Quilted Christmas Themed Table Runners bring Joy and Sorrow

It isn’t the season but Christmas themed quilted table runners are what i’m currently working on. I started them last April and went as far as piecing the tops. Then they just sat in pile of UFOs.

Five Pieced Table Runners

Two were finished right before Christmas. The runner in the top picture was gifted this Christmas as was one the lower left in the second picture.

The Joy

I just finished this third one just after Christmas and I’m very happy how it turned out!

I love the backing fabric. Using such a large print on the front of a quilt isn’t something I’d likely do however, as a backing, it’s perfect.

The Sorrow

After that one was finished I started quilting the Christmas themed table runner that has the cardinal and chick-a-dee fabric. It’s such a pretty print. The fabric line is called Holiday Botanical by Jane Shasky for Henry Glass & Co. I did not wash it prior to using it as that’s not my habit. Besides, quality quilt store fabric shouldn’t run, right?

The first quilting plan was using various size star motifs in the bird panels. Then I washed out those lines because I hated how it looked in practice. I then used a Crayola ultra washable marker in purple to mark vertical lines. I didn’t like how those looked either so I ended up stippling the centre panel. However, while doing that Irealised the red in the bird print fabric ran when I was washing out the first set of marks (the Crayola washable marker used the first time however came out perfectly).

While the piecing is simple, I really like how the table runner is turning out (other than the fact that the colour has run), and am hoping to salvage it. So the plan is now to finish most or all of the quilting and bind it and then see if I can get out the colour that has run. I’ve heard submerging it in water mixed with blue Dawn dish soap for a minimum of 24 hours can work magic. After that I’ll try washing it with Synthrapol and drying it with colour catchers. If all that works – great! If not lesson learnt – I’ll know to wash fabrics with red prior to starting a quilting project.

Linking to Quilting is More Fun than Housework and Quilting Patchwork Applique