Crafty Corner
by Pepper Mint
Greetings, winter crafters!
For this month I thought we might try something different. October and November I introduced you to some fun crocheting projects. This month I think I'd like to delve into the exciting and highly addictive world of…
Quilting!
And trust me - when I say it's addictive, it is. I know this from experience. Proceed with caution!
The thing about quilting is you want to start small. Don't get all gung-ho and shell out however many bucks for a ton of fabric that's just going to sit on your shelf and gather dust because got cold feet when you realized how tremendously huge your project is. Start small. Find a small project to get a feel for quilting rather than burning yourself out on something large. Go for a placemat or potholder rather than a king-size quilt. Once you understand the basics of measuring, cutting and piecing your blocks together, you'll gain not only skill but confidence to tackle those larger projects on your wish list.
So, if small is the name of the game for you beginners, how about this for a fun and festive project?
*Project and photos borrowed from Cheryl Almgren Taylor's book Deck the Halls: Quilts to Celebrate Christmas
This is a great project for beginners. It's complicated enough to keep you from getting board, but it's simple enough for you to not get frustrated halfway through and toss it to the side. This is also great if you've already caught the quilting bug and you have scraps that need an awesome project to attach themselves to.
Materials*
- 2/3 yard of green print for Middle Border & Bias Binding
- 5/8 yard of white print for Blocks & Pieced Inner/Outer Borders
- 1/3 yard of red dot print for Blocks & Pieced Inner/Outer Borders
- 1/4 yards (total) of assorted green prints for Blocks
- 1/4 yards (total) of assorted red prints for Blocks
- 5/8 yard of fabric for Backing
- 16" x 40" piece of batting
*Please note yardage is based on 42" wide fabric.
Cutting
From the white print, cut:
- 10 squares, 3" x 3"
- 4 strips, 2 1/2" x 21"; crosscut 1 strip into 8 squares, 1 1/2" x 1 1/2"
From the assorted red prints, cut a total of:
- 10 squares, 3" x 3"
From the assorted green prints, cut a total of:
- 5 pairs of squares, 3 7/8" x 3 7/8"; cut once diagonally to make 20 half-square triangles
From the red dot print, cut:
- 4 strips, 2 1/2" x 21"; crosscut 1 strip into 8 rectangles, 1 1/2" x 2"
From the green print for middle border & binding, cut:
- 3 strips, 1" x 42"; crosscut into:
- 2 strips of 1" x 32 1/2"
- 2 strips 1" x 9 1/2"
- Enough 2 1/2" wide bias strips to make 104" length of binding when pieced together.
Here is your at-a-glance look of your finished table runner, measuring approximately 11 1/2" x 35 1/2":
Making the Blocks
Step One: Place a white 3" square on top of each assorted red 3" square, right sides together. Using a pencil and ruler, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the white squares. Sew 1/4" from both sides of the marked line. Cut the squares apart on the drawn line and press the seam allowances towards the red. Each pair of squares will make two half-square-triangle units.
Step Two: Sew two different half-square-triangle units together as shown. Repeat to make a total of 10 pairs. Sew 2 pairs together to make a block center. Repeat to make a total of five block centers.
Step Three: Sew four matching green triangles to the sides of each block center, adding opposite sides first. Press the seam allowances towards the triangles. The blocks should measure 6 1/2" x 6 1/2".
Assembling the Table Runner
Step One: Sew the blocks together side by side. Press the seam allowances toward the second and fourth blocks. The runner top must measure 6 1/2" x 30 1/2" or the pieced borders will not fit.
Step Two: To make the pieced inner border, sew a red dot 2 1/2" x 21" strip to each long side of a white 2 1/2" x 21" strip to make strip set A. Sew a white 2 1/2" x 21" strip to each long side of a red dot 2 1/2" x 21" strip to make strip set B. Press the seam allowances toward the red. Crosscut each strip set into 12 segments, 1 1/2" wide.
Step Three: Alternately sew three A segments and two B segments together end to end. Press the seam allowances toward the A segments. Repeat to make a total of two strips. Sew the strips to the long edges of the runner top. Press the seam allowances toward the borders. Sew a white 1 1/2" square to each end of two A segments. Press the seam allowances toward the A segments. Add these border strips to the short edges of the runner top. Press the seam allowances toward the borders.
Step Four: Sew the green 1" x 32 1/2" strips to the long edges of the runner top. Press the seam allowances toward the green borders. Sew the green 1" x 9 1/2" strips to the short edges of the runner top. Press the seam allowances toward the green borders. The runner top must now measure 9 1/2" x 33 1/2" or the pieced outer border will not fit.
Step Five: Alternately sew three B segments and two A segments together end to end. Add a red dot 1 1/2" x 2" rectangle to each end of the strip. Press the seam allowances toward the A segments and the red dot rectangles Repeat to make a total of two strips. Sew these strips to the long edges of the runner top. Press the seam allowances toward the green border. Sew a red dot 1 1/2" x 2" rectangle and then a white 1 1/2" square to each end of the remaining two B segments. Press the seam allowances toward the red rectangles. Add these strips to the short edges of the table runner top. Press the seam allowances toward the green border.
Finishing the Table Runner
Step One: Trim the backing fabric so that it is 4" longer and 4" wider than the table runner top.
Step Two: Layer the backing, batting, and runner top and baste together.
Step Three: Quilt as desired. The table runner shown in the project photo was quilted with gold metallic thread.
Step Four: When the quilting is complete, square up the table runner sandwich. Attach the bias binding to the edges.
Step Five: Add a label to the back of your runner if desired.
Done and done! This project took me about four hours from first cut to snipping the final threads. Easy-peasy! Turn on the radio for some smooth listening and you stitch your heart away!
Happy crafting!