Spiral Table Runner

I saw this pattern called Spicy Spiral Table Runner in my local quilt store and it sucked me in.  It takes eight fat quarters or quarter-yard cuts of eight fabrics and a special 9 degree ruler.  I bought the ruler, an 9 degree three-in-one ruler model not quite as specified in the pattern and not the one used when the shop had taught the class earlier. The shop had sold out of that one but both the shop owner and I thought this substitute would be adequate.  I bought the pattern but no extra fabric- this was to be made from my stash!   Before I started this somewhat small project I wanted to finish making my hexagons from the previous blog on the mask quilt.  I finished those and am setting the hexagon mask project aside until my husband mounts my newly purchased design wall (a future blog post).

Of course, even while making those hexagons... quite mechanical and routine by this point... I kept pulling candidates for the spiral table runner in a fall color theme for Thanksgiving from my stash and laying then out to preview them.  My cutting table by the time I finished the hexagons is in total disarray with different 8-fabric combinations and sequences.  It is a Saturday morning and I am now ready to start this new mini-project.  I cannot find the pattern.  I look high and low, upstairs and downstairs, in the house and in the car.  No luck.  My husband cannot live with me in this state of utter frustration.  He says  "Go buy another one!"  This is a good solution (isn't he a true quilter's husband) and the store is close by just blocks away.  So I do, with the rationalization that I can give the first pattern to my daughter when it finally turns up.

So here are my fabric choices ready to be cut into strips of varying widths ranging from a rich red at the bottom to a luscious deep chocolate at the top.  I picked each fabric so that each of its neighbors shared a hue with it.  The corn, third from the bottom, has orange like its neighbor below and gold like its neighbor above.  Take a close look at the second fabric from the top. It had dark specs like the fabric neighbor above and gold specks like the fabric neighbor below.  I spent days looking at my fat quarters arranging and re-arranging to come up with this sequence... enjoying every minute of it of course.

So here are my fabric choices ready to be cut into strips of varying widths. Now take a look at my cut strips.  Notice the second from the top.  Yup, it is different.  No, I did not change my mind. I had to substituted the chocolate fabric with red dots.  I convinced my self  my rule still held - kinda... the red dots match the lowest fabric and the cream flowers match the cream neighbor two below.

So why the substitution? I unfolded my fabric to cut the strips from my seventh out of eight fabrics and right smack dab in the middle of my brown grain specks fabric was a big irregular area gone where I had cut out a horse head for a quilt for my daughter.  She has promised to send me a picture of that one to post.  That'll learn me!  Do not fold up partial fat quarters along with your stash of unscathed fat quarters. Fortunately I could find a substitution even after having committed to 3/4 of my fabric choices.  And I found it in my stash! 

Here are my strips after being sewn together.  Now to cut them into 9 degree wedges.

Here is the ruler I bought to do the job.

But, alas, it was not long enough.  I called my local store and no, they had not yet restocked on the proper one.  The shop owner even called the class teacher to find out what they had used, I think they shared within the class since there were not enough to go around.   I could have made an extension and done a work-around but the whole point of a special purpose ruler is to make your job easier and I needed a longer one instead.  I also could have made the project with the 10 degree ruler I bought at the Pacific International Quilt Festival (picture at end) but my first time I wanted to do the runner as-is and then tweak and customize in later versions.  I was determined to do this project this day so after some internet searches and some phone calls, my other quilt shop 30 miles away had one and placed it on hold for me.   I jumped in the car and drove to get it.  It is shown below. (And there was a "free" pattern on the back!)

I cut out my wedges with minimal angst.  The long ones are kind of wiggly and take a bit of caution to cut without ruler slippage but no major issues.  Here are the wedges of two different colorways at different stages of assembly... first the wedges, 

 then pairs and fours,

then eights

 

and one of the two color-way sequences completed

and the assembled runner not yet with batting or backing

The irony has not escaped me.  I used only fabrics from my stash, yes.  But I bought the pattern twice and the ruler three times with trips to two quilt stores and a quilt festival.  The runner is not backed or have batting yet.  Can I do that without buying anything else? Yes.. that is my challenge!

Oh, and by the way.  Here is the 10 degree ruler.  Supposedly it makes a shorter wider runner.  It too comes with a "free" pattern.  I will try that some time or make the shorter wider runner with the 10 degree ruler. 

And let us not asked the obvious question.  Do I need a table runner?  Here is what my dining room fall table looks like at present.  The runner on it I bought at a craft show already made (gasp!)  just 'cause I loved it.  And I am sure it cost a lot less than the spiral one still in progress! I have no clue why– I only used fabric from my stash...  ;•)

I am sure there are some of you out there who have similar foibles. At least I hope so!  Feel free to share and commiserate!

Border Decisions

I am waiting for my newly purchased design wall to be hung in my sewing room before finalizing the arrangement of all those hexagons on the mask quilt (last post).  I do know, however, that I want it to be queen size and by my estimation I had just enough fabric so that the hexagons cover the top of a queen size mattress with no overhang.  I need to add borders to increase the size.  I wanted to find borders with a feathery look to pick up the feather details in the masks but that is easier said that done.  When I raided my stash I came up with these contenders.

I like that the feathery ferns of the turquoise give a sense of movement.  I think the pink is perfect and it picks up the spotted look of the pink plume mask but I only have two fat quarters of it.  The speckled bright green I think plays off the eyes of the peacock feathers.  I bought the orange at the far right from a clearance bin and think the pattern, although not exact,  really picks up on the orange plumes.  Unfortunately I think the orange in the hexagons stands out on its own and does not need additional help from the border so I am leaning toward omitting orange in the border. I want a purple! Here are a couple purple alternatives from my stash with some pattern but I think they are not a blue enough purple- they lean more toward a red violet.

I really think the pink also picks up the diamonds around the eyes of the white mask but I only have two fat quarters of it.  Dang!

Here are some alternatives I bought at the Pacific Internatioanl Quilt Festival but no pink!  There is also a silvery metallic in the leaves and I had thought to keep to a flatter toned look in the quilt and not introduce glitter.  I have two half yard cuts of each of these.

When I made a commando raid to my favorite quilt store to purchase a 9 degree wedge rule for my spiral table runner (a future post),  I, of course, had to peruse the other options there for border fabric.  Here is what I bought even though initially I was convinced that I wanted a fabric with a crisp print and not the mottled, watercolor look of batiks.

The non-crisp look can work  But again I think the purple is a bit too red and the pink is a bit too red.  Here is a closer look at that black and turquoise batik- sort of a wild horse.  I think it is supposed to give the feel of a coral reef but I think it is quite feather-like and am strongly considering it for the outermost border.   Hmm... maybe I will go back and buy more for the backing as well. 

If you are still with me after all my musings then thank you for following my indecisive creative process.  Also, if you have opinions on any of this, your input is welcome.  I think the final decision will depend on the assembled hexagons and not just the source mask fabric.