How to Quilt the Quilting Rockstar Table Runner Panels
I’ve sung the praises of placemats already, but I love adorable table runners just as much! They’re perfect for the dining room , a sideboard, the sofa table, foyer table, dresser top— anywhere you want to add a little texture and color! Plus, like placemats, they’re also a manageable size quilting project, perfect for practicing new skills or trying out a fresh idea! The Quilting Rockstar Panel collection with Paintbrush Studio fabrics has four different tablerunners, so let’s peek at a few ideas for how to quilt them.
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Table runners are such a fun quilting project— they’re quick, they’re low pressure, and they make both great decor and great gifts. Plus, I’m particularly biased towards these since they could be interpreted as beachballs, candy, or funky quilt blocks, depending on your mood or occasion. And if you don’t love the quilting when you’re done, just add a center piece and condiments on top, and you wont’ have to worry about folks looking too closely. Other benefits of practicing your FMQ on these table runner panels includes:
You can start out quilting them as individuals just to practice motifs
Then, you can quilt the whole panel as a single piece to practice moving a quilt sized project under the machine
And you don’t have to piece them, so you don’t have to feel anxious about “ruining” something that took a lot of time to put together.
Convinced? Let’s look at how to quilt these fun table runners!
Video
Quilting Plans
These Quilting Rockstar table runners feature a “pieced” octagon on a solid background. They’re a perfect opportunity to experiment with semi-custom quilting plans, motifs for triangles, and background filler designs of all skill levels
Notice that all of these plans demonstrate relatively dense quilting. You could quilt table runners with much looser designs, of course, but I also think they’re a fun chance to practice more details than you might normally commit to on a bigger project. Notice, too, that you could do a different quilting plan for each table runner but they would still coordinate well around the house. Finally, consider playing with contrasting thread. Again, these are small projects, so if you don’t love a motif or thread color in the end, you don’t have to feel some type of way about “losing” all the time and effort on a bigger quilt. Give yourself permission to play!
Resources
I can’t wait to see how you quilt some smaller projects like placemats! They’re so good for practicing, are wonderful ways to add a handmade touch to your home, and make fabulous gifts!
New to FMQ? Learn the foundations in Intro to FMQ
Stitching in the “ditch” on these panels is also great ruler work practice. Pick up some pointers for quilting with rulers in this blog post.