Harvest Table Runner

I know that my love for Anna Maria Horner is very apparent from all of my blog posts and what not. But that love has deepened ever since I got a hold of her new cotton velveteen collection. This fabric is so luxurious! I knew that it was absolutely PERFECT for this project that I have been thinking of working on for a while now.

You can see the gorgeous sheen on this fabric. ooo lala.

I was playing around with the width. See, I wanted a wide and super-long table runner. This fabric is 54 inch wide fabric like most home decor weight fabric, about 10 inches wider than the standard quilting cotton. I only bought 1 yard (at $20/yard, eeeeek I know). So that meant that I had 36x54 fabric. Soooo given that I wanted this table runner to fit our table with both leaves in (that would make the table 96 inches long) I knew that I need to cut up the fabric into 3 pieces. So that left me with 3 18x36 inch strips.

 

Then I had to piece some backing for the runner. I just used some white and off-white fabric with a faint flower print on it. Very subtle. I started thinking that maybe this table runner was TOO long.... wouldn't even fit in our upstairs hallway! I also pieced a middle layer. At first I thought about using batting for the middle layer, but then I had that heat resistant fabric that you would typically use for potholders and ironing boards... so I used that.

Then I cut the ends to come to a point. I learned that the general rule to making the point look proportionate is dividing the width by 2. Therefore, 18/2 = 9 inches.

Then I piled all three layers together and started stitching. Notice that the velveteen and the backing were sewn right sides together so I can turn the table runner inside out.

After I sewed it all together, flipped it inside-out, and ironed it flat, it still didn't look "finished". I had the idea that maybe if I topstitched around the outside that might give it a more professional look. I used my 1/4 inch foot and topstitched around the entire outside. I am very happy with how it turned out!

Now, my favorite part. Time for some glamor shots.

Are you loving it as much as I am?

Another project checked off the bucket list!!! Wooohooo! Check out my flickr account and the sidebar on my blog for all of my finished projects. Enjoy!


Holler!

Try, Try Again

Reluctantly, I tried this block again. There was no way that I was going to cut all those pieces again, so I ripped apart the entire block and re-did it. 
 
I am not entirely happy with how it turned out. All of these triangles were wicked tough for me. Some of my points look alright, but then I look at all of the mess-ups. Oh well. Looks like I will have A LOT of practice with triangles while working on this quilt-a-long.

AND I absolutely love the color combination. I want to do an entire quilt with this deep tealy blue and olive-ish green.

I do really like how all of my blocks are coming along. The only one I really don't care for is the Block #1 Attic Window. It is the block on the far left corner there. Yellow middle. 




About once a week we have a big Caesar salad with grilled chicken and croutons for dinner. I think that it's my favorite meal. Take a look at our homemade croutons.

Just another looksie --

Check out my flickr photos for more Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long photos.

Holler!

I may or may not be...

easily pleased (sometimes)?

a loser, maybe? 

Either one. Whatever the answer, the excitement level that I achieved when opening this package WOWed even me.
 

Yes people, 24 colorful erasable fine point pens! I really like pens. A lot. I am an accountant folks, I need some excitement!

Look at all those colorssss!

Want to know something funny? I love colored pens (obviously) and I am a hoarder/collection/stealer of colored binder clips, but I HATE HATE HATE colored paper clips. I see no reason for them.

Maybe I'm just weird. 


Anyone else out there have an oddity that they'd like to share?


Holler!