Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog

Hello fabric lovers,

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? I had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Minnesota with my family and couldn't be more thankful. Everyone ready for a little after Thanksgiving sewing!  I been working with Millie Fleur fabrics designed by Bari J and her collection is breathtaking with all of her beautiful floral prints and hand painted designs. I was inspired to design a table runner called Enhearten. It's an easy project to make that will add a perfect touch of floral and sophistication to any room you use it in. Let me show you what you need to get started. 

 Fabric Requirements

Fabric A- MFL-11350- 1/4yd.
Fabric B-MFL-21356- 1/6 yd.
Fabric C-MFL-21360- 1/6 yd.
Fabric D-MFL-11354- 1/4 yd.
Fabric E-MFL-21357- 1/6 yd.
Fabric F-MFL-11351- 1/6 yd.
Fabric G- MFL-11360- 1/4yd.
Fabric H- MFL-11353- 1/6 yd.
Fabric I- MFL- 21354- 1/6 yd.
Binding- MFL-21353- 138” long approx. 4 strips - 1/6 yd.
Backing- MFL-21352 - 1 5/8 yds.

Cutting Directions

Eight (8)2 1/2” x 2 1/2” squares from Fabric A,B,D,E, G and H
Four (4) 4 1/2” x 4 1/2” squares from Fabric A,C,D,F, G and I
Eight (8) 2 1/2” x 4 1/2” strips from Fabric B,E,and H

Block Construction

Sew at 1/4" seam allowance. 

Step 1: Sew a 2 1/2” square from Fabric A to a 2 1/2” square from Fabric B and then sew it to a 2 1/2” x 4 1/2” strip from Fabric B. (Diagram 1.1) Repeat this same step again following Diagram 1.2.

Step 2: Sew a 4 1/2” square from Fabric A to the block made in Diagram 1.1. Next sew a 4 1/2” square from Fabric C to the block made in Diagram 1.2. (Diagram 2.1)
Sew the two pieces made in Diagram 2.1 together following Diagram 2.2. You will get a block that looks like Diagram 3.

Step 3: Make another block like Diagram 3. Then make two more mirrored blocks. Place four blocks out following Diagram 4.1. Sew blocks together. (Diagram 4.1 and 4.2) You should get a finished block that looks like Diagram 5. Repeat this process with the remaining fabric pieces to get two more blocks. Sew the three blocks together following the table runner illustration as a guide. 

Table Runner Quilting Assembly

• Place BACKING FABRIC on a large surface wrong side up. Stretch it with masking tape against that surface. Place batting on top of backing fabric. Place quilt top on top of the batting with right side facing up. Smooth away wrinkles using your hands. Pin all layers together and baste with basting thread, using long stitches. You can also use safety pins to join the layers.

• Machine or hand quilt starting at the center and working towards the corners. Remember that quilting motifs are a matter of personal preference. Have fun choosing yours! After you finish, trim excess of any fabric batting, squaring the quilt to proceed to bind it.

Binding

• Cut enough strips 1 ½” wide by the width of MFL-21353 to make a final strip of 138" long. Start sewing the binding strip in the middle of one of the sides of the quilt, placing the strip right side down and leaving an approximate 5” tail. Sew with ¼” seam allowance (using straight stitch), aligning the strip’s raw edge with the quilt top’s raw edge.

• Stop stitching ¼” before the edge of the quilt (Diagram B1). Clip the threads. Remove the quilt from under the machine presser foot. Fold the strip in a motion of 45 degrees and upward, pressing with your fingers. (Diagram B2) Hold this fold with your finger; bring the strip down in line with the next edge, making a horizontal fold that aligns with the top edge of the quilt (Diagram B3). Start sewing at ½” of the border, stitching all the layers. Do the same in the four corners of the quilt.

• Stop stitching before you reach the last 5 or 6 inches. Cut the threads and remove the quilt from under the machine presser foot. Lay the loose ends of the binding flat along the quilt edge, folding the ends back on themselves where they meet. Press them together to form a crease. Using this crease as the stitching line, sew the two open ends of the binding with right sides together (you can help yourself by marking with a pencil if the crease is difficult to see).Trim seam to ¼” and press open. Complete the sewing. Turn binding to back of the quilt, turn raw edge inside and stitch by hand using blind stitch.

Enjoy making the Enhearten table runner made with Millie Fleur fabrics. Please make sure to share all the wonderful things you make with AGF fabrics! We love to see all the creative projects you all come up with. 

Happy Sewing,

Melissa