Use decorative sewing machine stitches with scraps of fabric to create a Quick “Cross-Stitch” Heart Garland, designed by Rebecca Ringquist.

Choose a cross stitch, zig-zag, or other pretty stitch on your BERNINA to collage together an assortment of fabrics to create a textured fabric, then cut out heart shapes and string them together for a Valentine’s Day garland.

Materials:

• 12″ x 10″ Red Backing Fabric (I used red linen)

• Found embroideries, red dotted fabrics, printed fabrics, bits of crochet, etc. (Go through your stash and bust out all your red and pink odds and ends)

• Fusible Web (I used regular weight Heat n’ Bond)

• Red Top Thread

• White Bobbin Thread

• Scissors

• Perle cotton or embroidery floss for stringing

Begin by ironing your backing red fabric flat and ironing the fusible web to the wrong side. Peel off the paper backing, and begin arranging your found embroideries on top until all the red fabric is covered. Iron carefully to avoid getting web on your iron’s plate, until all the fabric is stuck down to the red cloth.

Place your fabric under your presser foot (I used Reverse pattern foot #1C) with red fabric facing down, and select your stitch (I used zig zag stitch 8 on my BERNINA 750 QE). With red thread on top, and white fabric in your bobbin, begin stitching parallel rows of stitches over the top of your white fabric. As I stitched, I added more pieces of crochet, embroidery, and red dotted sheer fabric to create a textured, layered cloth. Make sure all your fabrics are covered in zig-zag or cross stitched machine stitches.

Begin cutting out hearts. I cut mine out freehand, but you could also trace a heart shape on using a washable marker (such as Mark-B-Gone).

Finally, string the hearts together using a needle and perle cotton or embroidery floss. I stitched one collection together side to side, and the other from top to bottom.

Hang your garland from a bookshelf, or use it to wrap a special valentine gift.