It's time to make this attractive, red, Valentine's cushion - made with mini charms! This valentine craft shouldn't limit you to February only, with its red theme it can be used all year-round. Using bonded applique and mini charms, achieve this simple rectangle cushion cover design.

How To...

Open your pack of mini charms, for this tutorial Katrina uses Cranberries & Cream because there are many reds and creams.

You need 43 mini charm pieces because this cushion has seven hearts and then each of the squares are four mini charm pieces.

Open your mini charm pack.

Take out six pieces from the pack, that are going to be suitable for the hearts. You will also need to add your extra mini charm piece (43rd) to the six because we need seven hearts in total.

Next you must trace around your Bondaweb.

Use the card from your mini charm pack to measure the size of the heart.

Trace around the heart template on the smooth side of the Bondaweb.

Then cut out the Bondaweb, BUT not on the line.

After you’ve cut around the heart roughly, iron the Bondaweb onto the back of a red mini charm.

Then cut the heart on the line (through both bondaweb and fabric).

Take one of your 4 ½ Inch background fabric and find the center point (fold it in half, and half again).

Take the back off your Bondaweb (using a pin to rip the paper).

Then line the heart up in the center and apply heat (iron) to make sure its stuck onto the background fabric.

Repeat for all 7 hearts.

On the sewing machine, stitch around the edge of the heart - either on a blanket stitch or free motion.

Next, put your mini charm squares into blocks of four.

Try to mix the colours up - Katrina used contrasting creams and reds.

Once you have your order, join them together on the sewing machine.

Using a quarter inch foot with a guide and neutral thread - chain piece the fabric by putting 2 pieces right sides together and sewing a quarter inch seam.

Snip the chained piece and press them with an iron.

Remember when you're doing this to press your fabric to the darker side because when you come to put them together, you'll have your seams going the opposite way.

Join the new pieces together on the sewing machine.

Once you have pieced together 4 mini charm pieces into a block, press them using an iron.

Repeat until you have 8 four piece squares.

The layout of your squares should look like:

• TOP ROW:
  Four patch, Heart, Four patch, Heart, Four patch

• BOTTOM ROW is the same as the top.

Then simply sew them all together.

Finish the cushion with an envelope back.

Finishing touches (optional):

• Place wadding behind the front piece.
• Hand quilt around the heart, using two strands of red dmc.

If you'd prefer a video tutorial of this project, see below!