❤️ Fall in Love With Your Decorative Stitches

Many purchase sewing machines for the basics—straight stitch, zigzag, maybe a buttonhole or two. But tucked inside nearly every machine is a treasure chest we forget to open, decorative stitches. Rows and rows of tiny artworks just waiting to be stitched out.

And if you’ve never explored them, you’re in for a delightful surprise.
Because hidden among the leaves, loops, scallops, and flourishes is one of the most universal motifs of all… the heart.

How Many Heart Stitches Does Your Machine Have?

Here’s your invitation to play:
Go into your stitch menu and scroll—slowly. Count how many heart‑shaped stitches your machine offers. Some machines have one or two. Others have entire families of hearts: tiny ones, bold ones, stacked ones, sideways ones, even hearts tucked inside other motifs.

You might discover:

• A classic single heart
• A chain of hearts
• A heart with a decorative fill
• A heart that looks like hand embroidery
• A heart you’ve never noticed before

It’s like a little love note from your machine.

Your Heart Stitch Challenge

Ready to have some fun? Here’s your challenge:

1. Find every heart stitch on your machine.
2. Stitch each heart stitch to create a sample of every heart stitch pattern and watch the stitches come alive. Create a stitch book of all the heart stitch samples for future reference. 
3. Then, choose at least one heart stitch and create something—anything—using that heart stitch.

Need Inspiration?  Try one of these quick wins:

Quick & Easy Projects:

• Heart‑stitched bookmarks using ribbon, felt, or fabric scraps
• Mug rugs with a heart‑stitch border or quilted heart lines
• Zipper pouches with a row of hearts as a decorative accent
• Fabric gift tags with a tiny heart motif
• Key fobs featuring a heart stitch down the center
• Tea towels with a heart border stitched along the hem

Sweet Gifts & Personal Touches:

• Quilt labels framed with heart stitches
• Personalized pillowcases with heart borders
• Baby bibs or burp cloths with a heart motif
• Handmade cards stitched with paper‑friendly needles
• Bookmarks for Valentine’s Day or Galentine’s Day

Sewing Room & Home Decor:

• Decorative stitch sampler hoop featuring every heart stitch
• Mini wall hangings showcasing heart stitch patterns
• Heart‑stitched fabric baskets for organizing notions
• Pin cushions with heart motifs quilted on top
• Table runners with heart borders or heart‑quilted lines

Quilting Ideas:

• Block borders using heart stitches
• Quilted heart lines in place of free‑motion motifs
• Appliqué hearts outlined with decorative heart stitches
• Sampler quilt featuring different decorative stitch motifs
• Mini quilts that showcase one special heart stitch

Your Machine Has More to Give

So go ahead.
Open that stitch menu.
Find your hearts.
And stitch something that makes you smile.