Table Runner Tutorial

Here is a tutorial for my favorite table runner. I have made this many times.
It measures 18½" x 55". It can vary in the number of blocks used and you can omit the outer 3" border or vary the size of the border.

You will need about 1 yard of main fabric, ¼ yard (not a fat quarter) of contrasting fabric for framing strips, four 6" - finished -(6½" unfinished) blocks of your choice, backing and batting. Fabric is cut across the width of the fabric and a scant ¼" seam allowances through out.

I chose to make simple star blocks for this table runner. (Sorry I don't go into great detail on making this block, I assume some previous knowledge.)



I use the "fast flying geese" method for making the flying geese. The instructions I have are from an old "Quiltmaker" magazine (issue no. 39 Sept/Oct "94), but I did find the instructions online too. The chart is the important part, then you can make any size you need. For the 6" star block I need the flying geese to be 1½" x 3".


For each block you need to cut -

one 3½" square of main fabric
four 2 3/8" squares of main fabric
one 4¼" square of background fabric
four 2" squares of background fabric

Times four to make four blocks.


Using the large background square and the four small main fabric squares, make four fast flying geese blocks following the online instructions or my instructions I posted earlier (ignoring the dimensions). Repeat for all four blocks. Sew all the blocks together and trim to size - 6½".


Cut seven 1" strips of the contrasting fabric for the framing strips. Frame each 6" block (uses just over four of the strips, the others will be used later).





Cut three 9" squares of main fabric, and then cut them in half diagonally.
Also needs four 2" x 10" rectangles of main fabric for the ends.


Lay the main fabric and blocks out. Sew the two opposite triangles onto the blocks and the rectangle on the ends.

Lining up the points of the triangle with the points of the block.


Trim the ends of the triangles and sew the rows together.

Trim the edges.


Sew the remaining 1" framing strips around the table runner, starting with the points, then the sides. Trim the ends.


Cut four 3¼" border of main fabric, sew around table runner, this time starting with the sides.



Trim and then sew the border on the ends.

The table runner all pieced and ready to be layered with batting and backing. This is a good pattern because there is lots of room to try out all kinds of machine quilting! ♥
I will bind it with the main fabric (if you would like to bind it with the contrasting fabric you will need more of that fabric). Four 2¼" strips of main fabric are needed for the binding.
Here it is all finished.

If you make this, I would love to see a picture! I hope all the directions makes sense, if you have any problems please email me.

Have a great day and thanks for dropping by!! ♥

Pinwheels Everywhere 2!!

I hung the pinwheel mini quilt in my bathroom, and because of all the mirrors, there really are pinwheels everywhere!! LOL


Haven't done much sewing (no one wants to see my mending), but I have been blog surfing and catching up on emails!
Sheila has a great blog, she always finds such interesting things!! ♥
Kat does beautiful work - and she is a grad student - I don't know how she has the time!
Diane Gaudynski has great machine quilting tips and information on her blog.
My friend Wendy told me about Karen McTavish today. She does stunning quilting (I added one of her books to my wish-list on Amazon!).
These are only a few of the blogs I have checked out today! It amazes me all the talent out there - so inspirational!! Thanks to every one for taking the time to share!! ♥
Tomorrow it is time to get back to the sewing machine - my youngest is going to a friend's and my house is clean - so lots of time to sew!! ♥

If any one is wondering how to add hearts (and all kinds of other symbols) - it is an" Alt Code". Just hold down the "Alt" key on the keyboard and type in the number - for a heart it is number 3 (on the keyboard number pad - not the ones at the top - on my laptop I have to press the "number lock" key, and use the appropriate letter keys with the little numbers. I had my computer for over a year before I even realized these were on there!! Thank God for teenagers!!!) The heart appears when you let go of the "Alt" key.

Have a great day and thanks for dropping by!! ♥

There is a contest going on over at I have a Notion, to win some Aurifil thread. Good Luck!

Pinwheel Block #6

I made block 6 of the Pinwheel Sampler Quilt Along.


Last week I mentioned that I wanted to change block #4 to this block, so these blocks were half done. Now I will wait until the end to see what pinwheel block I will add.

I also finished sewing the binding on the Pinwheels in my Garden mini quilt (17" x 21").

All signed and hung in my bathroom. I think just about every room in my house now has a quilt!! LOL!!
It is from the book Fat Quarter Quilting by Lori Smith. The changes I made to the pattern were - I used 2" binding, instead of 1 3/4", I needed 5 strips for the binding, pattern asked for 4. Also there is the error in the book for the number of squares needed, for the 1 7/8" blocks the pattern calls for 14 of the brown and 14 of the pink, actually needs 28 of each colour, and 56 for the cream are needed instead of the 28 called for. Lori Smith emailed me that this is correct.

Have a great day! ♥

Finished Machine Quilting

Today I finished machine quilting my Pinwheels in my Garden mini quilt, just have to hand stitch the binding to the back.


I have noticed that a few people have been adding quilts to their laundry room, so I thought I would show you my laundry room. I made a little laundry quilt last year using my husband's old shirts (and buttons).


Today my oldest child also bought a new motorcycle!!??! Every mother's nightmare I am sure!!
The good thing is that it is a sign of spring (no robins yet)!


I have to turn off all the lights now (and sewing machine), earth hour is about to begin.
Have a great day! ♥

Friday Show and Tell

For this week's show and tell I decided not to show a quilt. This is a hooked rug made by my Grandmother, Gracia Bourque.

It is hooked on burlap with fabric scraps, silk stockings, wool, jute etc. I think it was made in the 1940's.
I even have hooks from my Grandmother and the advertising for the pattern.


This week has been such an unusually busy week for me away from home! Even my sister complained that I had nothing new on my blog. Hopefully next week things will be closer to normal (spring break here next week, so my youngest will be home, yeah!!).

My Pinwheels in my Garden quilt has been collecting dust next to my machine all week, waiting to be quilted!! Tomorrow!!

Have a great day and thank-you for visiting!! ♥

A Busy Week!

Not much time for sewing this week. I am volunteering three days this week instead of my usual two mornings!!
I did receive my Amazon order yesterday!! Can't wait to try the techniques out.

Diane Gaudynski's machine quilting book. It is absolutely wonderful! So many great ideas. The book also has a coil binding, and so, lays nice and flat.


There are some great giveaways going on.
Cyndi is having a giveaway of bag patterns. She says she is a bag and fabric addict (who isn't?!) and needs help getting rid of patterns!!LOL
Gerry is having her first giveaway, of a sock book and the wool to make a pair of sock.
Yulia is giving away a beaded necklace in honor of her rabbit Liza's second birthday.
Eli is having a giveaway of one of her fabulous creations to celebrate the opening of her Etsy Store.

Have a great week! Hope you have time to do what you love! ♥

Busy Sewing

I finished this week's Pinwheel Sampler Quilt Along blocks.

Sewing blocks, I love it when the fabric piles up.

Week 5, finished blocks.

I didn't like the way week 4's blocks were made (with half square triangles) so I chose to do them with flying geese blocks - with the easy method of sewing squares together.

To make the required FG blocks, the squares needed are one 7¼" square of the main fabric and four 3 7/8" squares of the background fabric (to make a 12" block). Line up 2 squares of the background on the main fabric, draw a diagonal line and sew ¼" on each side.


Cut the square in half and iron open.

Line up the remaining two background squares, draw a diagonal line and sew ¼" on each side.

Cut in half and iron open. Results in four flying geese to make the pinwheel or whirligig block needed for week 4.
I found this block too plain, so I am waiting to sew it together.

All the blocks together. The middle, bottom shows what week 4's block are supposed to look like, but I think I would prefer to have another set of flying geese blocks added.

This shows what it would look like (I added the second block's set of FG to see, in the middle, bottom row). I will wait until the end of the quilt along to see if I have enough squares of the layer cake fabric left to add the extra FG.

I also finished sewing the Pinwheel in My Garden mini quilt together. It is all ready to be machine quilted. This week's project/focus!

Have a great day!! ♥

Friday Night Sew-In Results

I had a great time at this months Friday Night Sew-In!

Working on the little pinwheels (for Pinwheels in My Garden from Fat Quarter Quilting).

All the squares cut in four for the hour glass blocks.

Organizing the pinwheels and triangles on the design wall (I had to move it to the floor because the blocks kept falling off).

Now I am working on sewing the hour glass blocks together. It seems to be taking awhile, I have to pick up one block at a time, so I don't get them mixed up - there is probably an easier way but I haven't figured it out yet!! I also have lots of trimming to do, the blocks are all 2 1/2".

Have a great day!! ♥

Friday Show and Tell

This weeks quilt is a quilt that I have inherited through my family, but it is the only quilt I have not made by a family member.


This log cabin quilt was made by Leslie Hulobow, in the early 1980's. She made the quilt for my oldest brother. It is a quilt-as-you-go style of quilt, and the fabric is all torn, not cut. It has flannel backing that wraps around to the front to make the binding. The fabric is very typical of the calicoes common in the 1980's. The quilt is 5'x6'.
The quilt was made in Winnipeg, Canada, but Leslie now lives in Sydney, Australia.

I am hoping to get an early start on the Friday Night Sew-In!
Have a great day!! ♥

Recipe and a Contest

Yesterday I had time to make some bread (before my mother and sister arrived for their lesson). They both wanted the recipe, so I thought I would share it here too.

This is a really easy recipe that I have been making for many years, so it has been very modified over the years. The important part is the liquid, but the flour and add-ins are very flexible. Makes two loaves.

Multi-Grain Bran Bread

1/4 cup butter - melted
1 cup milk
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp salt
4 ½ cups whole wheat flour (can be half white flour) (I use Robin Hood Best for Bread Whole Wheat or Multi Grain flour)
1/2 cup bran
1 ¼ tbsp fast rising instant yeast
About 1 cup of an assortment of grains (sunflower seeds, millet, sesame seeds, cracked wheat, corn meal, uncooked Red River cereal, oats, flax seeds, etc) anything to suite your taste.
1 egg

Heat melted butter, milk, water, honey, molasses and salt to 50-55°C. In a large mixer bowl combine flour, bran, grains and yeast. Add warm liquid and with dough hook mix on low speed for a couple seconds. Add egg. Continue mixing on Speed 2 (Kitchen Aid mixer) until the bowl comes clean adding more flour as necessary. Remove from bowl and knead into a ball. Add a small amount of oil to the bowl to lightly grease the bowl and return the dough, spinning it coat. Cover.
Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a large rectangle. Roll up from the short end, pinch the ends and fold them under, place in a greased (and lined) loaf pan. Repeat for other loaf. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Brush milk on the top of the loaves and sprinkle with oats/sesame/flax seeds if desired. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

I also wanted to mention a blog that I have been enjoying - Down-to-Earth. Among many things, Rhonda blogs about kitchen sinks (people' s kitchens) around the world. I love to see other peoples houses. It amazes me how similar we all are!

There is a contest going on over at Fresh Cut Quilts Pattern Co, she is giving away a beautiful layer cake and two of her lovely patterns. The contest ends on Friday.

Tomorrow is the Friday Night Sew-In! I will be working on the little pinwheel quilt. Hope you will join us!

Have a great day! ♥

Making Bags

Today my mother and sister came over to make bags.

My mother free motion quilting.

My sister working. This is the first bag she has made and the first time she is making something with free motion quilting!
They both worked hard all day and made beautiful bags!


The basic bag pattern is "Clematis" by Laundry Basket Quilts, they just did their own embellishments (still had to add some buttons). I made the Clematis bag in January.

Have a great day! ♥

Finished Applique

I finished doing the applique for the mini quilt I am making.


The method I used for the applique is using freezer paper, dull side to the wrong side of the applique (use small spots of glue stick glue to hold the freezer paper in place).

Iron the seam allowance to the back, the wax side of the freezer paper holds the seam allowance in place. Hold the appliques in place on the background fabric using small dots of basting glue on the seam allowance.

Using invisible thread and a small zig zag, stitch the applique in place. After, cut out the back and remove the freezer paper.

I have been working on sewing the pinwheel blocks together, but was disappointed that the pattern has an error in it. I am working on "Pinwheels in my Garden"


from the book "Fat Quarter Quilting" by Lori Smith.

The pattern calls for 28 pinwheel blocks, but the number of squares that the pattern asks for only makes 14 blocks. The number of the small blocks (1 7/8" x 1 7/8") has to be doubled for all three colours. The other block size seems to be the correct number.

My Mother finished making the clothes pin bag (I had made up a kit for her).

She did a great job.

There are a few giveaways going on that I have to mention. Marydon over at Blushing Rose is having an anniversary and celebrating over 300 posts. Trish over at All Things Crafty is having a fantastic big giveaway for her bloggiversary. Be sure to check them both out, and good luck!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! ♥