Tool Time Tuesday...Fabric Heart Bookmark

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday. It's Tool Time!! Today's tool is your sewing machine. This is a quick and easy heart shaped bookmark perfect for anyone or anytime, but with Valentine's Day coming next month...it's extra perfect!

This tutorial really is easy, but it's picture "heavy"...you know me with my pictures! Lol...I just think it's so much easier to explain each step in a picture. If I got my act together and started doing video tutorials, this would take 5 minutes vs 40 pictures!!

Here is the finished heart bookmark...I made up this pattern, so with lots of trial an errors...I hope you like it!

The fabric heart hugs the page and keeps your place...

with this little pocket on the back.

and it's thin enough for the book too.

Here's what you'll need...the heart pattern I found fits in a 4 inch square. Your heart may be a different size so adjust accordingly.

• heart pattern
• 2 pieces of scrap fabric 4 inches square
• 1 square at 3 inches (I'll explain later why it's 3 inches)

The most important thing about your heart pattern is the point. It MUST be at a 90 degree angle to fit at the corner of the book.

I found a free heart pattern online somewhere and then placed it on the corner of a piece of card stock to get the 90 degree corner. Just adjust the shape to get the correct point and look.

My heart fits a 4 inch square.

Here's where the 3 inch block comes in.

Measure the distance from the point of the heart to just where the rounded part starts. Yours may be different, so make your square the size of your side.

CUTTING...

Place your 2 larger (4 inch) squares together with one wrong side facing up.

Place the point of the heart in the corner of your square and trace the heart

Cut on the line.

to get 2 hearts...

Now take ONE of the hearts and measure about 1 inch up from the point.

Draw a line horizontally across and cut on the line...only on ONE of the hearts.

So far you should have one full heart, one heart with tip cut off and a 3 inch square.

Are you still with me? Lol

Take the 3 inch square and fold into a triangle on the diagonal.

Press. Fold is at the top.

This is what you'll have...heart, trimmed heart and folder square.

ASSEMBLY...

Take the full heart right side up and place the folded triangle on top matching the points

Now take your trimmed heart and place it on top of the other 2, right sides together...matching the rounded top.

Here's a peek inside before I continue...

Please pin, pin, pin.

Now sew with a quarter inch seam allowance.

Here's a few tips for sewing curves...

• keep your stitch length tiny so it takes the curves better
• keep needle DOWN when you have to stop and pivot.
• when you feel like it's not taking the circular shape, stop (needle down) and lift presser foot to take the turn better. Sometimes the foot drags the fabric and lifting up the foots release that

Tip for the "V" section of the 2 rounded parts...draw a pencil dot a 1/4 down from the "V" shape. That's where you will stop, needle down, and pivot back up to the next curve. You may have to go one stitch passed the pencil to be sure.

Always needle down before you turn.

Sew ALL THE WAY AROUND without stopping....back stitch at the end to secure. There will be NO opening. The secret is that trimmed off point...that's the turning opening

Make little snips in the curved sections to release the tension especially in the "V".

FIRST TURNING...

Open up that trimmed area and turn the heart inside out.

It should look like this at first.

I used a chop stick to poke out the edges.

Now flip the heart over...you'll still see some stitching on the point.

SECOND TURNING...

Take that little pocket and turn it down towards the bottom point and over to the other side.

Now this little pocket is on the other side and you are DONE!!! WOO HOO... no opening to whip stitch closed.

Iron  flat.

That little pocket on the back is where the page slides into to keep your place in the book.

ok...I have to say...I just LOVE this. Nothing like tooting my own horn.

I might even read more with this little heart bookmark.

I hope you love this too. Perfect gifts for just about everyone...

• teacher gifts
• classmate Valentine's
• friends
• family
• easy gift to mail...just put in a card with a little extra postage
• quilting/sewing friends for their quilting books
• mail to your kids in college to let them know you love them...and that they should be reading! lol
• great for cook books too
• buy a book for a gift and tuck it in as an extra treat

Hope you have fun making these,
~Karen~