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Scrap fabric and applique: What it takes to make this heart placemat

by Jean Boyd

Yesterday, I showed you how to use some of the new decorative stitches on the Brother Innov-ís BQ3100 machine to create a unique border around the heart block.

Finished heart block with decorative stitching on the borders shown on the Brother BQ3100 machine.

Finished heart block

Today, we’ll look at another way to use up some scraps and create this appliqued heart design placemat. I used several of the new stitches that were added to the Q group of stitches on the Brother BQ3100.

Finished placemat with decorative stitching on the heart shape.

Finished placemat

materials

Here are the templates for the appliqued heart. Prepare the templates using the method given for the pieced heart in my blog post, This basic heart quilt block starts with a free pattern (tutorial).

fabric

  • scraps and strips of red fabric for heart, border and binding
  • 13″ square of background fabric
  • 13″ x 19″ for backing
  • 13″ x 19″ piece of batting

thread

  • monofilament or thread that matches your fabric
  • lightweight thread that shows up on your fabric for the bobbin

notions

feet/machine accessories suggestions

  • open toe foot
  • MuVit walking foot

equipment

  • iron
  • ironing board
  • sewing machine
  • computer
  • printer

Making the heart shape

Sew scraps or strips together to make new fabric. You᾽ll need a piece that is about 9″ x 9″.

Press lightweight fusible web on the back of the strip-pieced fabric.

Trace around the templates. The templates can be placed on any angle on the fabric.

Cut out the heart shapes.

Templates are placed on pieced fabric backed with fusible web; HeatnBond Feather Lite

Trace around the templates.

Place the fused shapes on the background fabric, slipping the ¼” seam allowance under the large heart shape. Press the shapes on the background fabric.

Using the open toe foot, I stitched one of the many blanket stitches on the Brother BQ3100 around the outside edges of the heart shape.

LCD screen on the Brother BQ3100 showing a blanket stitch.

One of many blanket stitches on the Brother BQ3100

Close-up of stitching on the red heart shape using the open toe foot; Brother BQ3100, Brother SA186 Metal Open-Toe Foot

Stitch around the heart shape using the open toe foot.

For the border, sew together 3 strips that are 13″ long and 1½” to 2″ wide.

Sew the border to the left side of the background fabric. The placemat will be trimmed after the quilting is finished, so it doesn’t matter if all the outside edges don’t line up.

Layer placemat top, batting and backing. Pin or baste the layers together. I like to use the basting stitch (#1-08) for this step.

Placemat top, batting and backing are layered together.

Layer placemat top, batting and backing.

LCD screen on the Brother BQ3100 showing the basting stitch in the utility stitch group; Brother BQ3100

The basting stitch is located in the utility stitch group.

To finish this project, I wanted to use the new hand-quilting stitches on the Brother BQ3100 machine. There are 3 different hand-quilting stitches, each of them a different length. When using the hand-look quilting stitches, use monofilament or thread that matches your fabric in the top. Use a light-weight thread that shows up on your fabric in the bobbin. The bobbin thread is the one that makes the quilting stitch and shows on both the right side of the fabric and the backing.

LCD screen on the Brother BQ3100 showing the hand-quilting stitch in the utility stitch group; Brother BQ3100

The hand-quilting stitches are located in the utility stitch group.

I drew some guidelines on the background fabric, attached the new MuVit walking foot, and I was ready to start quilting. I love the way this hand-quilting stitch looks on the finished placemat!

MuVit walking foot used with the hand-quilting stitch on the right side of the placemat; Brother BQ3100, Brother SA186 Metal Open-Toe Foot

Hand-quilting stitch

I couldn’t resist adding some more decorative stitching to the heart shape. All the stitches I used are new stitches that were added to the Brother BQ3100 stitch library.

A variety of new decorative stitches on the red pieced heart shape and hand-quilting stitches on the background fabric.

More of the new decorative stitches

I trimmed my placemat so it was 12″ x 18″, but you can make yours any size you like.

The binding was cut from leftover strips and sewn on, again using the new MuVit walking foot.

Trimmed placemat with a red heart on white fabric and a red border on the left side, and red binding ready to be sewn around the edges.

Placemat is trimmed and binding is ready to be sewn

This was a great project for using up some leftover scraps and strips and trying out more of the new decorative stitches on the Brother BQ3100.

Finished placemat with red border, heart shape and binding and light-colored background.

Finished placemat

Please join me again tomorrow as I show you even more features on the new Brother BQ3100 machine.

This is part 4 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 3: 100+ decorative stitches on the new Brother BQ3100: how do you choose?

Go to part 5: 6 features on the new Brother BQ3100: Why they’re quilter favorites!

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2 comments

Marie February 18, 2022 - 8:03 pm

I’m so glad you posted these last four tutorials on the Brother BQ-3100. I just bought one and it was a serious upgrade from my 30 y/o Bernina Record. I’m to finding much help on the internet or YouTube or the Brother website that will help new users explore all the features. My LQS does help when I have the time to make the trip over there and ask questions, but that doesn’t happen very often.
By the way, is there going to be a Part 5 of this series? I couldn’t find a link for it at the bottom of Part 4.
Anyway, thank you again for the great big help these articles have been to me.

Reply
Jean Boyd February 19, 2022 - 11:34 am

Hi Marie. Glad you enjoyed these tutorials. There is a link to Day 5 at the bottom of the Day 4 post. I have also written another series about the BQ3100. You can find them here https://quiltsocial.com/creating-textured-fabric-with-pleats-and-tucks/

I have also written a series of blog posts about the BQ3050 (the machine that I own) which is very similar. You can do a search on QUILTsocial and find those articles.

I love both of these Brother Machines!

Reply

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