slow and quick projects

Cathedral windows are lovely to make, different from traditional piecing and so satisfying! I made this little sample for Sewing Quarter and demonstrated yesterday how to hand sew the blocks.

I chose to hand stitch the folds with some perle thread, which is quicker than appliqué (although I did demo that too) and gives a lovely effect - the Valdani variegated thread is particularly pretty. 

To watch the repeat of the show, click here.

On the same show I also made this Peonies block from 100 Any-Size Flower Blocks by Rita Weiss and Linda Causee. Fast and easy to put together.

Then today I demonstrated this modern table runner, it was so long it only just fit on my dining room table.

The pattern  is the Two Color Table Runner by Amanda Murphy from Make Table Runners. In cool blues, paired with the mountain Altitude print by Dashwood it makes a bold runner that would look great on a white table. Actually I would love a white dining table... any good (inexpensive) recommendations for a white table that seats 6 please let me know!

I used angular decorative stitches to quilt it and stuck with straight line designs, to emphasise the pattern, using a pale blue and brighter blue 50wt Aurifil thread.

The Altitude print looks really good as a binding, a change from using something darker; it pulls the runner together and keeps it fresh.

My plan for tonight is to work on a cross stitch project, I am really enjoying some slow sewing and can't wait to show it to you all when it's finished!