Quilted Tablecloth

I finally finished my "Kitchen Windows" tablecloth!  

It took FOREVER!!  I wanted to quilt it really closely so that it wouldn't have too many bumpy spots.  Or something like that.  I was a little surprised when I completely ran out of thread (started with a brand new spool) when I still had two more sections left to quilt!  But alas, it is finished. 

I decided to use flannel for backing, but skipped the batting.  So this tablecloth only has two layers but the back is nice and soft.  Which, I'm sure will be useful for when we are eating dinner on it...  If I decide to allow that...

I tried a couple of different quilting styles.  I started with swirls in the sashing:

I did a couple of sections with pebbles.  I thought this heavy quilting design would make the thing stiffer, and even though this particular section IS stiffer, it is also particularly bumpy.  But it's in the middle.  I think it looks good.

I got tired of pebbles (they are SO time consuming), and did a couple of sections with a simple tight meandering.  NOW I understand why most people just use this design on their quilts.  So much easier and faster!

Then I got the great idea to try a couple of straight line sections.  These sections lie the flattest and have the least amount of bumps.  If I were to do another tablecloth (hey - Mom just said she wants one!  Christmas will be easy this year), I will definitely do the whole thing with straight lines.  It is also quite time consuming, but if I did a more overall design, it would be okay.  Plus, it just looks/lies SO much better for a tablecloth!

And there you have it!  It looks a little retro, but I think I like it.  Plus, the browns and greens kind of match some of the decorations in my kitchen!  And I TOTALLY LOVE how it actually fits our little table!  No more folding tablecloths on one side for us!