Pish Pash

I finished it! The "Pashmina" table runner.

SLM thinks this is why it's called Pashmina

I still have to learn what setting to use on the camera to make my photos of quilting come out well. I had some issues with focus, lighting, and color.

I had to take the closeup photos in three sections:

I used wavy lines for the free-motion quilting. It turned out pretty well. I think my control got better as I went along. Practice, practice, practice. Ideally, I would do all of the quilting in one sitting to maintain consistency, but my arms would probably fall off if I tried to do this - especially on a larger project.

I decided to use the backing fabric for the binding. I thought it would look good.

Backing with matching binding

I'm not thrilled with the way the binding turned out on the front. I didn't realize it would come out looking like the stripes on a barber pole once it had been trimmed and folded into a narrow strip. It does look nice on the back, though.

I tried something new (for me) with the binding. Instead of machine-sewing it onto the front, folding it over, and then hand-sewing it down on the back, I wanted to spare myself the tedious hand-sewing. I machine-stitched the binding onto the back of the project, folded it over, and then machine-stitched it down on the front, very close to the folded edge. That was SO MUCH easier.

I wasn't sure how it was going to look on the back. I don't think it looks that bad. In some places you can't even see the top-stitching. In other places you can see it, but it's on the back, so I can live with it.  

You can see the top-stitching a little bit

If I had matched the thread color better, this might have been less noticeable. As it happened, I just decided to use a color I had on hand. It was close, but somewhat darker than the fabric.
 
Lessons learned:

1. Measure twice, cut once.
2. Relax.
3. Give yourself a realistic but not too distant deadline.
4. A solid color might be best for your binding. Test a print by folding it into a narrow strip.
5. Don't be lazy when it comes to thread color.

Simply Elegant Table Runner

Simply Elegant Table Runner. That's the name on the pattern. I actually don't think it's an accurate description of this project. It IS simple, and it IS a table runner, but it doesn't strike me as elegant. I might have called it No-Nonsense Table Runner or Stripped Down Table Runner or maybe Hopscotch Table Runner.

I am using a kit from Timeless Treasures (Tonga Treats line). It came with the fabric and the pattern. The color run I am using (see photo below) is called "Pashmina." 

Pashmina paint

I definitely would not have named this color run Pashmina. "Pashmina" is a "fine quality material made from goat's wool." And - I'll bet you didn't know this - Benjamin Moore has a paint color called Pashmina. I would have called the batik color run Bali Garden or something along those lines.


I started it earlier this year, and then it got put aside while I traveled a bit. Last week I made a commitment to finish it before August 13. 

Yesterday I made the quilt "sandwich" using spray baste and Insul-Bright batting. This is an insulated batting that is perfect for table runners. 

Uh oh! Something went wrong and I didn't have a long enough piece of Insul-Bright. I decided to overlap two pieces and sew them together with a zig-zag stitch. This worked out well, and I don't think it will affect the appearance.
Today I started doing the actual quilting. This is the hardest part for me. 

I am doing free-motion quilting. I am hoping that with practice I will get to the point where I can maintain even stitch length and smooth lines. I'm not there yet. I do hope that Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000-Hour Rule doesn't apply to free-motion quilting. I don't know if I would have the perseverance for that.

It is quite a bit easier with my new sewing machine because it has a speed control, but I'm still trying to figure out the optimal speed. I had it set too slow, and my stitches were all over the place. I set it a little faster and that seemed to help.

Today I did half of the quilting and then realized that my left wrist was almost broken and my left arm was falling off. Did somebody say Advil? I guess I was too tense. I will have to wait a couple of days before I can continue.

Migrating Geese Table Runner

I made a table runner using a Timeless Treasures Tonga Treats kit that I bought for practically nothing on sale from Craftsy. I love batiks! This color run is called Spice. The pattern for the table runner was included in the package.

Here is the backing. The backing, binding, and batting were not included in the kit.

I used Insul-Bright for the batting. It is an insulated backing designed for projects like this. Theoretically you could put a hot dish on it and your table would be okay. I'm not going to do any experiments to see if that is true. It's nice to know that I have a little extra protection, though. Insul-Bright is washable, too. What a great idea.

I sewed the binding down by hand. That wasn't too bad for this size project. I don't know if I would want to do it for a bed-size quilt. However, I do prefer the way it looks

I stitched in the ditch around the squares and then I stitched diagonally across the squares in an alternating chevron pattern. The squares that consist of two different prints do not have stitching along the seam where the two prints join - i.e., all of the squares have only one diagonal quilting line.

Although the overall project is somewhat busy, I don't like the two fabrics with such light prints that they appear to be practically solid cream. One has very light dots. The other is, I think, called Java Blender. I wish I had tried to substitute. If I were doing it again, I would substitute with a low-contrast print in a light rust and/or light brown.

What did I learn from this project?

1. Small projects are really easy.
2.  Geometrical quilting lines are really easy.
3. You don't have to use what's in the kit.
4. It IS possible to completely finish a quilting project!