Feb 6, 2026

Sparkling Love Mini Quilt

Designer: Daisi Toegel

Instagram: @daisitoegel

Website: www.flowersew.com

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Category: Quilts/Patchwork/Foundation Paper Piecing

Size or dimensions: 20” square finished (4 ½” unfinished size blocks)

Skill level: Confident Beginner

It’s love season!! Nothing better than a cute hearty project to work on during these cold days of February.

In this project let’s make a 25-block, 5 x 5 grid mini quilt mixing hearts and sparkling stars foundation paper pieced blocks. If you have never sewn using this technique, I would not recommend this project to be your first one, but if you have sewn a couple of projects like this one, you’re more than ready to get started.

This tutorial provides basic instructions on how to sew and full fabric requirements that are accurate if you’re familiar with the technique (for correct fabric placement purposes).

To fit all quilter’s styles, this project provides fabric requirements for 2-color and scrappy versions.

Get your printer ready to print the templates, your fabric bin and let’s get started!

Considerations:

(a) The seam allowance is on the templates (1/4”).

(b) Always remove the paper from the seam allowance ONLY, in every unit sewn together.

(c) The paper that is not on the seam allowance should be removed after the entire quilt top is done to keep the project from stretching.

(d) FE = fat eighth = 9” x 21”.

(e ) Assume 42” WOF for yardage.

Tools needed:

OLFA RM-SG 18”x24” Green Double-Sided, Self-healing Rotary Mat

OLFA 45mm RTY-2/C-PIK Quick-Change Rotary Cutter

OLFA 45mm Tungsten Steel Rotary Blade

OLFA QR-12S 6 1/2" Square Frosted Acrylic Ruler

OLFA QR-12S 4 1/2" Square Frosted Acrylic Ruler

OLFA QR-1x12 1" x 12" Frosted Acrylic Ruler

OLFA QR-6x24 6”x24” Frosted Acrylic Ruler

OLFA 5-Inch SCS-1 Serrated-Edge Stainless Steel Scissors (for trimming fabrics)

OLFA 5-Inch SCS-4 Precision Appliqué Scissors (for trimming threads)

Extra material needed:

(1) 22” square of quilt batting of your preference.

(6) copies of the HEART TEMPLATE

(13) copies of the STAR TEMPLATE

Fabric requirements 2-color:

*C1 = RED (heart) = 1/3yd = Cut (2) 5” x WOF strips; sub cut (24) 5” x 3” rectangles (use 2 per block).

*C2 = LIGHT RED (background) = 1/4yd

Cut (1) 3 ½” x WOF strip; sub cut (12) 3 ½” squares (use 1 per block).

Cut (2) 2 ½” x WOF strip; sub cut (24) 2 ½” squares (use 2 per block).

*C3 = DARK YELLOW (star pointer) = 1 FE = Cut (3) 3” x WOF strips; sub cut (26) 3” x 2” rectangles (use 2 per block).

*C4 = LIGHT YELLOW (star pointer) = 1 FE = Cut (3) 3” x WOF strips; sub cut (26) 3” x 2” rectangles (use 2 per block).

(for a sparkling effect, keep the dark and light color the same, with different tones)

*C5 = WHITE (background) = 1/2yd = Cut (7) 2 ½”x WOF strips; sub cut (104) 2 ½” squares (use 8 per block).

*C6 = BURGUNDY (binding) = 1/6yd = Cut (2) 2 ½” x WOF strips, join them on the 45-degree angle and press lengthwise with right sides out. Set it aside.

C7 = BACKING = 2/3yd = Sub cut a 22” square.

Use the QR-12S 6 1/2" Square Frosted Acrylic Ruler or the QR-12S 4 1/2" Square Frosted Acrylic Ruler to easily sub cut the smaller squares. Stack the strips and cut several at once.

Organize the fabric pieces and print out the templates.

Cut each template by the parts to be sewn. Leave an approximate 1/8” paper excess from the border line for each one. Group them by block type.

Note that the star block has two sides colored in yellow and two sides that are not. On the colored side you should use your dark fabrics and the non-colored the light color fabrics.

Cut all C2 3 ½” squares once in the diagonal for (24) triangles.

Cut all C2 2 ½” squares once in the diagonal for (48) triangles.

***PRO-TIP: To make the process much easier, take a few extra minutes to turn each paper piece to the back side facing you, fold each one on the sewing lines to mark. When sewing it will be easier to place the fabric pieces against it and see where the next piece aligns without any need for a light box.

Sew the blocks:

Starting with the heart blocks, place the wrong side of the fabric on the wrong side of the paper. Follow the numbering on the paper, so the C1 fabric is the first to be placed, fold the next part down and cut the excess leaving 1/4" above the edge for seam allowance (for each piece of fabric sewn, follow the same steps). You can use the 5-Inch SCS-1 Serrated-Edge Stainless Steel Scissors (cutting won’t be precise as you won’t have the unit on top of the cutting mat if using scissors, but it shouldn’t impact the overall result if not cut exactly at ¼” distance from the paper edge), OR for precision, use the QR-1x12 1" x 12" Frosted Acrylic Ruler that has a ¼” mark on it.

Add the next piece with right sides of the fabric touching (the arrows in the photo show the fabric added). Unfold the paper and sew on the line to hold the two parts together.

***PRO TIP: Use a 2.6mm stitch height and 1.4mm stitch length on your sewing machine for a small stitching that will make the paper easy to tear later on.

Open and press the fabric added, fold back the next part and trim the fabric leaving ¼” above the edge.

Add the fabric, unfold the paper and sew on the line. Open and press the fabric back up.

Repeat the process for the last part to be done with the unit.

Repeat the steps above for all units.

Trim the excess paper leaving the ¼” edge on all sides, use the QR-1x12 1" x 12" Frosted Acrylic Ruler to make this part quicker and easier.

Press the seams open for all blocks you sew (remember to remove the paper from all seam allowance when sewing two units together).

Repeat the steps to make (12) heart blocks.

For the star blocks, start with either part of the 4 pointers. Follow the color code to add either the dark or light color point fabric.

The square for the edges is added and sewn entire, not trimmed diagonally as the heart block. (see next photo arrow showing)

Align the color rectangle horizontally on the back of the paper with wrong sides together. Fold back the second part and align the second piece of fabric (background fabric).

***PRO TIP: for any type of foundation paper piecing block, when you fold back the paper and align the fabric on the back you are able to see if the fabric piece will cover the whole extension needed, as the example shows an odd shape to be covered, so that’s how you guide if the piece of fabric you have is enough to cover the area needed.

Unfold the paper and sew on the line. Press fabric in place after sewing.

Trim each part of the stars individually following the same steps as trimming the heart block parts.

Sew two identical pairs of light color + dark color, press seams open and turn one of them upside down and sew the two parts together to have an alternated color star block.

Repeat the steps to make (13) star blocks.