Winterlude Table Runner

I first started this table runner in December 2014, and you can read about it in this post. I had purchased a kit with a honey bun and fabrics from the Winterlude collection by 3 Sisters and planned to use it for Christmas decor.

When I blogged about it, I had worked on it for several hours and stated that I had cut 420 tiny pieces of fabric. I carefully paired and placed those pieces on a board to transport to my closet, planning to keep it out of harm's way until I could work on it again. On the way to the closet the board hit the wall and all those pieces spilled onto the floor. I was so discouraged that I threw everything into a bag and decided to wait and finish it later. This year I found it again and sorted everything out and was excited to get it finished.

It was fun to start on a project with the pieces already cut. I wasn't as picky about pairing fabrics this time, but I like it just fine. The fabrics are so pretty, and it was a pleasure to chain piece and press them. The pattern consisted of 3-1/2 inch 9-square blocks.

I had planned to use a piece of Grunge-ish red metallic as the main part of the backing, but in my Christmas scraps I found a remnant of Moda Fruitcake and decided to piece it with the red. Fruitcake is my very favorite fabric line. I bought it for my first quilting class in 2010, a table topper I finished in 2014. You can read about that right here.

This was (I think) my first time working with a flange. I like the effect, and it was easier than I thought it would be.

My seam ripper was used quite a bit. Normally the scant 1/4 inch seam is my friend, but in the case of the little 9-square blocks, a full 1/4" was required. I found that out the hard way.

Jack was very helpful during the quilting and the photographing

I kept the quilting simple

I'm keeping this one for my Christmas table runner this year!

Winterlude Table Runner Details
Finished size: 26 x 52
Pattern and Fabrics
Front and binding: Winterlude Table Runner Kit by 3 Sisters for Moda
Backing: Fruitbasket by Basic Grey for Moda, Luxe Brushstroke in Bordeaux by Moda

Superior Threads
Piecing: #50 So Fine in 402 Pearl
Quilting and binding: #40 Rainbows in 806 Desert Rose and #40 King Tut in 1002 Holly and Ivy

Quilting
Straight line walking foot and some free motion

Necessary Distractions

Last week I mentioned to my husband that my laptop seemed very sluggish. Although we do have slow internet (we live in the sticks!), he reminded me that it was purchased in 2013, had an outdated operating system, and probably needed replacing. He suggested we look at a new one for me, so on Monday off to Best Buy we went. We got a dream of a deal on an open box HP Pavilion 360 14" Touchscreen and got it for 18 months with no interest! Very important when you are retired - hah!

I got a pretty little mouse too!

This beautiful sky greeted me from our deck this morning

After hubby got everything set up, I spent the last two days staring at the screen while transferring and setting up files, programs, and internet bookmarks. And everything is so fast! Late this morning I finished and now look forward to getting back to sewing room projects.

Speaking of fast, this yarn was ordered on the 16th, and it arrived this afternoon. It is "Re-Tweed", a new yarn by Lion Brand, and I'm not yet sure what I'll make with it. I love the look of it, so I ordered a few colors to try. I need more yarn like a hole in the head, but all their yarn was on sale at 45% off, so what else could I do but buy more? The sale is still on, so if you need yarn go to their website and use the code NOV45 at checkout. (I'm receiving no compensation, just want to pass on a good deal.)

Now that the laptop situation is resolved, I'm ready to get back to this little project, a table runner for Christmas. Although it looks giant in the photo, the final size should be about 50x25.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Pumpkin Patch Quilt Finish

Pumpkin Patch, aka Hocus Pocus, is finished! You can read about the inspiration for this quilt right here.

This seasonal quilt was such a joy to make. Apparently I really love fall-appropriate fabrics, because I had a ton in my stash. It was a pleasure to pull a variety of browns, orange-y reds, creams, and golds from my stash, and I added pops of blue. I love every single piece of fabric that went into this quilt.

Although I love this pattern, the instructions were challenging. This is NOT a criticism of the author, because the pieces went together beautifully (or at least they were supposed to!), and there were pressing directions for the seams, always important for seam nesting. There were three sizes and shapes of pumpkins, and each size had its own set of instructions. Then there was one size of leaves and three different orientations for stems, so I found myself going back and forth between pages which became very confusing. I want to make this pattern again, but I'll have to rewrite it for my brain to comprehend!

I love this pretty blue print for the backing. You know how you buy a piece of fabric on sale and put it away for just the right project? In 2011 I purchased an end-of-bolt of over three yards on sale at a local quilt shop. Eight years later I found the perfect fit! I wanted to use a solid piece of fabric on the back, since there is so much patchwork going on in the front, so this was ideal.

I free motion quilted a meandering design, which is my go-to quilting pattern for now. I need more FMQ practice to do something different!

For the binding, I machine-sewed front and back. I am preferring this method more and more over machine sewing the binding to the back and then hand sewing it to the front, as it holds up better when laundered. I used two different variegated threads that blended nicely with the binding and backing, and I like the effect.

As much as I'd like to keep this one, I made it as a birthday gift for my daughter. She has already seen it and loved it, so I need to get it boxed up for mailing before I change my mind!

Pumpkin Patch Quilt details:
Finished size: 68 x 44
Pattern
Hocus Pocus by Margot Languedoc

Fabrics
Front: Scraps and stash
Back: BonBon from the Chocolat collection by Three Sisters for Moda
Border and sashing: Grunge Moutarde by Basic Grey
Binding: Andover/Makower Bloom Bouquet in Red

Superiors Threads
Piecing: #50 So Fine in 402 Pearl and 502 Genoa Gray
Quilting: #50 So Fine in 402 Pearl
Binding: Front - #40 Rainbows in 806 Desert Rose; Back - #40 King Tut in 1002 Holly and Ivy
Quilting: Superior #50 So Fine in 402 Pearl

Quilting
Meander free motion quilting