60-Degree Triangle Table Runner #3

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Barbara Frank

So here it is, the table runner that started my fascination with 60-degree triangle patchwork after I bought a $3 kit with no instructions at a garage sale last summer. I still love this fabric!

As I noted in previous table runner posts, I didn’t want to cut into this gorgeous geranium fabric until I knew what I was doing. So I made the other 60-degree triangle table runners first.

I’m glad I waited. I’m really pleased with how it came out. I used the directions in the video I shared in this post, but instead of quilting it simply, I free-motion quilted it with black thread in the middle and white thread around the perimeter, outlining the flowers as I went along.

Also, unlike the previous table runners, I chose to use binding around the edges of this one.

Of course, I’m about to decorate for Christmas, so this runner will be put away for spring. But just think how lovely it will look on my table in five months or so. Most likely, by then I’ll have forgotten that I made it, so it will be a nice surprise when I find it again. 😉

Oops, I almost forgot, there were enough triangles left over to make a hexagon table topper:

I think I’ve satisfied my urge to sew with 60-degree triangles, at least in terms of table runners. But if I stumble onto an especially lovely border print, I’ll probably make another table runner and table topper, just for the fun of it.

60-Degree Triangle Table Runner #1

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Barbara Frank

It all began with a quilter’s garage sale this past summer. I found a table runner kit for $3. I could see a cheerful red geranium border print folded into a plastic zipper bag along with batting and backing. The title on it said “60 Degrees of Separation.” It looked like a fun project, so I bought it.

When I got home, I discovered that the directions were missing. No wonder the kit was so cheap! I did a little detective work online, and while I couldn’t find that exact pattern title, I did stumble into the world of 60-degree triangle patchwork, and I was hooked.

I decided to practice before cutting into the gorgeous geranium print, so I went on the lookout for border prints, which are needed in this process. I asked three different older female employees at Joann Fabrics and not one had ever heard of a border print. Sigh. Fortunately, a few days later, I was at the Nancy’s Notions booth at the Quilt Expo in Madison and found 1+ yard border print pieces for only $6.50 each. I limited myself to two.

Unfortunately, I was so excited to get started on this new-to-me concept that I neglected to take “before photos” of the fabric pieces. Just in case you don’t know what a border print looks like, here are a couple of examples currently on sale at Hancock’s of Paducah, one of my favorite shopping sites on the Internet:

Usually, a border print has decorative and stripe designs running the length of the fabric, i.e. parallel to the selvages. By cutting the fabric into strips, then cutting the strips into 60-degree triangles, you can make kaleidoscope-like designs and turn them into table runners. Leftover triangles can then be turned into a hexagon-shaped table topper, making good use of almost all of the fabric.

This excellent video by Laura Ann Coia explains the process, and is what I used for my first two table runners. She uses a free pattern you can print out instead of a pricey plastic triangle template:

Here is my first table runner:

And here is the hexagon table topper made from the leftover triangles:

These are such fun to make! Next time, another table runner from different fabric.

Grand Canal Table Runner/Wall Hanging

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Barbara Frank

I saw a table runner online that someone made by taking a pack of 5” charm squares, dividing them into darks and lights, cutting them all in half diagonally, sewing the light triangles to the dark triangles, and then piecing them back together. It looked really cute. (I’d share the link if I could find the bookmark!)

But when I tried it with a charm pack from a very pretty fabric line, Grand Canal by Kate Spain for Moda…

… it didn’t turn out so well. It looked like chaos to me:

What to do? After some thought, I decided to try salvaging the project by putting sashing in between the squares made up of light/dark triangles, and some cornerstones using a lovely light green from my stash. And it completely changed it! Now I love it:

This was made from one charm pack, 1 1/2”-wide strips of white cotton scraps for the sashing, and part of a fat quarter for the cornerstones. I was surprised to find that just one charm pack plus sashing makes a table runner that’s 17″ wide and 70” long. Since that’s much longer than my table, I decided to turn it into a very long wall hanging in my sewing room. It looks really pretty there, and no one will ever spill gravy on it 🙂

Biscuits and Gravy Table Runner Tutorial

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Barbara Frank

A few months ago, I was at a quilt show when a table runner caught my eye in a vendor’s booth. I asked the vendor for permission to take a photo of the runner so I could make it at home. She said yes, so I took the photo and bought a set of charm squares from the fabric line she used, Biscuits and Gravy, from her.

But I forgot that when taking a photo with my dumbphone, I have to click save. Since I neglected to do that, I was forced to use my failing memory to recall just how the table runner looked. I don’t know if my runner turned out just like hers, but I’m happy with it as it is. You really can’t go wrong with charm packs!

I designed this runner to fit our table: 17″ X 47″. To get that size, I used 24 of my favorite squares from the pack of 42. I love these prints! So homey.

To make a runner like this one, choose 24 of your favorite prints and cut them each in half so that you have 48 rectangles that measure 2 1/2″ X 5″. You should end up with two stacks like this:

Take the bottom piece of fabric from the right-hand stack and put it on top. In a minute you’ll be piecing these together, end to end. By moving that one piece from the bottom to the top, you can just pair these up, one from each pile, and be assured that you’ll be getting varied pairs:

Next, cut 48 rectangles, 2 1/2″ X 6″, from a solid color. I used unbleached muslin scraps from my stash, along with some white scraps:

Sew all of the pairs of your print rectangles together, end to end; then sew the solid rectangles to them, one on each end, so that you end up with 24 long strips with two prints in the middle and a solid on each end:

Press all seams toward the prints. Now stagger the rows in a way that pleases you, and sew them together. Don’t worry that the ends are uneven; that’s how they’re supposed to be:

Put a pin on the shortest strip on each side:

Align a long ruler with the shortest piece, the one you marked with a pin. Slide one of the horizontal marks on your ruler to match up to one of the seams so your corners will be square:

Trim each side. You should end up with a nice even edge on each side:

Quilt as desired. After much debate, I ended up just using a straight stitch in the ditches and in between them. I used a print from my stash for the backing, and a wonderful stripe for the binding:

There’s nothing like a new table runner to brighten up the kitchen!

Grant Park Table Runner

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Barb

I just finished this table runner made from the Grant Park line by Moda. I bought some charm packs and a bit of extra yardage from a cute little quilt shop in Pecatonica, IL, while out shop-hopping with a friend a few years ago, and finally got around to using it.

I love precuts because the fabrics in them are designed to go together. That’s a great blessing for those of us who love to sew but aren’t gifted with the artist’s eye; we just don’t know how to pick out fabrics that go well together! But check out how nice the Grant Park line looks:

I machine quilted this runner in a matter of minutes using my supermachine, the Brother PQ-1500s: