is or isn't, to me it doesn't matter.  I love Valentine's Day.  I always have.  My parents married on 12 February and I always thought that was such a sweet time of year to get married.  I would spend my own money to buy them a box of Valentine chocolates every year through my teens and the first year or two I was married.  It never went over well in the end.  Hoping this gesture would bring some love and/or happiness to either or both of them.  It didn't.  But, that didn't break me from the hope Valentine's day brings.  To me, it's the opportunity to show the person you love that you care for them, admire them and appreciate them for who they are.  Where did I get these lofty ideals?  Especially coming from such a morose family dynamic. I digress.

When I made this quilt, I didn't know where it would take me.  I started out loving the idea of using "conversation hearts" like the candies.  Using sherbet like colors, not just a pink and white color palette. Each of the heart applique blocks have a conversation line, like "hug me", "be mine", " you're sweet", etc... I also wanted to add the words, "Be My Valentine" using a free piecing technique as described in Tonya Ricucci's book, "Word Play Quilts".   Fifteen years ago, there weren't a lot of options to add words to quilts using piecing or applique, but now there are several books and resources to do that.  I like the free pieced look.  It's not perfect, and that's what I like.  Non-pattern quilts are my favorite quilts as they tell a story of what the artist is saying, thinking, or feeling.  Start somewhere, add something or take away something.  See where your ideas will take you.  

My wonderful DH brings me roses every Valentine's day.  He would bring me roses everyday if he could.  He is a true sweetheart.  He knows how much this means to me.  It's not just a motion to take on Valentine's day, that that is the thing to do.  During our poor years, he would bring me a single rose because it was cheaper.  I would dry the rose and keep it in my journal or in a vase.  It would remind me how much he truly loves me... that he would take his last $3 to buy me a single rose.  Back in those days $3 was a lot of money, especially for us.  

Paper pieced hearts made into small mats/mug rugs

Applique block made for a donation quilt

Quilted needle case using some non-traditional colors.

"Blue Without You" postcard

"My Heart" postcard

"Love Letter" postcard

Multi-medium postcard

These are some of the quilted Valentine postcards I've made over the years.  It was so much fun using some non-traditional materials for these.  The "Blue Without You" postcard was a challenge submitted and pictured in a Fabrications textiles magazine issue in 2009 or 2010.   

Paper pieced table mats using glow in the dark threads, FMQ