A Lotta Love - A Fun Mixed Media Banner

While some of us may be sad Christmas is behind us, there is something heartwarming (ha! pun....ok, kinda on purpose.....) about Valentine's Day.  What's not to love about a holiday, Hallmark saturated or not, that celebrates the greatest of all emotions - love.  And besides, there is absolutely nothing wrong with any holiday that is strongly associated with chocolate.  I'm just sayin'.....

So for you, dear quilting and stitching friends, I wanted to share a fun little project with you - my newest pattern, Lotta Love.  It's pretty stinkin' cute, don't you think?  And even better, it stitches up quickly to brighten up your wall - or maybe the wall of a dear one.

 

I don't usually do a lot of hand stitching, but I will confess - there is something restorative about a bit of needle to thread by hand.  Here's a close up of one of the flowers - now that simple stitching isn't too scary, right?

I mixed backstitching (I found a video tutorial on YouTube for you!) in a single thread (around all of the letters) with some stem stitching (I found a video tutorial on YouTube for you!) along one side of each of the letters in three different colors, all with six strands of floss (Aurifil cotton floss, of course - is there any other?) to add a nice little accent.  And the flowers have a super SUPER simple long stitch to add some texture to their petals.  

Oh - and did I mention that the motifs, in National Nonwoven's awesome Xotic (which is a bamboo felt that is SUPER soft) are fused?  Yep - that makes this even faster.  Yes, you can do it!  I used, of course, my go-to fusible, Steam-a-Seam 2 light.  If you prefer a different fusible, that's fine.  But since you'll be hand stitching through all the layers, lighter is better.  No need for a heavy duty fusible.  This is a wall hanging, so it's not going to go through the wash - it's just going to hang there on the wall, looking stunning.

Does the term "mixed media" scare you?  Well, don't let it.  While mixed media can mean different things to different folks, I took the "quilter's approach" to mixed media - I chose non-quilt type base fabrics.  I wanted to try something different, so the appliqué is done on one layer of burlap topped by a layer of linen.  They compliment each other and add an additional bit of texture and interest to the piece.  I kept the edges raw so that the fraying would add another little bit of dimension to the project.

Are you inspired to try a small little mixed media appliqué project?  Good - I was hoping you would say yes!  I'm making the pattern available as a download on the website at a special Valentine's price - just for you! But be quick!  The special download price is only good through February 10th, 2018!!!  Update:  the introductory special has expired, but the good news is you can still get the pattern as a print or a download here!

And if that's not enough, my good friend Kate Colleran of Seams Like a Dream Quilt Designs has a special project for you as well!   Hop on over to her blog and enjoy the eye candy and her fun new project.  She always does such wonderful, sweet projects!

Thanks for sharing the quilting passion with me. Happy stitching!

If you are interested in having me teach at your shop or guild, please contact me!

Like what you see here, and want to hear more from Tamarinis? Like me on Facebook, follow me on Instagram, and sign up for my newsletter at www.tamarinis.com!