Thursday, July 30, 2015

T Minus 4 Months, 25 Days

Hello and welcome to another installment of TGIFF, where we celebrate our finishes instead of focusing on the huge pile of WIPs in our sewing rooms. (It’s much more fun that way!)


I started my finish, a Christmas runner, back in March while I was prepping for my first quilt retreat (see the post “Transformation Complete: I’ve Become My Mother”). I don’t do much seasonal sewing, but I have a weakness for Christmas decorations and Christmas fabric. I dug through my scraps for this project, a free pattern from the Fat Quarter Shop, and homed in on some vintage-inspired Christmas designs. I then paired them with some not-so-Christmassy greens and some reds that border on coral, and pulled everything together with a white-on-white cross-hatch from Carolyn Friedlander.


Eep! I love this runner—it is staying at my house! I’m crazy about the fabrics, the size (the project is a generous 60 inches in length), and the quilting. I’ve been playing with free-motion quilting lately, but my heart belongs to the simple straight-line quilting I used here: randomly spaced horizontal and vertical lines.


A note on the pattern: This is an easy project and appropriate for beginners. That said, I can’t tell you how many times I had to rip out stitches because I assembled the pieces incorrectly. Perhaps it was the hours of continuous sewing I did at that retreat. Perhaps it was my halfhearted system of labeling the runner pieces. Just take your time, refer to the pattern pictures, and label the components—you’ll be fine.

Linking up to Let’s Bee Social, Needle and Thread Thursday, Finish It Up Friday, and Ho Ho Ho and on We Sew ...

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Enough about my week’s finish. What have you been up to? If this is your first time at TGIFF, the rules are simple:
  • Post your finish in the linky tool.
  • Point your readers back to TGIFF with a text link or button. (You’re welcome to swipe the TGIFF image above.)
  • Visit and comment on other participants’ finishes.
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17 comments:

  1. Carie @ Space for the ButterfliesJuly 30, 2015 at 5:16 PM

    I'm still in the middle of all my WIPs this week so I'm just here to celebrate everyone else's! And starting with a gorgeous table runner - what a great way to show off Christmas fabric so everyone gets to see it!

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  2. Cynthia Brunz DesignsJuly 30, 2015 at 6:33 PM

    Simple pattern but it is so pretty! Thanks for hosting and sharing!

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  3. Shelley FolkertsJuly 30, 2015 at 8:23 PM

    Thanks for hosting this week, Michelle. Your Christmas table runner is lovely. I really like the less traditional Christmasy prints. I have not made anything specific for Christmas decorating in like 2 years but hope to get a chance to make something new for this year.

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  4. Lucy | Charm About YouJuly 31, 2015 at 3:48 AM

    Great mix of fabrics and I agree with you about straight line quilting, sometimes simple is best!

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  5. Anja @ Anja QuiltsJuly 31, 2015 at 7:09 AM

    Great pattern. Thanks for sharing and hosting TGIFF.

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  6. JayneJuly 31, 2015 at 10:48 AM

    Oh the holidays are upon us! Gorgeous little runner!

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  7. M-R CharbonneauJuly 31, 2015 at 12:24 PM

    Great job with your table runner, Michelle! Love the quilting detail. Thanks so much for hosting!

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  8. Soma @ inkTorrents.comJuly 31, 2015 at 4:34 PM

    The table runner looks beautiful!! Thanks so much for hosting this week.

    -Soma

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  9. Janine @ Rainbow HareJuly 31, 2015 at 5:52 PM

    Congrats on a Christmas finish already! Your runner looks great :)

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  10. lelandavestudiosJuly 31, 2015 at 8:17 PM

    Love that runner, but the thought of Christmas is giving me anxiety! Hopefully by then you will have a trained pup, and there will be no need to worry about the newest addition eating your lovely work! ;)

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  11. Lisa J.August 5, 2015 at 7:05 AM

    Very nice finish. Ilike the vintage fabrics, and the random straight lines.

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  12. Cut&AlterAugust 5, 2015 at 8:16 AM

    The runner is beautiful - straight line quilting always looks wonderful.

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  13. AllisonAugust 5, 2015 at 9:11 AM

    Some of the things that free motion quilters are doing these days are on the verge of mind blowing, but I'm in the same "straight line quilting" club as you. For me sometimes more is just more, which is why I think that straight lines can be such a nice, simple, and understated way to finish a project. Congrats on your finish - looks great!

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  14. Lorna McMahonAugust 5, 2015 at 1:48 PM

    The runner is beautiful.... Such perfect fabric choices! And I love the straight line quilting, too. You have to be looking forward to Christmas this year!

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  15. Carole @ From My Carolina HomeAugust 5, 2015 at 9:37 PM

    I need to get busy on some Christmas projects too. Right now just trying to get the finishes and labels done for my State Fair entries. Turn in is Labor Day.

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  16. Patch the GiraffeAugust 9, 2015 at 3:56 PM

    Or maybe something to do with the fact we were discussing all sorts of nonsense and important things! What happened to your Color Me Scrappy quilt speaking of retreat?

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  17. Celtic ThistleAugust 18, 2015 at 12:02 PM

    I love the fabrics that you selected for this, it has turned out really well. With you on the straight line quilting too :)
    Thanks for linking up to Ho, Ho, Ho and on We Sew too.

    ReplyDelete

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