Heirloom Hearts Quilt Pattern - The Speckled Version

I just finished my seventh Heirloom Hearts quilt…which just so happens to be a sweet Valentine’s-inspired version! It’s absolutely gorgeous, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

The Heirloom Hearts quilt pattern so far

I released the Heirloom Hearts quilt pattern in January 2022, making it four years old this month. In the last four years, I’ve made six different versions of this quilt. I started off with solids, with the Cover quilt and Autumn version. Then I started playing with prints, first with the Wild Forgotten and Scrappy samples, and later with the Shine On and Softer Side versions.

And then, somehow, I let three years go by without making another Heirloom Hearts quilt! Which is hard to believe, because I love this pattern, and every year I thought about making a Valentine version.

The only problem? I always left it until it was too late! 😅 Valentine’s Day always snuck up on me, because I’d be so busy with Christmas and New Years. Suddenly it would be the end of January…leaving me no time to make a quilt before February 14th.

Well this year I did things differently. I started planning this quilt in early December and sewed it up in the first weeks of January. And so now, finally, I have an Heirloom Hearts quilt in time for Valentine’s Day! And believe me when I say, this one was worth the wait.

My new Speckled Heirloom Hearts quilt

As usual, I made my latest Heirloom Hearts quilt in the throw size (63” x 72”). It’s such a nice, generous size…perfect for wrapping up in. It also gave me plenty of room to play with colors in my quilt!

FABRICS

As I thought about this quilt, I decided I wanted it to be a girly Valentine’s…all purples and pinks.

And to give it just a little more sparkle, I went with Speckled fabrics (from Rashida Coleman Hale for Ruby Star Society). This isn’t my first time sewing with Speckled. In fact, last year I shared my Speckled Upscale Plaid quilt (which uses a mix of solids and Speckled fabric), and I’d previously shared my Speckled Getaway quilt (which used two Speckled fabrics for the quilt top) and my Ruby Star Society Knitted Star quilt (which used a mix of Speckled and Starry fabrics).

So at this point, I think it’s fair to say that I love Speckled fabrics! They add just the right amount of interest: They’ve got more going on than a simple solid, but they look great with small and large piecing alike.

I picked Purple Velvet for the background. It’s such a rich, warm purple, and I knew it would make my heart fabrics just pop! I went with the much lighter Candy Pink for the chain, which really frames the hearts beautifully.

For the hearts themselves, I used a mix of fat quarters and fat eighths in the following colors:

Balmy
Berry
Daisy
Flamingo
Lupine
Macaron
Neon Pink
Playful
Scarlet
Strawberry

I think it hits exactly the girly Valentine’s look I was going for! It’s sweet and feminine without feeling predictable, and I love the warmth and richness of the colors. This colorway makes a nice alternative low-volume pastels for Valentine’s Day.

And while I love the colors themselves, the Speckled fabrics really take it to the next level. I wish everyone could see this quilt in person! The subtle shimmer of the Speckled fabrics adds so much extra interest…especially when the light hits it and you really see that gorgeous glimmer! It’s such a stunner, and even the best photos don’t quite do it justice.

Even if you can’t see my quilt in person, you can make your own! We have Speckled Heirloom Hearts quilt kits in the shop to make this exact version. Whether you want a Valentine’s project or just a beautiful quilt for the whole year, you’ll love this project. I sure did!

QUILTING, BACKING, AND BINDING

I dropped this quilt top off with Megan at Blue Ridge Quilt Co. for longarming. We decided to use the 6 Petal Flower panto from the Dastardly Quilt Studio. It’s such a cute little floral, with almost a doodle feel…which makes it perfect for this Valentine quilt! And of course, I love how the swooping curves contrast with the square blocks of the quilt top.

I already shared how I used all Speckled fabrics for the quilt top…but for the first time, I used Speckled fabrics for the backing and binding too! This quilt is 100% Speckled, and I just love the effect.

I used Speckled Pale Pink for the backing. It’s exactly the pastel-y pink I didn’t use on the quilt top, so it makes for a beautiful contrast to the background!

For the quilt binding I landed on Speckled Water Blue. It’s a much cooler color than anything else on the quilt, which helps the even out of the warmth of the top. Plus, it’s a fun visual surprise to have a sudden pop of blue!

I’m so glad I planned ahead enough to make this quilt. It’s everything I dreamed of, and seeing it over and over will definitely make my February better!

Make your own Heirloom Hearts quilt

If you’d like to sew your own Heirloom Hearts quilt pattern, I recommend checking out these blog posts first:

While Heirloom Hearts isn’t a particularly difficult pattern (we’ve rated it Advanced Beginner), paying attention to things like your seam allowance and flat seams will really help you make a beautiful heart quilt!

QUILT KITS

Right now, we have two Heirloom Hearts quilt kits in the shop:

The Speckled Heirloom Hearts kit for the version you just saw (with optional backing and binding)
The Cover quilt kit for our classic solids version (backing and binding sold separately)