The lull before the storm! Mum and dad have arrived, presents are wrapped, tree is decorated and the rest of the family is en route. And the Snowman and the Snowdog has just started on the telly.
In this moment of peace I thought I'd share a quick tutorial with you. I posted a picture of my finished Christmas Tree table runner on Facebook and some friends asked for the pattern. So without making another one, and using just the photos I took when I made it, here is the briefest of brief tutorials...
I started with 16 squares of low volume prints of a creamy persuasion rather than a grey persuasion. In hindsight I would have selected lower volume prints than those I did use. I pieced them together in pairs and then created the background of the table runner.
Then I raided my scrap boxes. Green strips, red scraps and yellow scraps. I drew some stars on scraps of iron on interfacing and used it to attach the stars at regular points along the table runner. This was the only time I used interfacing because of the delicate points.
I laid out the green strips under the stars - four strips per tree. I trimmed them and replaced them. And then trimmed them again and swapped them around until I was happy and added a red pot at the bottom of each tree. I struggle with this kind of improv-y-ness, but I laid them out, made a cup of tea and walked away for a bit. I came back and was happy enough so I got out the fabric glue and roughly stuck them in place.
I used coordinating thread and shortened my stitch length and put on a clear foot and stitched round each of the shapes no more than 1/8" from the edge. I started with the stars. Constant handling and turning and rolling up meant that some of the green came lose before I got to stitch it, and I just popped a few pins in.
Then lots of trimming... ends of thread, fraying edges....
I layered it up with an offcut of Christmassy fabric on the back, then quilted. I started off by quilting organic lines across the width of the table runner approximately two inches apart. Then I quilted half way between the lines and then halfway again and again and again. The end result was quilted lines approximately 1/8" - 1/4" apart and slightly wavy.
Bound and finished!
I hope you all have a very merry Christmas!
In this moment of peace I thought I'd share a quick tutorial with you. I posted a picture of my finished Christmas Tree table runner on Facebook and some friends asked for the pattern. So without making another one, and using just the photos I took when I made it, here is the briefest of brief tutorials...
I started with 16 squares of low volume prints of a creamy persuasion rather than a grey persuasion. In hindsight I would have selected lower volume prints than those I did use. I pieced them together in pairs and then created the background of the table runner.
Then I raided my scrap boxes. Green strips, red scraps and yellow scraps. I drew some stars on scraps of iron on interfacing and used it to attach the stars at regular points along the table runner. This was the only time I used interfacing because of the delicate points.
I laid out the green strips under the stars - four strips per tree. I trimmed them and replaced them. And then trimmed them again and swapped them around until I was happy and added a red pot at the bottom of each tree. I struggle with this kind of improv-y-ness, but I laid them out, made a cup of tea and walked away for a bit. I came back and was happy enough so I got out the fabric glue and roughly stuck them in place.
I used coordinating thread and shortened my stitch length and put on a clear foot and stitched round each of the shapes no more than 1/8" from the edge. I started with the stars. Constant handling and turning and rolling up meant that some of the green came lose before I got to stitch it, and I just popped a few pins in.
Then lots of trimming... ends of thread, fraying edges....
I layered it up with an offcut of Christmassy fabric on the back, then quilted. I started off by quilting organic lines across the width of the table runner approximately two inches apart. Then I quilted half way between the lines and then halfway again and again and again. The end result was quilted lines approximately 1/8" - 1/4" apart and slightly wavy.
Bound and finished!
I hope you all have a very merry Christmas!
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