Color Block Heart Banner - Free Sewing Pattern

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! This color block heart banner makes a cute door decoration for a holiday that’s all about love. And since love and hearts aren’t just for Valentine’s Day, you can keep it up all year long.

I’ve got a tutorial and free pattern for you below.

I’m loving the mix of fabrics and how the heart just pops within the simple patchwork!

And check out that pom pom trim at the bottom! Everything is cuter with pom pom trim.

If you love mixing prints and pattern, you’re gonna love this project! There are 8 prints total – 4 for the background, and 4 for the heart. You can be as mixy or as matchy as you like!

My daughter and I had fun digging through my fabric stash to find the perfect combination of fabrics. We tended toward the mixy more than the matchy, but kept within a general color palette of jewel tones and pastels.

The green polka dot is the same fabric I used for the triangle zip pouch Advent calendar. And take a peek at what I used for the lining.

That’s the same fabric I used for an American Girl sleeping bag a while back. It just happened to match all of the fabrics in this banner so perfectly!

Finished dimensions are approximately 16” wide by 21.5” tall.

Choosing Your Fabrics

When choosing the fabrics for this project, it’s a good idea to audition your prints in the arrangement you’ll use for the banner. My daughter and I switched out a lot of fabrics in different positions before we found the combination that worked best. And when you get that exact combination you like, snap a photo on your phone so you can refer back to it. I don’t know how many times I’ve gotten my design mixed up once I start sewing pieces together. A reference phot on the phone can be a lifesaver!

Supplies

Background – 4 pieces quilting cotton (mix prints), 8.75” wide x 11.5” tall

Top Heart – 2 pieces quilting cotton (mix prints), 7” wide x 5.5” tall

Bottom Heart – 2 pieces quilting cotton (mix prints), 7” wide x 8” tall

Fusible webbing – 12” x 12”

Lining – 1 piece quilting cotton, 17” wide x 22.5” tall

Fusible fleece – 1 piece, 16” wide x 21.5” tall

Pom pom trim – 1 piece, 16” long

30” cotton cording

½” diameter wood dowel, 19.5” long

Free Pattern – Pieced Heart Banner

RST = Right Sides Together

The illustrations show only 4 different colors of fabric for the pieced design, but in reality you’d have 8 different prints for this project. I reduced the number in the illustrations in order to simplify the diagrams.

Prep

Trace the heart pattern on to the back (paper side) of the fusible webbing. Include the dashed guidelines when tracing. You’ll use these guidelines later.

Arrange your background and heart fabrics in the general placement you want to use for the banner, then take a photo. This will help you keep track of what fabric goes where when you start sewing the pieces together.

Sew the Color Block Background

Place the top two Background pieces RST and sew down one long edge with ¼” seam allowance. Press seam allowance open.

Repeat with the bottom two Background pieces.

Sew the top Background to the bottom Background pieces together, RST with ¼” seam allowance, using a ¼ seam allowance and taking care to match up the center seams.

Now you have a color block background for your banner.

Sew the Color Block Heart

Sew the Heart pieces together in the same manner that you sewed the Background pieces.

Place the fusible webbing Heart on the back of the color block Heart piece, lining the guidelines up with the seams on the color blocking.

Follow manufacturer’s instructions to iron the webbing down, then cut the Heart from the color block fabric.

Peel the backing off the Heart and place it on the Background, right sides up and aligning all of the seam lines. Take extra care with this step so the seam lines match up perfectly.

Follow manufacturer’s instructions to fuse the Heart down to the Background.

Top stitch around the Heart close to the edge to secure.

Assemble the Banner

Follow manufacturer’s instructions to fuse the fusible fleece to the back of the Banner Front.

Place the Lining on top of the Banner Front, right sides together. Stitch around all 4 sides with a ½” seam allowance, leaving 4” open at the top to turn.

Clip corners. Turn right side out and give it a good press. Press the raw edges at the opening to the inside.

Top stitch around all sides close to the edge. The top stitching will sew the turning hole closed.

Turn 1 ½” at the top to the back, then stitch across the bottom of the fabric you folded over to create a casing.

Drill a hole through both ends of the dowel big enough for the cord to go through.

Finally, thread the dowel through the casing. Tie cord through the holes to create a hanger.

Your color block heart banner is finished!

Look who decided to help me take photos of my banner!

Mowgli is such a helper. And how handsome is he in his t-shirt? (He’s a diabetic cat and has to wear a glucose monitor. The t-shirt helps keep him from pulling it off.)

If you love this color block heart banner from Anne, then you are sure to love these heart themed sewing tutorials by her as well: