Quilted Table Runners

Quilted table runners are great when you want a small project - sometimes it's nice just to finish something quickly and not have another project added to the UFO pile.

I've made this one using the Blue Chains quilt block.  I was going to make it in reds and browns and then decided that I would stay true to the quilt block name and use blue fabrics.

I used 2" squares to make each block 12" square and I used four blocks in total.  The half square triangles were made in the usual way using 2.7/8" squares.  Place a white and light blue square with right sides together and mark a line along the diagonal.  Sew a 1/4" seam either side of the line and cut along the line.  This gives two half square triangle units.


The total fabric requirement for the quilted table runner:
Light blue:  twenty four 2.1/2" squares and sixteen 2.7/8" squares
Dark blue:  thirty two 2.1/2" squares plus three 2.1/2" strips for the binding
White:  fifty six 2.1/2" squares and sixteen 2.7/8" squares
Rectangles of batting and backing fabric about 14" by 50"

Lay the squares out as shown, sew together across the rows and then sew the rows together.  Make four of these blocks.

Sew them together in a column, rotating the blocks so that you get the zigzag effect running along the length of the quilted table runner.

Layer with backing fabric right side down, batting and patchwork on the top with right side up.  Quilt, baste and then trim the edges and add binding as for any quilt.

This quilted table runner is really quick and easy to make, but quite eyecatching.





Linking up with freshly pieced for Wednesday WIPs:





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I hope to see you again soon.
Rose

Rosebud Pinwheel Quilt

After several late night sessions I managed to finish my rosebud
pinwheel quilt and send the details out in a newsletter.  I was really pleased with all the extra designs that started to show up as soon as I started to sew the quilt blocks together.  You can click here for full instructions with video.



I had a lovely day at Malvern quilt show on Thursday.  I managed to avoid buying any more fabric to add to my stash, but I did pick up a great curvy ruler so I'm looking forward to trying that out.  As ever, there were some lovely quilts on display.

I came across a great quilt block which I thought would stand alone nicely as a patchwork placemat - although I'm sure that it would make a great quilt as well.  I used 2" squares so that it finishes at 12" square.

To make this placemat I used fourteen 2.1/2" squares in both the red and the grey and four 2.7/8" squares in both fabrics to make the half square triangle units.  After making the half square triangles and laying everything out as in the photo, I layered, quilted and bound it as for any quilt.  I think it makes quite a striking placemat.

I also started messing around with tumbler blocks.  I've never been a great fan because I couldn't see that there was much that you could do with them, but once I started I realised that you could add interest to a tumbler quilt by varying the fabrics within each tumbler block.  I managed seven fabrics in one block using 1" strips and decided that it was definitely worth thinking about a full sized tumbler quilt one day.

Thanks for visiting my blog.
I hope to see you again soon.
Rose

Diamond Plaid Quilt Block

I've started making a small quilt from Nancy Cabot's diamond plaid quilt block.  I've changed the colours completely and rather like the way the blue stands out so well from the other two colours.  I've used 2.1/2" squares (with 2.7/8" squares for the few half square triangle units) and that makes it an 18" finished size block as it's a nine patch block.

I made four blocks, fully intending to add a blue sashing with black cornerstones so that each block could stand alone, but now that I've put them together I think that sashing would spoil the patterns forming with the black squares.  I keep going back to look at it, but I think that the only way that I'm going to decide is by cutting a length of fabric for the sashing and pinning that up to see how it looks.

Last weekend I went to a lovely messy workshop based on printing on fabric.  I've always rather felt that I'm not artistic enough to consider printing my own fabric given that there are so many gorgeous fabrics around, but I was hooked by the end of the day.  This fabric was made using a potato print - something I haven't done since my children were tiny tots.  We made one smallish square design on a potato and then printed and rotated it four times so that a circular design began to show.  As you can see, I wasn't bright enough to rotate it correctly in the top right section so I lost the design a bit, but it was certainly great fun.

We then did something similar but with metallic paint.  I think I can certainly see this technique being used again at Christmas - what an amazing way to add to Christmas designs, making them really unique.




As ever, linking up to Lee:


Thanks for visiting my blog.
Hope to see you again soon.
Rose

Flying Colours Quilt Block

Isn't it funny how star quilt blocks always catch the eye?  This flying colours quilt block from the Kansas City Star looks stunning and it's terribly simple to make - sixteen half square triangles is all it takes.  I've made this using 4.7/8" squares to make a 16" quilt block and I can't wait to make more to make it into a small quilt.

The half square triangles are simple enough to make:  lay two squares with right sides together, mark a line along the diagonal and sew a seam 1/4" either side of the marked line.  Cut along the line to make two half square triangle units.



The only thing to be careful with on this quilt block pattern is getting the colour combinations right.  You need four different fabrics - one light, one medium, one dark and one a bit brighter to go in the middle.  They are made up into half square triangles using two squares each in medium/light fabric, three squares each in dark, light fabric, two squares each in dark/medium and one square each in bright/light fabric.

Once you've made the half square triangles, it's just a case of laying them out as shown, sewing them together in pairs then rows and sewing the rows together.  It's wonderfully simple to make.




I managed to finish my first machine quilting video last week and send out the link in a newsletter from the website.  I'm hoping to finish more quilts this year rather than just piling the quilt tops up, thinking 'tomorrow ....'.

Here's the video.  It's longer than usual, but I hope you find it useful.



Thanks for visiting my blog.
I hope to see you again soon.
Rose

Quilted Table Runner

Linking up to Freshly Pieced for Work in Progress Wednesdays is always a good chance to summarise what I've been working on.  This week it has been almost entirely a project for a machine quilting article on the website which I'm hoping to get out later this week.  I did manage to quilt and finish this table runner though.

I love making quilted table runners.  They are such a quick and easy way to showcase a quilt block or a quilting design.  Sometimes if I've been working on a big project it's quite nice to have something that you can complete fairly quickly.  They also make great gifts.

I made this one using a quilt block called Mosaic.  It's another of the Nancy Cabot quilt block patterns.




Each mosaic quilt block for this table runner is made using half square triangle units only and I've added a strip of squares between each block.  There are three quilt blocks with four strips of squares to make a table runner 48" by 12".

The half square triangles are made by placing two 3.7/8" squares with right sides together, marking a line along the diagonal and sewing a 1/4" seam either side of the line.  Cut along the line to produce two half square triangle units.  Make the half square triangles using four squares each of light and dark fabric and four squares each of medium and light fabric.

When you've made all the half square triangles, lay them out into four rows of four blocks each and sew together across the rows and then sew the rows together.

Sew together two dark and two medium 3.1/2" squares, alternating the fabrics.  Make four of these and sew them to the mosaic quilt blocks, beginning and ending with a row of squares.

 Layer the table runner with backing fabric and wadding.  Pin, quilt and bind as for a normal quilt.  The beauty of this table runner pattern (apart from the fact that it's so quick to make) is that you could also use the same mosaic pattern on its own to make place mats to match.





Thanks for visiting my blog.
I hope to see you again soon.
Rose