help ideas needed!!!
 

I know most people think I'm crazy but I love Christmas and giving gifts to my friends. I belong to the local chapter of the American Sewing Guild and I put on a wondeful luncheon for our fund raiser this year. I made 130 dresden plates and used them as chargers under the members dinner plates. They took them home as a gift from me. In 2012 I want to do this again. I have decided on the theme Winter Wonderland and am thinking of making short table runners app. 24" to 30" long that I can fold in half at each place setting. My problem is the design, remember I have to make over 100 of them so I need something fairly simple to do. If you have any ideas please let me know as I have to start on these in January so they will be finished by December. Thank you in advance and Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

Elisabeth, don't let anyone tell you that you are crazy - if it makes you happy then you are WAY ahead of a lot of other people.

I like the 10 minute table runner. I did not put batting in them and I did not "quilt" mine. http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...er-t77376.html

Or use panels ? I think it is wonderful of you to do that :)

Since you can get the fabric on fabulous sales after Christmas, I would go with a fabric panel and a border. If they are scenic panels fine. Otherwise just select beautiful-to-die-for Christmas fabric and use it. Try the mentality of a non-quilter "Why cut up beautiful fabric just to sew it back together again?" Some of the embroidered fabric from the upholestery section of Hancock's would be wonderful. If you birth them with no quilting you can all sorts of fabric not ordinarily used in table runners - velvet, brocades, etc.

How about raw edge applique snowflakes, like two on a placemat. The applique would be all you would need for the quilting.

What a generous thing to do. There is a table runner that has a block in the middle then a braid type pattern on each end that can be quilt as you go. I the pattern is at http://quiltbug.com/Free/table-topper.htm. It takes 3 fat quarters and is about 38" long according to pattern.

mltquilt

Wow what and undertaking. You are very generous to take on this kind of a project. Do you prepare and furnish the food also? Blessings will come your way when you are so kind to other people.

WOW! Dresden plates for all!! What a gem you are!!!!!

This is exactly what I was thinking ... the pattern would let you use leftovers and each could be unique. You could easily change the width/length to whatever size works for your choice.

i would suggest this also. i made one in christmas fabrics without batting and decorated the seams with red rickrack.

The 10 minute table runner would be really nice or how about different blocks made into hot pads?

that is a wonderful giving spirit - hooray to you as I'm sure all the recipients enjoyed their lovely gift.

Wonderful idea and very generous, but soooooo good for the heart! Merry Christmas

I think you are sweet and people like you make the holidays truly meaningful. That said, I like the one already mentioned here from the quiltbug. You could chain piece them and use in the center square a holiday scenic print if you so choose. As another stated great time to shop for fabric with all the sales.

use white on white fabric and steam a seam.... mount, cut any 'snowflake' (like we did in school) and then iron onto any color background you like...the steam a seam will help with the opacity and then you can just iron on, FMQ around the outside and done.... more cutting than sewing, UNLESS you want to find someone (or a store that rents) in your area with one of those cutting machines...i'm sure they have snowflakes...

Our Hobby Lobby has all their Christmas fabric on sale at 50% off and probably will go down to 70% off next week. You might want to watch that for fabric.

I love the 10 minute table runners. I have made quite a few and love figuring the color combo's. quick and easy. I don't use batting or quilt. I do starch when I do my final pressing (Mary Ellen's Best Press);

I only do the decorating. Everyone brings a dish. Thank goodness. Elisabeth

I checked this pattern out and I love it. Like you said I have plenty of leftovers from the dresden plates. Thank you for your great idea.

Thanks mltquilt. I need a quick table runner for a January b'day. This is perfect. I love the braid.

What a great Christmas gift you are, and you have the forethought to get started early...

How wonderful you are to make everyone such a nice gift! I agree that the 10 minute table runner is fast and easy but the Easy Striped Table Runner by The Quilt Company is pretty fast too and the results are awesome. The pattern uses a border print that is lengthwise on the fabric. You should be able to make two runners per yardage required. They are like potato chips. One is not enough!

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"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." W.A. Ward

Not sure what type of machine you have, but sometimes I find simple is the best. One year I found the cutest snowmen fabric that I just couldn't cut up. :) So made a tablerunner out of a solid piece and then on my machine I had the alaphabet so I embroidered Let It Snow!!! (like that) all over it and then embroidered little snowflakes on it in silver metallic thread. Came out really cute. So maybe you'll find that special piece and make life easy on yourself. :D

An unlined Table Runner sounds good to me. My preference for a theme like you have picked would be a pattern where the fabric tells the swtory. "Winter Wonderland" shouldn't be so difficult to find. Anomal prints in snow is one think that comes to mind. Use an elongated 9 patch., .

winter runners
 

I think that this is a very sweet idea. I saw some beautiful dark blue fabric with large white snowflakes printed on it. It would make a lovely runner.

I agree that "simple is better". I would find a pretty Snow-like fabric on sale. Use this fabric for the inside; then border with a pretty coordinating fabric. I believe I would use flannel inside; birth; finished!

What a generous person you are! Just saw a tut on the Missouri Star quilt company's site for a table runner using just 6 pieces of fabric (10 inches 3 per side or one can use pieces from a charm pack for a smaller runner) and a star appliqued in the middle. Looked to be easy to do and I thought quite nice.

I saw this great 'winter wonderland' fabric..Timeless Tonga Batik-Gelato Forest Trees Snow... this fabric bordered in a 'blue' snowy fabric would make the perfect Winter Wonderland ! Check it out!

I did a table runner and place mats with column quilting from Nancy Zieman. With the fabric sales coming up, you should get some great deals. If you can find holiday jelly rolls, column quilting goes really quickly. But with rotary cutters, taking advantage of the christmas fabric sales, you can cut your own. http//www.nancyzieman.com.

How about stenciling something? That goes fast.

Elisabeth, you are not crazy at all. You are a very giving and practical person. Getting started at the beginning of the year makes the giving of these gifts to everyone a much less stressful experience. And I bet anyone who thinks you are crazy would certainly change their mind when they received one of your gifts so wonderfully thought out.

Thanks for the inspiration; I am going to start planning out my sewing gift list for next year this week. I actually did give a lot of handmade gifts this year (tote bags, pot holders, mug rugs, etc.) but want to do more next year and also during the year for birthdays too. Planning ahead is the key for sure.

Another idea .... runners made using one of the tube quilting techniques/patterns.

Also ... how about doing strip quilting or QAYG, then you can finish it as you go!

I love all the ideas. You are wonderful to do all this. I will be watching for all of the ideas and pictures when you work on them.

I would like to see a picture of one of the "chargers" you used before...they sound beautiful!

I made table runners for Christmas gifts this year. They had a tree on them. I used up a lot of scraps with them. The tree is a square but I put 3, 4, 5 & 7 together for different lenght runners. I also made pillows from the same pattern. I would be more than happy to send you the pattern if you would pm me. It was very easy & I only outlined the tree to quilt it. If I knew how to post a picture I would show you one. But I have been unable to figure that out on the new board

Did you see e-patterns central this week. That Snowflake table topper looks very easy. Inf fact it's for a beginner so it shouldn't take long to make one. Check it out as I thought it was very nice.
http://www.e-patternscentral.com/det...&source=QEPOTD

A short french braid in Christmas fabric is easy and fast. You can make a lot of different one using the same fabric. The way you put them together will make them unique.

I think that snowflake tablerunner is excellent. I plan on making one. Thanks for the resource.

What a job you have undertaken. Blessing on you. I wish I knew of the perfect pattern for you. Good luck. :)