Spring Tulips

Table Runner
18 x 44
Designed by Lorie Fuller Spring is in the air! Heres a fresh, soft table runner to help bring your dining room into the season. We used delicate, watercolor hues to create a bouquet of tulips and leaves, surrounded by simple 9 patch blocks and clean, fresh sashing and borders. Fused appliqu by machine and a simple knife edge make this project fast and fun, but your guests will think you spent hours in the sewing room.

Yardage & Supplies

Fabrics in 6 coordinating tones. We suggest: 1/4 YD. dark pink (sashing) 3/8 YD. each medium and light pink One 12-1/2 x 12-1/2 block white for center square 1/8 YD. white background small print 1/3 YD. Green (Border & Appliqu)

4 Yards dark pink hand embroidery thread (optional-for berries you can also use buttons.) Paper-backed fusible web Medium weight tear-away stabilizer Matching machine quilting and embroidery thread 1 1/2 Yds. Low loft batting 1 1/2 Yds. Fabric for backing Temporary spray adhesive Safety pins 4 YDS. Packaged Bias Binding or 1/4 YD Fabric for binding. (optional)
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Cutting Instructions

From white: From Dark Pink:

Cut one 12 1/2 x 12 1/2 square for center appliqu block Cut four 19 1/2 x 1 1/2 strips Cut four 12 1/2 x 1 1/2 strips

From Medium Pink:

Cut ten 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 squares Cut four 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 squares Cut four 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 squares

From Light Pink:

Cut eight 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 squares

From Green:

Cut two 40 1/2 x 2 1/2 strips Cut two 14 1/2 x 2 1/2 strips

For Quilt Back:

Cut one 18 1/2 x 44 1/2 backing from fabric of choice

Batting:

Cut one 18 1/2 x 44 1/2 piece of low-loft batting

For appliqu (Refer to page 4 for tracing and cutting instructions. Patterns at end of document) :

Cut 5 each: Tulip Large Leaf Small Leaf Note: The template piece for the berry at the bottom of each tulip is provided. You can either appliqu the piece, or you can embroider it.

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Assembly Instructions
All seams are done at 1/4. 9-Patch Blocks: Using the ten medium-pink and eight light-pink squares:

Lay out cut blocks matching the diagram. Assemble the top 3 blocks into a strip. Press seams to the outside. (A) Assemble the center 3 blocks into a strip. Press seams to the center. (A) Assemble the bottom 3 blocks into a strip. Press seams to the outside. (A) Assemble the three strips together, pressing seams to the outside. (B) Diagram C shows the finished block. (C)

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Assembly Instructions, Continued

Center Appliqu Block: This fusible appliqu motif is fast and easy!

Print the appliqu patterns at the end of this e-Book. Darken the printed lines with a marker. Lay paper-backed fusible web over the pattern, paper side up. Trace the tulip, large leaf, and small leaf patterns onto the paper, 5 times each. Note: If you choose to appliqu the berry, also trace 5 berries onto the fusible web. Rough-cut the appliqu pieces from the fusible web, leaving a small margin around the edge. Arrange the paper web pieces on the back side of the target fabric, paper side up. Fuse the pieces to the fabric using a press cloth, according to the manufacturers instructions. Large Leaf: Green Small Leaf: White background with small print Tulip: Light pink Berry: Dark Pink

Cut the pieces on the cutting line. Place the 12 1/2 x 12 1/2 center square on the ironing board. Arrange the pattern pieces according to the placement diagram (at the end of this e-Book) to get a pleasing, centered pattern. Remove the paper backing from the fabric pieces and replace the pieces on the square. Tack down each piece with the tip of a hot iron as you go, until all the pieces have been placed down and tacked. Using a press cloth, press the appliqus to the center square to fuse according to the manufacturers instructions. Place a sheet of medium-weight tear-away stabilizer on the back of the square. Using the appliqu stitch of your choice, stitch each piece down. We used feather and blanket stitches. A satin stitch would also be lovely. By hand, satin stitch the berry at the base of each tulip. (See instructions at end.) Remove the tear-away backing.

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Assembly Instructions, Continued

Sashing & Borders (Press all seams toward darkest color unless otherwise specified):

Join appliqu block to 9-patch blocks using dark pink 12 1/2 x 1 1/2 strips. (A) Sew remaining dark pink 12 1/2 x 1 1/2 strips (A) on the outside edges of the 9-patch blocks. Sew dark pink 19 1/2 x 1 1/2 strips together in two pairs. (B). Press open. Sew 1 1/2 medium pink blocks on the ends of the pieced strips. (C) Sew resulting strips to the long edges of the runner. Sew green 14 1/2 x 2 1/2 strips to short ends of runner. (D) Piece four medium pink 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 blocks (E) to the ends of the two green 40 1/2 x 2 1/2 strips. (F) Sew resulting strips to long ends of runner.

E B

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Finishing Instructions
Knife Edge

For a Knife Edge Finish (without binding) Cut a piece of backing fabric and batting approximately 19 x 45

Lay the backing fabric out on a flat surface, wrong side up. Spray the backing lightly with a temporary spray adhesive. Lay the batting over the backing and press down lightly with your hands to adhere. Flip the backing and batting over so that the right side of the backing is up. Center the right side of the pieced runner down upon the backing. Pin the edges every 6 inches. Sew around the perimeter using 1/4 seam allowance. Leave an 8 opening for turning. Trim the backing and batting edges even, if necessary. Turn the runner through the opening, carefully pushing out the corners, and smoothing the edges together. Press the edges lightly. Slip stitch the opening closed. Using matching thread in both the top and bobbin, top stitch the runner 1/8 from the edge. Use safety pins every 6 inches to hold all three layers together. Quilt as desired.

Bound Edge

Knife Edge

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Finishing Instructions, Contd.

Bound Edge

For a Bound Edge:

Cut a piece of backing fabric and batting 3 larger than the quilt top. The most accurate way to determine the size is to measure length and width through the center of the quilt. Then, add 3 to each measurement. For example, this quilt top should be approximately 18 x 44, so cut the backing and batting 21 x 47. You will trim the layers after quilting. Lay the backing fabric right side down on a flat surface. If necessary, tape the backing to the surface using painters tape or low-tack masking tape. Layer the chosen batting over the backing, smoothing it with your hands. Layer the quilt top, wrong side down, over the batting. This creates a quilt sandwich. Being very careful not to create puckers or folds in the layers, place a safety pin every 6 inches along the table runner to stabilize the layers. Do not pin on the seam lines. Quilt as desired. The simplest quilting method is to stitch within the seam lines of the patchwork (stitch in the ditch), from the center of the quilt out to the edges. See diagram below.

Stitch in the Ditch: Starting with the center square and working out, stitch right on the seam lines of each patch to quilt the runner.

Remove the safety pins. Press the quilt lightly with steam. Trim edges of backing and batting to match quilt top. (Continued on Next Page)
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Finishing Instructions, Contd.

Bound Edge

Binding Options:

Pre-packaged Binding: A great option if you can find the right color and size for your project. Be sure to follow the manufacturers instructions on how to join and apply the binding. Make Your Own Binding: For this runner, we suggest you cut binding strips to 2 1/4 and use a 1/4 seam allowance.

Cut 1/4 YD of fabric into 2 1/4 strips. (This should yield about 4.5 Yards of binding.) Join the strips by placing the ends right-sidestogether (A). A

Sew the strips at 45 degrees from corner to corner, as shown. Cut off the corner 1/4 from the stitch line. Turn and press. Repeat with the rest of the strips. With right-sides-together, fold in half lengthwise and press to a sharp crease.

Youll note that we did not use bias strips for this binding process. Bias strips are recommended for use when a more moldable binding is desired, such as a binding with rounded corners or scalloped edges. Click here for a PDF download about making and using bias binding, including instructions on how to make continuous bias.

Note: The strips you use do not have to be from the same fabric. For a patchier look, cut the strips from several different coordinating fabrics.

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Finishing Instructions, Contd.

(Knife Edge or Bound Edge) (Bound Edge, continued)

Baste the edges of the quilt using a scant 1/4 seam allowance. (If you baste within the seam allowance, you dont have to remove the stitches later.) Fold the short (starting) end of the binding 1/2. Press to a sharp crease. On the front of the quilt, and with right sides together, starting in the center of one quilt edge (not in a corner), match raw edge of the binding with the raw edge of the quilt. Pin the binding to the edge of the quilt, stopping at the corner.

Raw Folded Edge Edges of Binding

Using a walking foot:

Stitch using 1/4 seam allowance, starting 3 from the raw edge of the binding, and stopping 1/4 from the corner. (A) Backstitch, clip the thread, and remove the quilt from your machine.

Folded

Edge of Binding

Raw Edges

Flip the binding up, forming a 45 angle. The raw edges of the binding should match the vertical raw edge of the runner. (B)

(Continued on Next Page)

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Finishing Instructions, Contd.

(Knife Edge or Bound Edge)

(Bound Edge, continued)

Holding the fold in place, flip down the binding so that the raw edge meets the edge of the fabric. Begin stitching at the edge and continue to the next corner, repeating the process at each corner. (C)
C

When you reach the end of the binding, stop stitching and cut it 1 beyond the starting point of the binding. The raw end should be on top. (D)

Complete stitching to the end and backstitch. (E)

Flip the edge to the back of the quilt, folding each corner so that it is nicely mitered. Pin. Slip stitch by hand along the edges on the back side of the quilt, across the mitered corners, and on the edge of the bindings end.
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Patterns
Hint: In your printer options, set page scaling to none to ensure patterns print the correct size.

Small Leaf Berry

Tulip

Test Square 1 Inch

Hint: After printing this page, measure this square. It should measure exactly 1 inch.

Large Leaf

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Patterns
Layout Diagram

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Satin Stitch Instructions

My dear friend and designer, Shelli Christiansen, of Needle in a Haystack, wrote these instructions on how to do a satin stitch by hand. Shelli is a regular contributor to the You Can Make This Blog, and will be doing a series of hand stitchery and embroidery instructions there, so be sure to visit often!

The Satin Stitch is created by stitching several straight stitches close together. I usually work from left to right, moving from top to bottom. Come up at point A, going back down at point B, bringing the tip of the needle back up at point C (right next to point A). Pull needle through the fabric and repeat. This stitch does tend to pucker easily, so be sure your fabric is pulled taut in your hoop. I have to admit, that this is my least favorite stitch, because it can be a bit tricky! I often find myself coming up at point A, going back down at point B and pulling my floss through toward the back side. I then come up at point C from underneath the fabric, rather than making it one movement with my needle. Its a little slower this way, but sometimes its worth it.

Color Option

How cute is this? Notice the buttons used as berries, the stippling on the center block, and the flower pattern quilted into the 9 patch. A great alternative color scheme for Independence Day!

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