Quilts In The Kitchen

Most every seamstress or quilter has a plethora of holiday pretties to sprinkle around the house, right? I have drawers and tubs and stacks of all manner of holiday items - pillows, table runners, coasters, quilts, throws, wall hangings, candle mats, and more.

Our kitchen island, above, which was the work center for the massive noodle making and candy production described in yesterday's post, normally looks like this, below.

 

And that table runner is one of the easiest, fastest you could ever make. Here's a link, if you want to give it a try. I made this one 3 or 4 years ago after seeing my quilting buddy Sheryll make about 20 of them for her sisters and sisters-in-law. As long as you have two complimenting fabrics, you can make this runner.

Of course, any holiday theme or event will work - I think one of red, white and blue would look fantastic on the picnic table this summer. And think of one for Easter or fall or birthday or well, you get the idea. A quick search of "15-minute table runner" on Pinterest will elicit numerous additional tutorials.

I'll probably be doing lots of brief little posts this week as I prep for the big day! Stay tuned!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

What A Productive Day

Yesterday, Sharon was here to sew, and gosh! We got a lot done!

First, I will show you two pictures of some remnants that Sharon was using to create a beauty. A long time ago, she took the cut-away portions of previous blocks to make pinwheels. Then, as often happens with we quilters, she stored those pinwheels away for an ever-so-long time.

She has decided to make something of them - the quilt will be the "little sister" of the original quilt, which she called a Bursting Star. I have a vague recollection of it, but it's fuzzy. She has promised to bring it sometime, or at least, take a picture.

Anyway, the work for her yesterday was to create something out of these pinwheel blocks.

The darker fabric is a dark red toille, and alongside this neutral, we get a very soft effect. If you study the direction of the pinwheels in one section and compare it to the direction in the other section, you will understand the dilemma Sharon is fussing about. When she made the pinwheels many months (years?) ago, she had no thought other than to just make pinwheels. Today, when she began to construct something with them, she discovered the directional issue, and now has decisions to make. I will keep you posted as her results come together. I am not worried. Everything Sharon makes is unique and gorgeous.

My efforts for the day resulted in a finished table runner and a small HST flimsy. First, let's have a look at this table runner.

I bought this kit just last Friday, when I took a drive with DH, F-i-L and B-i-L into Ohio's Amish Country. Yes, we stopped at Mrs. Miller's in Charm! Always a delight! Anyway, the runner was super-easy to make! And fast! I will probably find myself making several more.

After the table runner, I acted on a whim I recently had for using some of my Roman Holiday/3Sisters remnants. I made Eventide back in the summer of 2014 and had it quilted in 2016. I haven't touched these remnants since finishing the flimsy.

I hadn't forgotten them though!

After checking out the exact nature of the remnants, I found that I had quite a few squares, some of which were even marked with the diagonal line for HSTs. And with that, I had my idea working and coming together in no time!

I stitched up those triangles and began laying them out. I distributed the colors a bit, but did not allow myself to stress and obsess about it. This little beauty measures 30" square. I used all the triangles of this size and only had 4 leftover. Not too bad. I will surely find something to do with those extras.

Roman Holiday fabric is quite scarce these days, so I was very frugal in my cutting. You can see a triangle with selvage information on one block. I just figured it was a good way to pay tribute to this wonderful fabric, so I used it. And I am glad I did.

The only colors I had left were green, brown and red, plus the variety of backgrounds. I will get busy quilting this ASAP so I can use it this month in my Christmas decorating.

I still have Roman Holiday scraps remaining. I am hoarding it. I will try to do something worthy of such great fabric - maybe soon. I would like to tell the folks at 3Sisters and Moda to re-release this line!!

I have linked up with the party over at Let's Bee Social.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Seasonal Endeavors

You know I am really good at getting sidetracked, and what with this newly cleaned room and most of my stuff put away, I really felt compelled late last week to play with some ideas that had been on my mind for awhile.

First, even though I will never have this finished for this Halloween (today!), I do like this tablecloth and figured I could get it done for next year.

Normally, I take enough pride in my work to press things, but remember, I was just playing, and pressing would mean that I was more serious about this project. (That's my story and I'm sticking with it.) Click here to see the Pinterest picture that inspired me. Normally, I do very little decorating for Halloween, but this just seemed really appealing.

The brown base fabric is from Terry's fabric sale, and while I didn't buy it for this purpose, when it eventually occurred to me, I knew it was the perfect choice for this tablecloth.

Seasonal item number 2 is a Christmas-oriented table runner. My drawing skills are quite rudimentary, and my bulb looks more like an egg than a Christmas light, but it's a start, at least.

So what do you think? Easter Eggs or Christmas Lights? The inspiration picture shows several of these strung the length of a white background and a holiday print for a border. The cord can be either appliqued or embroidered. While I found this on Pinterest, it originated on Etsy, and is no longer available as an active link.

So, I got my fill of playtime, and now I've folded these and set them aside. I  MUST finish the last of the t-shirt quilts. I have the vertical rows attached, and today I will construct the quilt top using sashing strips and cornerstones to keep everything square and even.

Happy Quilting, Friends!