Monday, July 15, 2013

Summertime - Free Pattern

Summertime and the living is easy.  Warm days, sunny skies, picnics, and ice-cold watermelon.  And not an ant in sight... at least not on my "Summertime" table runner, that is.  "Summertime" is a Web Extra for Quilters Newsletter's August/September 2013 issue.  Click here for the free pattern.


I used patchwork in cream and two shades of red to create the gingham picnic cloth center of my quilt. The watermelon border is comprised of a cream print and a red print with little black flowers that mimic watermelon seeds.  To achieve the watermelon slice effect, I first sewed a narrow cream piping to the scalloped edge and then used a green print for the binding and voilà... a watermelon rind.  Here's a close-up of the edge:


This was my first time using a scalloped edge and even with the cream piping, it wasn't too tricky.  But you could always use the cream piping/green binding on a squared off outer edge and still end up with a watermelon-y vibe.

I quilted this table runner by hand using a big stitch and perle cotton.  I love how the big stitch looks - kind of casual and homespun - but let's be honest, I use it because it's fast!

So there you have it.  My ode to summer.  And remember...


Happy quilting!