Spring Petals Table Topper QAL - Color Me Retro

Hello, Friends!

Have you been quilting along

over at The Crafty Quilter's

Spring Petals Quilt Along?

This quilt along came along at just the right time for me!

I was ready for a new table topper for my kitchen table,

and I had just the right stash of fabrics on hand.

The Crafty Quilter did such a great job planning this
quilt along. The pace was just right - a new lesson each week,
with extra time to add linky photos at the end.
All fun...no stress!

I took this opportunity to use my fat quarters of
Color Me Retro fabrics by Jeni Baker for Art Gallery.

{They have adorable names...Florette, Kitchenette, and Dulcette.}

I've had these prints since they were first released,
and it's about time I used them to brighten my kitchen.
I had some fun positioning the background prints
in a directional design.
For the triangle edges, I chose the violet floral stripe.

Here's how my table topper looked
with the background stitched and petals fused into place.
I think my favorite step in this project
was deciding how to place the petals!

Next I appliqued my petals using my Pfaff's blanket stitch.
I love that stitch, and it's the reason I chose my machine 14 years ago.
After all of the petals were stitched, I added the petal centers.

What a difference those centers made...they brought out the lime.
This was such a pleasant surprise, because I'd already
planned to use a lime polka dot for the binding.

For the quilting, I decided to go lightly.
I stitched around each petal,
plus added a right angle to echo the violet triangle shapes.

{I forgot to take this shot before the project was finished.} 

{You can see the overall design best on the back.}

Let's do a bit of time traveling...back in time from the photo above!
After the quilting was completed, I carefully trimmed the table topper.

So, what about binding all of those corners, including the inverted ones?

Oh, The Crafty Quilter has a tutorial for that!
I'm not gonna lie...it was a bit tricky,
and it took like.for.ever to handstitch the binding
to the back, but it was really worth it!

I love my finished table topper...it's something I'm keeping,
just for myself. It will make me think of my friend Julie,
The Crafty Quilter, and all of my friends who quilted along.

I bet I'll make another one someday!

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Tea Time - A Thoughtful Mug Rug

Hello, friends!
I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!
I enjoyed seeing our family and friends
and celebrating this most wonderful holiday
with all of the special foods and music!

{With a dining room table filled with gift wrap and cookies,
I took a self-imposed hiatus from my sewing machine,
but I hope to be back in business any minute.}

Remember when I was making my

Thoughtful Pincushions,

using Susan Branch illustrations and phrases,

from a fabric panel?

I've still got quite a stack of sweet sentiments left,

and I've used one of them to make

this charming little mug rug,

just right for tea time.

{I loved the colors from my Rainy Day pinnie, so I used that palette.}

Here you can read the lovely quote by Louisa May Alcott...

This was a simple patchwork design...

I just framed the quotation in lots of my favorite prints.

Many of them happen to be from the Bake Sale line...

since I've been having so much Quilty Fun lately!

I added lots and lots of straight-line quilting this time.

{Those lines are only about 1/4" or so apart.}

The quilting really shows up on the back side.  Great texture, huh?

As usual, I have fusible fleece inside the layers.

It makes for a nice flat mug rug...

so my mug won't tip over.

The machine binding was done using my own free tutorial.

I wish I could invite each of you to join me

for a nice cup of tea...

But that's what blogs are for, right?

Come back often, and stay for a while!

I've made sew many wonderful friends through blogging and sewing,
and I wish each of you, near and far,
a very Happy New Year ahead,
filled with good health and good stitching!

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