Simple Table Runner

Did I mention that I keep volunteering to make things for Mam?  It's no wonder my list just keeps growing, is it?!  In addition to the two cushions for her front room, she needed a new runner for her dining table.  We didn't want to use the same coral fabric as the cushions as it didn't go well with the cherry wood of the table (it made it look orange and cheap!) so we found a soft coral which still went nicely with the new carpet and curtains.   This is how it looked at the start of the quarter, when I made my Q3 FAL list:

I don't have many photos of the progress of this runner because it was another really quick make and didn't really make interesting photos (although that doesn't usually stop me!).  I often find it hard to remember to take photos because my sewing machine is upstairs and my camera and phone (which isn't really a phone because it doesn't have a sim card in it, I just use it as a tiny tablet!) live downstairs.

Anyway, I stitched seven 2.5" strips together, three in the curtain fabric and four in the soft coral square dot, added 2.5" strips of the coral to either end and then layered and quilted (using the same Gutermann sulky 30 I used on the cushions).  I marked the quilting lines with a hera marker (again!) and rather than going for a 45deg grid, went for 60deg to give it a bit more interest as well as a softer look.

When it came to attaching the binding, I finally remembered to revisit something I used to do in my early days of quilting and then, for some reason, left behind:

Rather than stopping 1/2" from the end and backstitching, pivot by 45deg and sew off the corner

It gave such a good and effortless result that I'm once again making it my standard binding practice and can't for the life of me think why I stopped doing it!

I used my usual method for joining the beginning of the binding to the end:

Cut the binding so there's an overlap the same length as the width of your binding then join them as usual.  Works a treat every time.

And here's the runner in place:

The back - I didn't have enough fabric to make a plain back so added a wide (6", I think) strip of curtain fabric to one end to make it double sided.

I snuck in to Mam's house when I knew she was out and put the runner on the table (she didn't know I'd got round to making it) and then snuck out again.  I was very surprised that she rang as soon as she got back in because she'd spotted it as she came through from the front door!  Does anyone else leave quilted presents in place and see how long it takes the recipient to notice them, or is it just me?

Mini Archie seems to think he's going to be a mountaineer when he grows up and said he needed to practise:

I don't know what he thinks he's doing, but I'm going to sneeze any minute...

Thanks for popping in!!


P.S.  At the time of typing, we've got 328 finishes linked up - are yours among them?!