Four Different Looks, Same Pattern

Recently a friend asked me to quilt four table runners for her, three of which will be offered at a spring charity fundraiser. All four were made from the Charmed Table Runner digital download pattern from Annie's Craft Store using charm squares and coordinating yardage. Three were made with fabrics from three different universities near and dear to people in our region of Kansas--University of Kansas, Kansas State University, and the University of Oklahoma (yes, we have friends in southcentral Kansas who love OU!). She also had one made in Christmas fabrics for a gift exchange.

As I began thinking about about how to quilt them, I decided each had to have its own personality. So the thought process of how to quilt each one differently was started as I put my free-motion quilting ideas and skills to the test at Sassy, my HandiQuilter Sweet Sixteen. I started with the Christmas runner figuring swirls and snowballs (large pebbling) would be great for the center with a loopy meander in the charm square border. It came out great and had a wonderful wintry feel to the quilting.

Next I moved on to the University of Oklahoma. This one I decided to do some linear ruler work in the border, quilting lines 1-1/2" apart and adding a second line 1/4" away in the charm square border. At the corners, a cool windowpane plaid design appears where the linear lines intersect.  The center was quilted with swirls and I added feathers in the setting triangles at both ends. Overall, the look is quite nice!

I was gaining confidence as I moved on to the Kansas State University runner. This time I changed things up and quilted a 1" crosshatching in the center part and swirls in the charm square border, adding feathers to the setting triangles at either end of the center section.

Finally, I moved on to the University of Kansas runner. Being a huge Jayhawk fan, this is my favorite of the four. Going for a completely different look on this one, I pulled out my various rulers and templates and picked the HandiGadgets 8"x4" Arc B2. With this template lined up 1/4" away so my arcs would meet at the intersections, I quilted arcs in each charm squares around the quilt, including the setting triangles. The center section was crosshatched at 2" creating a nice balance in quilting density across the runner.

It amazed even me how different each one looked once completely quilted with the different designs! Having returned them to my friend, I'm looking forward to seeing them trimmed and bound soon. It was a fun challenge for me to create four unique pieces from the same pattern. I love challenges and look forward to new ones with coming projects!

More snippets from the sewing room soon,
Liz