Runners

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I’ve been either cutting up my fabric into smaller bits, or making table runners. I’m trying to use up my stash here, then I can build my own stash. 😀 Also: lots of gifting happening. Well, when I finish them…

Anyway! Runners are fast, usually quite easy, and let you try a few different blocks or techniques without committing to a bed sized quilt.

table runner!

Though I will note if one is tired, or has a case of the megrims, one usually makes mistakes.

But even simple designs, like the following are not without their challenges in such cases.

starry table runner

I ripped out and redid far too much on this for how simple it is. then when it was pieced & shown off, decided to back it and quilt it. Less than an hour later:

finished starry runner

This one I liked working up more than the top one, and I have recipient in mind. I used cotton batting, which is nice and flat, and it folds well. My seams are almost all matched perfectly and the whole things lays flat, which is an accomplishment. There’s more of all these fabrics, as I went through my stash of these prints (again) and cut out charm packs. I’d previously cut out layer cakes from the same prints, and still have some fat quarters left, as I’d started with half yard cuts of many of them.

I also made myself a new wallet, but will now have to make myself a new purse to match it.

new wallet

There was a part on the brown insert that needed binding, so I machine-stitched it all down and didn’t like how it looked. Of course I ripped it off and redid it “properly”. Sometimes you really need to do things by hand, especially when it’s smaller. I just knew the other way would bug me too much, and the way I re-did the binding wound up thinner and neater looking. Even though this wallet was not a fast project, and picking the fabric took almost as long as sewing it, I would probably make this again. I’m picky about my wallets, which should double as a small purse – and this held all my stuff with room left over. Pattern is A Safe Place. Hmm, if I could do a slight modification to have a closing flap instead of the red wraparound, and an optional long shoulder strap, it’d be perfect.

Round two, I guess.

Quilts on the go

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I cut out a whole pile of new quilts recently, so I’d better list the ones in progress.

Jitterbug – 30’s prints from jelly roll book. Currently away as I’m taking a break
Christmas Cross – Ron & I picked it out. Blocks almost done.
Green/pink/brown/blue – jelly roll I finally figured out what to do with. kinda Trip Around the world. Maybe 1/4 done, if that. Lots of tiny squares.
Blue & Yellow bento box – all blocks done. need to lay out & put together.
yellow/pink/orange – yes, this one is really bright. crazy eights pattern, which works up really fast.
green/brown/red – Picture this, large blocks and I cut out enough for a queen sized bed because I am insane and it used up a lot of fabric. still have a lot left tho.

edit: forgot the red/black/brown one – this was a brick pattern, but I pieced the big rectangles in a long strip to cut it up smaller, and like the big pieces too much. the fabric is pretty, so it will be 3 or 4 rows of HUGE rectangles instead of 24 rows of tiny ones.

This doesn’t count all the finished tops waiting for quilting. I need batting.

Paddington quilt

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I am excited!

Friday afternoon, I went to Sew With Jo, and I *only* took 3 small quilts to quilt. Nothing to piece. Thereby forcing myself to get over the fear of quilting part. My plan was to use my walking foot on all the straight quilting I had to do across all three quilts, then use the other foot to do free motion.

Quilting in progress

I got all the straight quilting done on the blue Christmas wall hanging that Mom made me, and I got almost every line done on the Yellow, White & Red Paddington baby quilt. I even bought a new blue marking pen while there.
I marked on my quilt.

Then I ran out of bobbin thread. Did I bring extra? No. I can’t wind bobbins on the machine I had (long story) and Jo’s machine would not wind my bobbin. the store had no pre-wound bobbins. So I had to tell Ron to come get me. I had two and a half lines left until the quilt was DONE. Pooh.

I did finish it after I got home, and wound up starting supper a half hour late, even tho I left early.

This quilt is one in which I celebrate the mistakes. 🙂 While I was trimming the batting, I accidentally cut part of the backing level with the edge. My plan had been to fold the backing over to the front. So along that one side, I had to add a piece. there was also one block with a tiny chunk out of it that I had meant to put along the edge. It wound up almost in the middle of the quilt and of course I noticed it while quilting it.

fixed

I just sewed extra stitching around it.

labelled

I also had a couple places where the binding didn’t quite catch and had to re-sew sections. If you look close, no doubt you can see these spots. I celebrated by stitching around my label, all the way through, so you can see a rectangle of stitches on the front.

front side

I used all cotton batting in it, which shrinks enough to make the quilt crinkle after your wash it, so I tossed it in a regular load and threw it in the dryer. Some loose bits showed up after that, and I just stitched them flat.

Paddington quilt

This quilt? This is one for a new baby boy. I expect it to get loved and used, so hopefully with the imperfections celebrated, the boy and his parents will happily drag it around the house, build couch forts, use as a cape, cuddle it, throw up on it, and generally love it.

Because it’s a quilt made with love. 🙂 And I am heartily in love with the batting and how it affects the finished quilt.