A new found confidence!

I finished quilting and binding my first table runner and am quite pleased with it.  I know the quilting is far from perfect but it has given me the confidence to keep trying and improve my skills.  I have so many tops completed but I don't want to bite off a huge challenge yet so I have decided to make a few more table runners.  This will give me some more much needed practice and allow me to try different designs.

I am a huge blog reader and have listened to the suggestion of many to draw designs over and over for practice.  I have to admit that they are right.  As much as I have a picture of what I want in my head it somehow just doesn't translate onto the paper.  So I shall continue to practice.  I have seen some beautiful swirl designs done by Angela Walters and Judi Madsen whose work I admire so much.

So here is the latest table runner top that I have completed.  Unfortunately I don't have the grey coloured thread that I want to use and won't be able to start quilting until I make a trip to the LQS for the thread.  I am thinking a swirl design will take the edge off the sharp design of this top so that my current plan for how I will finish this....until I change my mind that is!

Wishing becomes a reality!

I intended to blog before now but dealing with ice storms and deep freezes of late has taken a lot of time from quilting.  But I finally got the nerve up to start quilting my table runner and am quite pleased with the results.  I decided to do an echoed teardrop and spent some time drawing the design and working my way in and out of spaces until I was comfortable enough to head to the sewing machine.  This is a pattern I found on Art Gallery Fabrics blog called Sprouts of Joy

I learned a lot through this process - how to get in and out of corners, filling small spaces, the need to keep my movements consistent and to relax.   I see a number of issues with the quilting but everyone has to start somewhere!




For the centre I used an Aurifil matching thread.  My theory was that if I did a horrible job on the quilting it wouldn't be as noticeable.  One of the things I learned through this process is that while it may not be as noticeable, it is harder to see the thread when you are doing the actual quilting. .  My teardrops were not large which gave me the opportunity to do more of them and therefore get more practice.

Then I moved to the red/green fabric and used a Sulky blendables  thread for it with a slightly larger teardrop design.  I have to say that this thread broke several times.  I am not sure what the reason was but I am happy with the results.

All I have to do now is bind it and it's ready for use.  I must say I am quite chuffed with my efforts.

I have another table runner that I will quilt next I think.  My plan is to tackle small projects and gain the experience before I move to larger tops to be quilted.

Let's try the photo again....

I haven't correctly added the photo to the last post so hopefully it will work this time....  Here is a  photo taken this morning while the light was rather grey.