Presenting "Winter Redwork"

Fabric binding machine sewn on top of runner.

You know when you crochet you have yarn ends everywhere?  

Well...it's even worst with sewing!  

You have threads ends everywhere. 

 On the floor, on your clothes, all over your surfaces.   

Clinging, clinging....

Practicing decorative font writing for my label.

So I'm glad we have outlets in our basement for our central vacuum system.   

I sucked up all those threads.  

But it's sort of like dog fur.  

No matter how much you vacuum there's always more.  

I was smart and practiced some stitches for my binding.

Today I finished my first ever quilted piece, a table runner, which I have named...

 "Winter Redwork" 

Remember my inspiration?

Inspiration and my handwritten design plan.

I chose Redwork designs that could be viewed from any angle.  

So out the door went my first redwork choices... Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and my Reindeer. 

Five and 1/2 inch squares - ten of redwork and twenty fabric squares...a total of thirty squares.

I prewashed all of the fabrics and bought some cotton batting.

The back with binding finished.

The fabrics came from Joann's...100% cotton fat quarters for the 5 1/2 inch squares and extra fabric yarnage for the back and binding.  

Quilt runner label.

I tried out several new sewing attachments...including the AccuFeed feet (dual feed) and the 'Stitch in the Ditch' foot.  

I love Janome's AccuFeed system - all layers fed beautifully and there were no puckers on the top or the back!

Yippee!

I also bought a neat new foot ~ the Border Guide Foot ~ for sewing decorative stitches in parallel rows.

I used this foot for lining up the rows on my quilt runner label.

I love it.  

  

Winter Redwork Table Runner

All in all I'm very pleased with the results. 

It's my first quilted project.  

And only the second time I have sewn on a binding.  

I know many serious quilters wouldn't think of machine sewing on a binding but I dislike hand sewing.  

Plus I wanted the binding to be solid so this runner can go through the wash. 

I used iron on tape to set the binding in place and then 'stitched in the ditch' on top of the binding. 

It was "sew" easy with the special 'Stitch in the Ditch' foot!!!

Final size is 19 and 1/4 inches by 53 inches. 

Click (here) to see all previous posts related to my "Winter Redwork Table Runner".  

All done!

Now on to my September 'Party with Patrick' sewing project. 

Yep...it's going to be a Halloween Wall Hanging!

HALLOWEEN HOOT OWL

I had fun picking out the fabrics for it.

(To see my finished October's "Party with Patrick" project ~ a Christmas Stocking ~ click here)

Last night I picked up my hook {{{{FINALLY}}}} and started crocheting hexagons in solid colors using yarn from my stash.

My inspiration... "Crochet in Color" Hexagon Pattern (here).  

Maybe it will be a little laptop quilt.

You'll have to wait and see.

It will be going with me on our road trip out WEST in September. 

Have a lovely day and thanks for stopping by! 

'Stitch In The Ditch' Foot

I love my new 'Stitch in the Ditch' quilting feet.   

It was "sew" easy to quilt around the squares with this foot.

  

Practice piece in fore ground.

Even more surprising when the top of my 'Winter Redwork' table runner was all quilted all the squares matched perfectly.  

I was in shock.

Quilted all around each square using that dandy little 'Stitch in the Ditch' foot!

I spent quite a bit of time watching videos on YouTube on FMQ (free motion quilting) trying to decide if I wanted to try adding more quilting to the top on the border and non-redwork squares. 

Next step...cutting excess fabric off and squaring up the corners.

I finally decided not to add any FMQ... mainly because I noticed my stitch tension was off on the bottom threads on my practice piece and I have been unsuccessful in correcting it.  I've moved my thread tension up and down and it doesn't seem to make a difference.   Maybe I'm not moving the fabric at the right speed for FMQ.  Another question for my embroidery club session.

My next step is to make a quilt label for my table runner.  

Then even up the sides of the runner by cutting off the excess to form perfect right angles in each corner of the runner.  

And finally finish the binding which I will machine stitch on.  

No hand stitching for me if I can help it.   

Squares Matched & Border Added

I'm still working on my Winter/Christmas Red Work Table Runner.

Let me tell you it's not easy to sew squares together so all corners match perfectly!

Some squares I fussed with sewing and ripping out several times. 

Until finally I said "That's enough...  

I can live with this". 

Next I added a two and 1/2 inch border in the same fabric as the other side of the table runner.  

Yesterday I cut out the backing and lightly sprayed adhesive to the polyester batting and backing. 

I decided to go to my sewing store today and buy the new Janome 12000 "stitch in the ditch" specialty foot advertised recently on the Janome website.

(Sorry!  If you are not a sewer you probably aren't interested in these details.) 

Hopefully that will help keep my quilt lines straight when top stitching my quilt layers together.  

I drove over to my Janome sewing store this morning and decided to buy some cotton batting in addition to the new Janome "stitch in the ditch" foot. 

I read that polyester batting can melt at high temperatures.  Since I plan to iron this runner on a cotton setting (with steam) it seemed that a cotton batting is a better choice.

I also purchased the "stitch in the ditch" S foot.

When I returned home I realized that I wanted to buy the

  AcuFeed (duel feed) "stitch in the ditch" SD foot.

That foot works better with layers of quilting than the regular "stitch in the ditch" S foot.

So after lunch I returned to the Janome sewing store and purchased the "stitch in the ditch" SD foot.

I decided to keep the "stitch in the ditch" S foot as I think it can be used with all decorative stitches.

I'm still learning about this quilting/embroidery machine.

And many of these functions are new to me...like this "AcuFeed" function (lots of videos here).

And I've never had a specialty foot for "stitching in the ditch" either.    

Now I have to replace the polyester batting with the cotton batting and then I will be ready to start actually quilting the top of the runner.

Did I ever mention that I am a slow crocheter...well, I'm also a slow sewer.

This project could go on forever.

I hope I'm not boring you.

At this rate, I doubt I will ever sew a bed size quilt!

LOL !

Arranging My Squares

Pine cones in the center!

I used my new 5 and 1/2 inch square to rotary cut out all my table runner squares yesterday.

Holly and Poinsettias outside center.

Then I laid them all out to arrange color and pattern placement. 

And I even remembered to mirror image the snowflake design in each corner!

I decided to keep it simple and not cut up the squares any more.

I'm very tempted to try cutting each square into fours but I realized to do that I can't use the squares I've already cut.  I would have to cut new ones that are larger because of the seam allowances needed for the four by fours.  

I want to try it, but I tell myself to keep it simple for this first table mat.

Next step 1/4 seams!

After all this is my first ever quilted Winter/Christmas Table Runner.

I'm so pleased too.   

My Janome came with a 1/4 inch seam stitch and a 1/4 inch seam special foot.

It is a breeze to sew the 1/4 inch seams needed for the squares!!

Wish me luck that my square corners will match. 

We're leaving tomorrow for a few days for a campout with my Hubby's brother and wife.

It's the first time in ten years!

So I'll be busy packing the "Little Guy" (i.e., travel van) today.

Now to find a crochet project I can work on in the van.

Our weather has been awful here.

Yesterday the dew point was 74 (anything over 60 is muggy).

I couldn't stand to be outside.

No biking (sob!)

Have a wonderful weekend and I hope your weather is better than ours!

Winter Red-Work Table Runner

My inspiration...

Source:  Pinterest

I love this book!

Isn't this lovely in red and white!

This is hand embroidered.  

My fabrics...

Red, Green & Yellow Circle fabric will be the back.

The small check in Red, Green & Yellow will be the binding.

The fat quarters on the sides will be the 5 inch squares.

One of my Janome red-work winter designs...

Two Pine Cones will be in the center.

I chose sewing a Winter/Christmas theme table runner for my project at Embroidery Club.  

Initially I picked designs on a more Christmasy theme.  

But I wasn't happy with them for a table runner because depending on where one viewed the runner some designs would be upside down. 

Poinsettias...

Luckily I was able to find enough designs of a wintery nature that would look good from all view points.  

Now I'll be able to utilize the runner all winter and not limit it's use to Christmas only.

  

Holly...

My fabrics are 100% cotton from Joann Fabrics.  

I'm debating {{with myself}} whether to PRE-WASH or NOT.  

I've read that certain dark fabrics can run when washed..like REDs.  

And, as you know me,  I have chosen a couple red fabrics for this project.  

Plus I don't know how "good" Joann's cotton is - whether it's low or high shrinkage.  

One of my area sewing stores told me their cottons are of a higher quality with just 2% shrinkage and thus there is no need to prewash... but these fabrics weren't purchased there.  

Some quilters don't pre-wash because they prefer the vintage wrinkely results due to shrinkage.  

You guessed...I decided to pre-wash all the fabrics.

My next step, once I decide about pre-washing (or NOT), is to rotary cut my squares.  

I've sketched a pattern that will have 30 five inch squares.  

Ten squares will be red work designs and twenty will be red and green shades divide evenly.  

I may add a border all around the 30 squares.  

Years ago I took a hand quilting  class.  

I remember my hand being sore from all the hand stitching.  

Now I prefer to let my machine do all the work.   

Snowflake design for each corner.

Cutting out patterns has always been my least favorite job in the sewing steps.  

And with quilting if you want your corners to match you have to cut correctly.  

This is not something I can"wing"!!  

I have to be precise.

Today I purchased some quilting cutting squares in different sizes - more of a guaranteed outcome for me that my squares will fit.  

And I got them on sale (50% off)!!!

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Funny cartoon for the day:

   

I'm missing Disney!