Spring/Summer Table Runner and Towels

Of course, I had to make something for my moms for Mother's Day this year.  For my mom, I had to make another table runner to go along with the fall/winter runner I gave her for Christmas.  This time it was a spring/summer runner.
Unfortunately, I don't have ANY photos from any of the steps along the way.  I must have been too busy sewing!  But I have lots and lots of finished photos...

For the Spring side, I didn't want to spend tons of time coming up with my own original idea.  Fortunately, I had the perfect pattern already available.  I won a copy of Quiltmaker magazine from Ribbon Candy Quilt Company - who is the designer of the super cute "Skinnies" pattern line.  The magazine included a pattern for this "Spring Skinnie."

I adapted the pattern a little bit to make it fit the longer table runner and I think it turned out gorgeous!  It was fun to pull out all my spring color scraps and do some matching.

The entire thing is appliqued, except for the borders, of course.

For the Summer side, I really had no clue what to do.  I searched Pinterest and eventually found this pin on one of my boards that kind of stuck:

Click on picture for link

In the end I decided to go Red, White and Blue - so this runner is perfect for the 4th of July.

Once I had decided to do the Circle of Geese blocks, I sat down with some colored pencils and several small copies of the pattern and experimented with color.  These are the three blocks I came up with, all from the same pattern!

 For quilting, I knew that I wanted something that would work for both sides of the table runner.  Last time I used fusible fleece, so I was able to do custom quilting for each side, then fuse it all together.  This time I wanted to use leftover batting that I already had on hand, plus I wanted a thinner runner.

 I wasn't able to get swirls out of my head so I ended up using Angela Walters Concentric Circles design from her book Free Motion Quilting with Angela Walters.  I was a little nervous about it because I had spent tons of time practicing it on paper and wasn't too impressed with my results.  Happily, the design looks MUCH better once it is actually quilted.  I really love how the quilting turned out.  It is dense, which is good for a table runner.  It also adds a new level of texture without interfering with the quilt design, so it is perfect.

I decided to try my hand at curved corners and they turned out great!  Because of the curves, I used bias cut binding for the first time ever (sheepish grin) and it worked beautifully.  Plus I didn't have to worry about mitered corners!  Score!

I auditioned several different fabrics for the binding - some of which probably would have been amazing, but in the end I went with this blue because it seemed the safest.  I really wanted something that would work well for BOTH sides.

And there you have it.  Another table runner.  It's about 15" x 38"


For my sweet mother-in-law, I embellished a few dish towels.  One can never have too many dish towels (especially my MIL.  She loves dish towels).  These are perfect for summer:

 

I think the watermelons are my favorite.

Up next... Father's Day!

Taking a Break From the Sewing Machine

We love to go on road trips.  Partly because we love to go new places and see new things, and partly because we love spending time with family members who live far away.  For me, the chance to work on some hand stitching in the car is an added bonus. 

Almost two weeks ago, the Hubby and I took the kids and went to help celebrate a wedding with our cousins.  It was a great weekend.  I took my crosstitching with me, and by the time we made it home, I was beginning to see that the end was in sight!  This was amazing, considering I've been working on this piece intermittently for the past 4 years or so.  Mostly when we go on road trips and during General Conference.  I have no idea how much time went into it - over 100 hours easy.  I love having something to do with my hands - something long term that I can pull out whenever.

Anyway.  When I realized how close I was to being finished I put my cover on my sewing machine (gasp!  Is that what that thing's for?) and packed up the ironing board (gasp! again - empty space in the living room!).  It felt strange to spend my precious nap time sitting on the couch (only after the chores were done, of course), but it is finished!

Here it is!  It's a Christmas scene, but I am sharing it with you now anyway, even though it is April.  I will probably be displaying this proudly from Halloween to Valentines Day every year.   Just gotta find the perfect frame.  :)

Some close ups:

 (Yes, those colors are accurate - the background fabric is a gray/blue/purple - it's pretty, isn't it?)

And just for fun, the back.  It's crazy.  :)

Project Stats:

Started: May(?) 2009

Finished: April 25, 2013

Materials:  All part of a kit (NO WAY did I come up with this or choose all those colors on my own)

The kit is from Dimensions Gold Collection, Kit #8783 Holiday Village

Finished size: About 15 x 11 1/2

Recipient:  ME!

Time to uncover the sewing machine and get that ironing board back out!

More Bibs and Towels

I've been plugging away on the borders for my Storm at Sea lately (lots and lots of paper piecing), but I decided to take a quick break to make a couple fast and functional items.

First up, more bibs.

My boys are outgrowing their current bibs and their increasing desire to spoon feed themselves called for bigger bibs!  I really like the ones that I can throw in the wash after dinner, so this is what I came up with.

First, I wanted to take one more crack at Faux Chenille (like I used on the covers of my quiet books).  I wanted to see how soft it would be if it weren't attached to a stiff book cover.

Back of bib, before washing

My verdict:  Use more high quality flannel.  I was working from my stash, so I was quite limited.  But seriously, I think better flannel would fray better and be even softer.  I'm not telling where I got those blue dots...

Front of bib, after washing

I also snipped the edges with my rag scissors (LOVE THOSE THINGS), but I kind of regret it now.  I'm hoping a few more times through the wash will change my mind.  (EDIT:  It did)

For my second bib, I just pieced together some of my favorites from my rapidly dwindling stash of blue and green.  I cut the back of the bib from a cheap towel I got at Walmart.  I love how it turned out.  Next time I make a bib, I'm doing it this way.  Also, it's the perfect weight and I didn't have to add batting or quilt it. :)

Next ups, more towels.

I've actually made quite a few of these.  They are my go-to gift for bridal showers and wedding receptions.  Unfortunately, I usually finish them the night before they are due and don't get good pictures.  Well, this time I finished a whole day early!

I think these might be my favorites.  Which is a good thing because the cousin that will be receiving them is totally awesome!  That's why they gets two sets instead of just one. ;)

The wedding announcement colors are aqua, yellow, pink, and tan; I incorporated them into the first set of towels.  Don't they look so retro?

For the second set, I went with my gut and used lime green.  I hope the bride likes it!  I personally LOVE the damask print with the lime green.  I think I need more of this green.  I think it's Kona Peapod.
I couldn't decide whether or not to do the whole last name or just the first letter, since the fabric is so busy.  I hope I made the right choice...

I love them anyway!  Such a fun and easy gift!