I have wanted to make a table runner since I began quilting - it's actually a great small project to start with when learning this craft (but of course I initially went full-on with a quilt!).
The pattern came from my local quilt shop and a Christmas-themed runner was perfect since the holiday fabric was on sale for 40% off. I realized when I got home with my spur-of-the-moment purchase that the pattern was star-point heavy and I hate matching triangles! I also realized that you totally have to be in the right frame of mind to begin a project because the first time I pulled everything out and got ready to start cutting, I had no idea what the pattern was talking about!
Once I was rested and was in a better place mentally, it was easy to follow the directions and get my fabric all measured and cut, ready for me to begin piecing in the morning. I tried to be as careful and accurate as possible but soon ran into some trouble. The half-square triangles (where you match 2 squares of fabric, draw a line diagonally, and then cut 1/4" either side of the line) were NOT cut 1/4" from the centre. Because I couldn't use the 1/4" foot to stitch in the centre of the fabric, my aim was really off using the edge of my foot incorrectly as a guide. Fussy, fussy! I cut apart the triangles, realized my mistake, and had to re-stitch 1/4" seams, now being able to use the 1/4" foot. Then I had to pick out all the wrong stitch lines. Hassle, hassle!
Everything else was pretty straight forward but I still ended up with a skew to the right when my runner was all assembled. At that point I had already added my inner border so I wasn't about to take the whole thing apart to correct the problem. Like all my mistakes, I just kind of hoped it would straighten itself out or get hidden once the runner was washed. Nope. Oh well...learned something with this project too!
It's actually quite a long runner and is really too long for my table. Of course it doesn't lie flat and that drives me crazy so I'll probably end up using it on a buffet table at Christmas, covered in cake and baked good containers! One other thing I did take away from this project was piecing together large leftover sections of batting. I spent $45 on the fabric for my runner and didn't want to buy anything else. I knew I had some larger pieces of batting but when I got the runner finished I realized I didn't have any batting long enough. I googled whether I could join two smaller scraps and learned you can. I butted the 2 raw edges together and used a large zig-zag stitch to join them. Hand-sewing would probably be preferable but the seam didn't show in the end product and it was much faster to just use the machine. Good to know I can use up those scraps and save money!
Oh my word friend, this table runner is beautiful. You are so talented!
Posted by: Carissa | January 21, 2012 at 10:18 AM