Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Blue Stars Table Runner

You guys are way too generous with the compliments.  Honestly, if you could look closely at these things you might just smile politely and nod your head and think to yourself... garage sale fodder!

But you know how it is.  Even when you're all grown up, your mom still loves everything you make :D

And I want some kind of a record of what I've made (hoping my Mad Sewing Skillz will improve!) so I'm posting them here.

This was the first try at making my mom a table runner.  I was going to stitch the outline of their hands inside the stars, with sparkly silver thread.



Did not work.  I bought embroidery thread and had to use a HUGE needle (how do you thread that stuff, anyway?)  It was making huge holes in the fabric, so I gave up on that and just made a blue and white runner.  Looks kind of black in the photo, but navy blue IRL.

Looks good with her blue and white and sparkly winter things, or out at 4th of July with some red accents, so not a total loss!

In the meantime, if you want to see some really inspiring quilting, check out...

Rachel, at p.s.iquilt

or

the sassy Monica, at HappyZombie

or

find tons of free patterns at AllPeopleQuilt,  or the Moda Bakeshop (where I found the idea for my Christmas quilt)

or

lose yourself for hours (and hours) looking at all the wonderful things Amanda Jean, at CrazyMomQuilts has made.

And then I sigh, and hope to be that good of a quilter when I grow up.

6 comments:

melanie said...

Fact: I like quilts.

Fact #2: DONE makes them twice as nice.

=)

I don't live in a perfect world. Now my mother, on the other hand,... is a perfectionist piecer ... I missed that gene.

Still gonna send you my kudos ;-) Keep posting your pics, but I don't dare follow those links...

leah said...

I love your quilts. Really- they're very pretty!

I can't run a sewing machine, but I DO know about embroidery thread (cross-stitch). The thick strand you pull out is actually composed of six threads. When people embroider (or cross-stitch), they pull of only 2 of the threads- this is fairly easy to pull through the eye of the needle. I didn't know this for my first cross-stitch project, so the flowers have very, very thick thread! LOL!

Herding Grasshoppers said...

Melanie,

You've got your hands full with a bigger project!

Leah...

so that's the secret! I had no idea!

I'll have to try that again someday!

Thanks ;D

The dB family said...

I still think your quilts are great! Like Melanie says, "done makes them twice as nice." My first two attempts at quilts still lay here undone. Maybe when I grow up I'll get them done ;o).

I don't dare follow the links either. I'll be lost for hours... *dream*...

Blessings!
Deborah

Anonymous said...

Triangles? I'm impressed - those things scare me!

It looks lovely.

Hands embroidered - great idea! What about embroidering them with thick thread - not as thick as floss, perhaps back-stitched with quilting thread? Do this through the top and batting before you add the backing and quilting. Well - next time, maybe!

Herding Grasshoppers said...

Good idea!

next time :D