Glinda Quilts

Thursday, 2 August 2012

Summer Table Mats ... for meeeeeeeeeeee!!

I made some Table Mats last year which I love but I have wanted some that were a bit lighter and brighter for the Summer but just haven't got around to making them ... how many other quilters make lots of lovely things for everyone else in their lives but not themselves?!

I bought these charm packs last September in Charleston (or Annapolis ... I forget!) and knew they would be perfect for table mats and a runner. I unpacked them and laid them all out to see what was available ... lots of lovely pinks and reds and greens ...

I chose the ladybirds for the centre pieces and just went with a very simple 9 patch:

And after choosing the squares for the four mats, I arranged the remaining squares into a 5 x 9 patch runner:

For the backing, I used up some bright and funky Fat Quarters that had been in my stash for ages together with some red fabric left over from Mutter's Christmas Quilt and, luckily, there was enough for the binding too:

And I tried out a new free motion quilting pattern - flowers and leaves - instead of my usual stippling. It was tricky to begin with but definitely got easier by the time I got to the runner. I like it ... okay, it's not perfect but it doesn't have to be:

I am very pleased with the end result, they really do brighten up the table and they cost me nothing ... well it's free if you take the fabric from your own stash ... surely??!!