Show n tell - table runner

Imagine if we lived in a climate that was the same all the time. We would have NOTHING to talk about. It's so cold that I even contemplated putting my jacket that I have stashed in the car on. I was just running errands and so from car to store, but the wind was cold on my arms! However I just sucked it up (I HATE being bundled up in the car and then bundled up in the store in a big jacket) and left the jacket on the back seat. I did have my big puffy down vest on though - hey - I'm not stupid!   I should have put a wind breaker under the vest - AH - that would have worked!  Oh well - maybe I can try that today. 

This morning I even cheated. The thought of getting into the cold car to go to spin class did NOT appeal to me - (I'm going at 9:30 instead), however I've walked almost 3,000 steps so far and that was OUTSIDE with the dogs who loved the cold!  I know - too cold to drive the car 4 KM to the gym, but I can go outside for a 20 minute walk!

We had our quilting inspirations/table runner class earlier this week.  I thought it was time that I shared the show n tell with you. I have to say that classes like this are the reason I teach. I have three one hour classes on that day and one class on a previous Saturday. ALL of the students come in bubbling with enthusiasm and  full of questions and excitement because they are learning something. I even have a couple of hand quilters and they are ENJOYING the machine quilting. And they are doing a FABULOUS job.  I am so proud of all of these participants. They are diving in and giving it their all.  

Well sit back - there is a LOT of show n tell. This month, they just brought in the pieced top of the table runner. I still have students bringing in previous table runners we worked on and I am OK with that. 

I didn't take note of who did what so just enjoy the various colour schemes.................

Nice bright colours

Gorgeous fussy cut flowers with a light background

Fussy cut centers, brilliant colours on black

She used the same fabric for the squares and the background - nice!!!!

Christmas themed

Christmas with FUSSY cut images in the squares

Moose on the loose!  

Fussy cut CATS. I've never seen the Laurel Birch cats in this colour way.  

Christmas with a light background. 

This person LOVES this table runner - she made these two and the one above. Note how different these two look with the different placement of the colours.

Autumn looking

A paler version of the one above - how cool is that!

Christmas with a light background

Purples with dark background

Yellows with dark background

A BUSY background - love it!

Teals with dark background

Teals with a lighter background

Autumn (ish) colours

Same blocks - just different backgrounds (oh yes - some people got excited about this table runner!)

Light background with orange and green

Blue and yellow pansies

This is more "true" to the colouring in the pattern 

Another busy back ground - very spring like!

Softer background - still makes those square pop

Brilliant purple combination!

My two table runners

You know what they say about store samples. Diane made the sample in this colouring above. I loved it so I just asked her to kit it for me. There was enough to get two table runners from it. But very impressive how everyone did their own thing with the colours.

The patterns are from a book by Atkinson Designs. The booklet is called Let's Do Lunch. It is a great book and we are doing a total of FOUR table runners from it. I think the class has already got their money's worth from their book.




Then we had some of the previous month's table runners for show n tell as well. Some of them were quilted and some were not.

Look at the center of this one - I LOVE that design!

Batiks - gorgeous colours

Love that whimsical blue fabric. The other colours are picked up from that fabric

Stonehenge all the way. This one is quilted and bound!

Soft Christmas version with metallics. She used metallic thread for the quilting and it virtually disappeared into the table runner

Another one - DONE!  

And one more - DONE!!!!

One of the girls wanted some practice BEFORE she got to her real table runner so she drew the design out onto a piece of muslin!  What a super way to practice!

One of the ladies was playing catch up and brought in all these pieces. She has been practicing like crazy. All three of these table runners - DONE!

Basic stripes - good place to practice

Neat way to use up a jelly roll - well part of a jelly roll

Beautiful colours and design 

She also made these FABULOUS little stitch-outs (complete with notes) for reference.  This is an extremely valuable tool to have. 

There was tons of other non-table runner show n tell. It is hard to get pictures of them!  But I snagged this photo because it was machine embroidery and that is on my mind these days.

Machine embroidered Christmas

Wasn't that just the best show n tell!!!!   There is only one thing that bothers me. And I am guilty of this - not nearly as much, but the thoughts still cross my mind. So many people come in HIGHLY CRITICAL OF THEMSELVES. "This isn't very good", "this is awful", "oh what a mess", "I will never get this".  Yes - I have heard it all and I've said it all.

I am just thrilled that they feel comfortable enough in the class to share these "horrible disasters" with each other. The progress I have seen since the class started is unbelievable (both in the skill level and confidence level. Why do we think that we should be able to sit down at the machine and just quilt like a pro?

 I recently read an editorial in a fitness magazine (Experience Life). The author (David Schimke)was talking about his rehabilitation and I love this comment "In retrospect, I know that Jeanna's primary focus during those early days was managing my expectations mainly because I as wired to equate victory with speed. To her, progress didn't require bursting out of the gates with a head of steam, brimming with confidence, consequences be damned. It meant carefully - sometimes even gingerly - laying the foundation for another solid step forward at the tempo circumstances demanded."

That's how I feel sometimes - we are building the layers, we are building the confidence, we are building the knowledge. There is so much that it would be almost impossible for anyone to sit down and quilt like a pro without some practice. I am in a happy place with my quilting skills, but I still have to practice and practice. I have a new quilting design that I want to put on a customer quilt and so if you see me doodling - that is what I am trying to do.  I want leaves and vines and well - leaves and vines have never been my friend. BUT I will conquer it!!!  And there is always matching thread to hide the less than perfect technique!

I spent a good part of yesterday getting the blog posts up for QUILTSocial. I took pictures, I edited pictures, I sorted pictures, I retook shots because the sequence was out (that is why the movie have a person just to do that - continuity coordinator or something like that). Today's work should be a bit easier, but still going to be a long day. 

Two other quick notes about the quilting inspirations/table runner class - someone asked me if anyone has ever failed the quilting class.  Hmmmmm - this is the first time I am running this type of class so I haven't had any failures!  My comment is that you can only fail if you don't participate. This is the type of class that the more you put in, the more you get out and that is VERY evident from the work I am seeing coming in each month. I am going to have to hold a few hands when they graduate to a quilt from the table runner, but I am OK with that!  The other thing is YES - we will be running this quilting inspirations/table runner class again starting in September so if you are interested - keep that in mind. 

On that note - I am out of here. I have an hour before I have to get my butt in gear and to the gym. 

Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!

Ciao!