Of all of the midget blocks that I have made, this one by far is the one that I am most proud. This block was such a challenge to me and I kept putting if off and then when I did start to work on it I just did a bit at a time because it was a bit overwhelming to me. I know that sounds ridiculous because it is just a quilt block and a little one at that, but honestly I had hot flashes like you wouldn't believe because it was such a challenge to my beginner applique skills. I did persevere and I think it turned out great!

I did work on it in stages over the past couple days, first I appliqued the center block onto the background fabric and then I stitched on the corners.
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I didn't use the first heart, I had messed up the inner point! |
I had used the provided templates and cut out my pink fabric for the arc pieces but instead of using them I ended up just cutting a strip on the bias from my fabric and pressed it like you would a stem. I made sure that when I pressed it that I sort of pulled it from under the iron in a curved motion and I think that helped a lot because the fabric had a bit of curve in its memory. I used the supplied pattern and found the placement for the arcs and just appliqued them on. I left the ends open because the hearts were going to go on top of the edges.
This is the first time that I have made an applique inner point the correct way. My first effort on a previous block was very poor and that is because I cut the inner part away ahead of time when I really only needed to just take a small snip in that area. I started making the first heart incorrectly and then I discovered that it is best to not even worry about snipping until I was actually ready to applique that area and in the end it went pretty well for me. I still need more practice and I am sure that I will encounter more inner points on future midget blocks. If you are interested in making these blocks they can be found at
Sentimental Stitches and most of them are still available for free.
My heart goes out to all those affected by the events that took place in the US yesterday. I cannot comprehend how someone could do such a terrible and horrific thing. You have my sympathy.