Wednesday, November 14, 2012

HTH Part 4 - ie The Big Finish

Here's hoping a few of you are still with me on this mystery project. I have no idea what may being going on because I have gotten zilch for feedback since it started. This could mean so many things:

1. My directions are perfect.
2. Everyone is so stunned by the fabulousness they have forgotten how to type.
3. Participants created their piles of scraps in part 1 and decided to build little towers with them instead of cutting them up.
4. No one is actually doing the mystery.

Whatever the reason, I do know you are still reading, so I hold out hope that maybe I'll get a photo of one or two finished runners!

When last we tearfully parted ways, you had created eight sets of blocks that look like this:

1. Find them.  As we have discussed, for some this will be an easier task than for others.
2. Sew them together into four sets of two, so that they look like "O"s with little squares in the middle. I'm not giving a photo of this step for the simple reason that I forgot to take one, and if you scroll down slightly you'll see the big reveal anyway.
3. Trim the four blocks you just made to 12 1/2" if necessary (the bias makes them stretchy, so you might need to square them slightly), and sew them together in one row of blocks, as if you are making a table runner.
4. Which you are totally making.
5. Press the seams between the blocks however you like. Since this is a one-row quilt, matching seams will not come into play, so it really doesn't matter what direction they are going.
6. Retrieve your longer border strips (ah ha! That is what you were making! As if you didn't know!) and sew them to the sides of the quilt.
7. Retrieve your shorter border strips and sew them to the top and bottom of the quilt.
8. Ta-dah!


I know, there are like seventy-eight different things wrong about this photo; it's a weird angle, there is no binding on the quilt, etc. But with luck you get what I want you to do. My quilt measures about 19" x 55", so it takes up much of the table length, which I enjoy until the moment my husband decides to spill red wine at dinner. At that moment I always contemplate the practicality of my hobby.

But it IS quilted. Which leads us to step 9, everyone's three favorite little words, Quilt As Desired.

Now, before you go getting all shaky and nutso because you never know what to do when instructed to QAD, let's revisit this phrase: "until my husband decides to spill red wine." Hotties, this is a table runner. The likelihood that if you use it as it was intended it will stay as pristine as this moment is approximately negative 36. Therefore, there is no need to quilt it like you are vying for the blue ribbon at the LeSueur county fair (shout out to the inlaws!), just stipple it and be done.

I of course did not take my own advice, and got a little fancier. But I'm a rebel.




So there you have it. A quickie quilt project - DONE! What did you think? I have my own thoughts, but would love to hear yours. Really I would. Just warn me if I need to open a bottle of wine first to dull the pain before you let them rip.





2 comments:

meg said...

I'm still on Step 1 because, apparently, actors want their costumes BEFORE a show opens. Geesh! Priorities, people! Anyway, I'm kind of sad I peeked but I'm glad to know I'm on the right track. You must have written the instructions well. Good job.

And now I think I'll switch to Christmas scraps because yours is so pretty...

Pam Vance said...

I finished the top of the table runner! It was fun. Somehow the borders were not long enough. Had to piece them together to make it work, but I'm happy with it! I wish I could post a picture but I can't seem to figure it out. I'll have to have my daughter help me the next time she is here.

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