Happy Hearts Table Runner Finished--Third Finish 1st Quarter

Cotton thread sample

When I last posted about this project, I had completed the top. I used a smoke monofilament to quilt in the ditch. It worked okay; but, doing it again, I would use the clear instead on the the lighter fabrics. I had in mind to try quilting the project with a 100 weight polyester thread. 

Circle quilting -- two sizes

That thread was too light in color for the project. I tried a 50 weight cotton thread. The look of the cotton thread on the cotton fabric didn't excite me. It was too dull! I used a 40 weight medium grey Floriani polyester thread to quilt two different sizes of circles. I liked the look of the texture with that color and thread weight. 

I chose circles as the filler because the dots in the background fabric and because the circles reminded me of the pattern in my daughter's china. She also has crystal that has circles accented decoratively on the pieces. This table runner will eventually be gifted to her. I quilted smaller circles next to the pieced hearts and larger circles in the border. The process proceeded without challenges. I used a polyester pink thread in the bobbin. The color of the thread worked best with the backing fabric.

I quilted around the fabric print in the small red and white print. I quilted a few hearts and the word "Love" in the small light pink hearts. 

The backing fabric is a scrap from a skirt that I stitched for my oldest granddaughter a couple years ago. She will quickly recognize her skirt fabric!

This heart pattern is from Cluck Cluck Sew. The pattern is under the free tab and is the multi-sized heart pattern. On the main page is a new free and cute heart pattern called Love Struck. 

I chose to string piece the large hearts. Making the Cluck Cluck Sew hearts was a Saturday Workshop class that Colleen taught. She string pieced some hearts. She pieced her strings vertically. Colleen's sample of string hearts was cute.

Stitching the binding to the quilt front

Her string piecing inspired me to piece my strings diagonally. Colleen said that she was inspired to string piece because of my string piecing Saturday Workshop class. I thought it was cool that my string class inspired her to piece strings for a different project!

I didn't have enough of the background fabric to add a double fold binding so I added a single fold binding instead. I remember adding single fold bindings to placemats and to neck/arm hole openings clothing that I made many years ago. One of the Saturday
Workshops covered bindings. Single fold binding was discussed. I decided I would reacquaint myself with this technique.

I'm glad that I did as I will finish another project with single fold binding. After I stitched the binding to the quilt front, I pressed the binding away from the quilt. Next, I found pressing the fold to the seam was the perfect measurement for the fabric to cover the seam. I wiggled the corners a bit to get the right amount of fold in that area. The corners look great. I hand stitched the binding to the back of the table runner. 

Pressing the fold into the binding

The label came from my stash. I picked up the label from the guild free table years ago.  It works well on this project! Although I didn't finish this project on/before Valentine's Day, I did finish it two days later. I do plan to gift it to my daughter. Maybe Christmas will be when I give it to her. I do have a second table runner to stitch. (I have another daughter and I wouldn't want her to think that she wasn't the "favorite" daughter!) Truly, both daughters are my "favorites."

I don't know when I'll work on the second table runner. I need to determine and cut the background fabric. I'm considering arranging the hearts so that the layout would work as a small wall hanging as well as a table runner. I've other projects to work on while I consider my options. 

Label

This is my third finish for the quarter. It measures about 14 inches wide by 36 inches long. I used about a yard and a half of stash. This brings my total fabric usage as -2 yards for the year. (I purchased some fabrics for my temperature quilt.) In this project, I used techniques from three Saturday Workshop classes!

I'm linking to Oh Scrap--Quilting Is Better Than Housework since all but the background fabric were scraps from my stash!

Regarding COVID: 

Worldwide: 111M cases; 2.46M deaths

United States: 28.1M cases; 497K deaths

Oregon: 153K cases; 2,159 deaths

View of the front and back

In Oregon, a seven month old tested positive for the virus and died the same day in Umatilla county. Previously, the youngest person in Oregon to die was a nine year old. The media reported that the seven month old had underlying conditions. In spite of the sad news, hospitalizations as well as infections are down in Oregon and across the country.

Getting on the "list" to receive the vaccine is still long, arduous and impossible if you don't have on line capability. Our "teacher" daughter, Amanda, received her second dose of the vaccine Wednesday afternoon. She felt tired and somewhat unwell Thursday and Friday; but, was feeling better the following day.

Finished runner

I worked two days in a row this week. I still have a headache and I still feel fatigue. The ibuprofen doesn't even take the edge off of the headache pain either! Sleeping is about the only way I can get relief. Perhaps, tomorrow will be the day that I feel more like myself! 

Amanda arrived yesterday and helped her dad for four hours clean up branches. Bending over with this headache doesn't work for me so I was doubly grateful for her help.

Together, they cleaned up under four trees. Mother Nature rained, hailed and even provided a little sunshine on them. 

Neighboring communities have yard debris drop offs; but, not our area. I can hear chipping machines and chain saws working during all the daylight hours of the day. It is going to be a long time before we get the debris cleaned up and the repairs made to all that Mother Natured damaged during the storm.

As of Friday, a thousand people were still without power more than a week after our storm. The media aired a story about "WhyWait Construction" company which has been providing free clean up to about 20 people living in Southeast Portland. The brother and sister team that owns the company along with their work crew have cleared more than two ton of debris out of people's yards. Good deeds do happen in times of need!

Other parts of the United States are recovering from storm damage. Texas is especially hard hit. People there have had bursting pipes from the freezing temperatures, no power and no drinkable water.