Wednesday, July 27, 2016

FRIENDLY VILLAGE TABLE RUNNER

I'm retired from quilt making, but I still make quilts.
Does that make sense?
I'm retired from the BUSINESS of quilt making -- I no longer travel, teach, publish, do shows, etc.
But that doesn't mean I don't still like to make quilts.  Only now, they are smaller and their only purpose is to satisfy my creative urges.
I still try to set some goals occasionally to keep learning, be inspired, and try something different.

My current goals are to:
  1. Practice simple machine-quilting techniques.
2. Use up some of my stash/scraps.
3.  Be inspired by one of my other passions -- collecting antique and vintage dishes.
So now, I'm into making table runners that are easy to machine quilt, use up fabric, and are inspired either in color or design by my collections of dishes.  (See my previous table runner inspired by my 19th Century transferware  - click here.)

This week I finished my Friendly Village runner.

 This is the platter from my set of Friendly Village dishes by Johnson Bros.  For the runner, I pulled out the grays, red, green, and black from the dishes.

I'm still just practicing straight-line, in-the-ditch, and wavy-line quilting with my walking foot.  Still room for improvement!
Next, I think I'll pull out my pink, green, and brown fabrics for a more traditional runner inspired by my mother's Franciscan Desert Rose dishes.

I'm joining the following:
Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop Friday
Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it up Friday
Quilting Readers Garden for WIPS Be Gone Friday
What a Hoot Quilts for TGIFF Friday
Love Laugh Quilt for Monday Making
Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday
Quilt Story for Fabric Tuesday
Sew Fresh Quilts for Let's Bee Social Wednesday

4 comments:

Lynette said...

This is a nice table runner - adds the perfect touch, doesn't it? Thanks for linking up at TGIFF. And hey - before I came back to comment, I had a great time browsing through your paper quilts. Those are fascinating.

travelinsewl said...

My husband would really like this! I think I'll use your color scheme and make him one. When he turned over My pretty green and yellow floral to the backside, I guess it'seems time to make a new one!

Bonnie said...

What a terrific idea to coordinate table runners with dishes. I don't have loads of dishes but I have a couple of sets that would look good with a table runner to complement them. I really like the modern feel of this one that goes with vintage dishes. Great job and thanks for the inspiration.

Louise said...

I really like how modern the table runner is, and yet it compliments the traditional dishes so well. Great idea to make smaller pieces and keep the creative juices flowing!