Happy Hearts Table Runner #2 Is Finished!

At the end of February, I attended a virtual retreat through one of my guilds. My first goal was to piece together the top of the heart table runner. 

Note to self: Don't wait more than a year to pick up a project in process to make progress! I couldn't remember how I planned to construct the top. 

I pieced the heart blocks with a light background. While I liked the light background for the small blocks; I didn't like it for the large hearts. I removed the light background and added a dark background. I liked this look better.

I added a bright pink strip in a couple places to give the top a more modern feel. I did piece more dark background between the sections to finish the top of the runner.

Bright pink accents

My second goal was to piece the back. I started this project in January 2021. I used the remaining background fabric, pink accent fabric and a 2 1/2 inch strip of a print to construct a back large enough for the top. I cut enough of the dark background fabric for binding before I pieced the back together.

Finished top and finished back

This week, I layered and pin basted the layers together. I used 80/20 batting leftover from previous projects that I had pieced together. 

Ready for quilting

Quilting in the ditch was how I began the quilting. I stitched around some of the motifs in the small heart blocks. 

Stitching around a motif of the print

I quilted a free motion design in the light backgrounds. 

Background swirl filler stitch

In the pink accent strips, I used the walking foot to quilt straight lines.

Straight line quilting with the walking foot example

I used a Westalee two inch simple circle template to quilt the dark background. I did use the foot attachment to decrease the size of the circle. I used the same color cotton thread, navy in the bobbin for all the quilting. In the needle, I switched cotton threads to match the fabric color. I wanted the quilting to add texture and not become a design feature.

Thread used for quilting and view of the back

I used about a yard and a half of fabric from my stash to finish this table runner. I have now used 34 yards of fabric this year from my stash. This is the second table runner I have made from the virtual Saturday Workshop I attended in January 2021! I gifted the first table runner to my oldest daughter. I plan to gift this table runner to my youngest daughter.

Label

This heart pattern is from Cluck Cluck Sew. The pattern is under the free tab and is the multi-sized heart pattern. 

Finished runner

This was goal number two on my First Quarter goal list. It was also goal number two on my March goal list.

Pieced back of runner