Skip to main content

Christmas Once a Month Project #5

First, I must beg your pardon as I overlooked the date (15th) for the Christmas Once a Month posts as outlined here at Julie's blog. I don't know now if I'm ahead or behind?


Christmas Once a Month at The Crafty Quilter
 
In any case, I do hope this project will make up for my oversight. I have had this pattern on my mind since I first worked with half square triangles on this project.  I am happy to say this is one of my own inventions, as I did not use any pattern. Yay! I started with a clear idea and made the rest up as I went along!



Some people collect scraps for a giant scrappy quilt, I prefer more immediate gratification by making something more compact in a fraction of the time! Truthfully, finishing something (like a quilt) gives me great satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment I don't get doing other things;  I'm addicted!

One perk was that I did it entirely with leftovers: Squares, 5 inch charms and smaller 2 1/2 inch squares, various strips and yardage I had from another project.


 
 
 
I cut the small squares in half after stitching them together with white counterparts. These will be the "bows."
 
 
 

The charms I just cut down the middle, then cut another charm square in equal strips.  Which will serve as the "ribbon" around each present.



The plus side is the "ribbons"  all match and there was no waste. The down side is that they came out to a 3/4 inch wide which made piecing the top strip nightmare-ish because doing math with half of a fraction is just way too challenging! TIP: Use whole and half numbers. : )


A quick way of putting it together was this easy "sew to a strip" technique I learned on Craftsy which was fast and fun. Connecting the top strip was the one little glitch that gave me the perfect opportunity to try out a "partial seam" technique I also learned in the same Craftsy class, the BOM 2013 with Laura Nownes.  Let's keep learning!


 
See, I attached the "bows" first then the rest of the top strip incrementally.
 
 
See, not too shabby or difficult.

 
I was running a little short of the recommended amount for backing fabric guidelines (3-4 inches on each side.) But I just had to take the chance because it was the perfect complement to the front and it was a scrap piece.
 
 
 
Prepare for quilting: I really wanted to stay with a linear pattern for the quilting, following the "bow" lines seemed logical. Confession: I eyed it, okay?

 
For the binding, I really wanted some green but I stuck to my guns about using scraps....


It's a simple tiny  runner of Pretty Presents, can you tell? ; )  About 10 x 26 inches.


and even though it's not Christmas fabric,


it's got the "feel."


And it's fresh and modern!



It also made a perfect Teacher Appreciation gift in the middle of May!
Thanks Mrs. Urgelles!

 
 
 






Comments

  1. Oh, Elaine - this is just the most delightful table runner ever! I love the design, the fabrics, and the quilting grid! Happy, happy, happy! So sweet of you to share your "gifts" with others who share theirs!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is the cutest table runner I've seen! It's perfect for the holidays and I am totally going to make one with that same fabric! Thank you for joining the Christmas Once a Month Party!
    Julie @ The Crafty Quilter

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love this! especially your 'crafty' bows...very clever.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would really like to try this runner, is there PDF File that I can print and take to my sewing machine? or do I need to write this in long hand ?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi "Anonymous" I am working on getting tutorials or patterns into PDFs (that's one of my summer projects) feel free to print out the post. Or send me your email and I can send you the instructions.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time! Proverbs 15:23. I"m all ears!

Popular posts from this blog

Christmas in July - "All I want for Christmas" Wall Hanging

It's here! The Christmas in July Blog Hop has started and I am stop #3 on the hop, so make sure you see what Amy and The Patchsmith have made so far.     I love a charm pack, it's a tiny sampler of a great fabric collection! I'd like to show you how to make this whimsical door or wall hanging for Christmas, it's an easy pattern to repeat with any Charm Pack.      What you will need besides fabric, sewing machine & thread! 1 Charms Square pack 2 Fat Quarters that coordinate with your charms and applique graphic Backing Fabric Lite Seam to Seam for applique (2-3 sheets) or whatever other fusible product you like Embellishments like buttons, Rick Rack or ribbon (depending on your project) Neutral (white) 2 1/2" strips for borders (4)   The  finished size is about 12" x 36" unless you add more sashing or borders.     The first thing you do is unwrap your charms pack and lay out all the squares. You will i

Friday Night Block Party: Pinwheels

Welcome to the Friday Night Block Party here at Summercrafter.  If  you missed the first one , don't worry there's another one today!  Every Friday I will be featuring a new quilt block and the name or names associated with it and a little history.         Today's featured block is the called the Pinwheel. (It's on the button above!) I love it because it means fun! It makes me think of ...       Ferris wheels     and cartwheels  and wind. The Pinwheel block, was created in the United States around the 1800's. It became a very popular quilt block pattern and continues to be used in a variety of styles. There are so many ways to accent the "blades" with the colors (light/dark) patterns and placement, both within and around a quilt.  And it's really not a difficult block to do, I'll show you three different kinds of pinwheel blocks to try. Look at mine. I was happy go lucky as I pieced all these pinwheel blo

Five Happy Pumpkins!

Welcome to my day of the FALL BLOG HOP hosted by Sheri at Sunshine in the Attic . Below is the schedule of other bloggers in the hop: September 19th  Sheri --  Sunshine in the Attic  September 20th Maggie --  Maggie's Empty Nest Days September 21st Susie --  Susie's Sun Room September 22nd Celine  -- Espritpatch   September 23rd  Yevette --  Evindie September 24th Judy --  Judy's Fabric Addiction  September 25th  Elaine -- Summercrafter   September 26th Patricia --  Quilting Lines Do pop over check out what they made, as for me? I have a  fixation with the Five Little Pumpkins Song.  It's been part of my teaching repertoire for many, many years.  So here is my latest rendition I am calling it Five Happy Pumpkins. It's really easy to do, it does involve some applique but it's as easy as "cut and paste!"   Updates in yellow! These squares started out at 3 inches. Draw a diagonal across from co