it's a month of runners and table toppers and look at LuAnn's Table Cloth ( 2 special guests today again lol)

Hi I’m LuAnn from Loose Threads here to show you the red and white tablecloth that I made. With all of the excitement over the quilt display, Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts, I wanted to make a quilt in red and white. I also love the combination of redwork embroidery and quilting, so I was thrilled to find the Scandinavian Christmas Hearts pattern from Northern Quilts.



This is one of those quilts where the fabric really does do the work. The quilt has a large block in the center with long strips of fabric surrounding the border of red and white squares. It can be used during the Christmas season right on through the month of February.



Each corner of the tablecloth has a different redwork heart that is set on point.



Yes....the hearts are on point so imagine my surprise (and shock) when I took this heart from the embroidery hoop and discovered that I had traced and stitched it the wrong way.



Now I'd like to show you what I did with this block.




I made a quilt-as-you-go table mat using the block and leftover fabric from my tablecloth. Here's how:

I found a hexagon template and traced it onto freezer paper and then enlarged it so that it would cover my redwork design.



I ironed the freezer paper onto the block and then trimmed the block. Then I cut a piece of background fabric quite a bit larger than the block. Place the background fabric right side down.



Next place a piece of batting on top of the backing and secure the block in the center with a few pins.

Cut your scraps into 1 1/4" strips.

Place a strip right side down and sew. I used my walking foot.

Finger press the first strip open, and place a second strip on making sure that both ends of the strip extend beyond the first strip. Sew.

Keep adding strips and work your way around the block.

Continue around the block until it is the size desired.

I added a border cut at 2 1/4".

My binding is the same striped bias binding that I used on the tablecloth. The quilting is finished so the table mat is ready to use or give as a gift. This method can work for any orphan block you have, too.

Thanks to Madame Samm for inviting me to be a guest blogger here at SewWeQuilt today. I hope you will come over and visit me at Loose Threads. I have enjoyed this month of table runners, and I'm happy to be able to show you a couple of mine here.