Anyone want to put on their creative thinking cap & toss a few ideas around with me? I'm hoping for suggestions on what to put in the center of my Autumn Celebration table topper. If anything. It would be surrounded with a botanical fabric border made out of fabric I created from leaves and flowers from our garden. Kind of a new spin on "From garden to table" ;)
The plain center area is about 9 to 11 inches, depending on how big I print out the botanical fabric. I was thinking perhaps one very special quilt block in the center would look nice, but am not sure if the direction I'm heading is the bee's knees yet. You all are so creative... any suggestions on better blocks, etc, or other input on would be welcomed by me! Below are photos of mockups I did with my computer's Paint program (The block i did on EQ and then pasted into Paint)

I think it would be beautiful with a special block, or a special quilting motif in the middle.

I wonder what it would look like if you put a 1 inch border on the inside block between the leaves and the star in the dark green.

P.S. or maybe enlarge the inside block

Well Barny - I have to say "It would look better!" Thanks! I did another mock up to see. Maybe I could piece the borders in dark fabrics. I think the largest the center block could be would be 11 inches though. My printer can only print the botanical fabric so big and the corners limit placement.

Both are wonderful ... whichever you like the best. Or of course, you could make two!!

What about subtle metallic thread for the quilting? And if leaving the centre plain ... perhap an quilted centre design, taking on more of a look of embroidery? Again, a metallic thread ... or variegated.


PS ... are you going to sell the fabric after you make your own?

Personally I think the border fabric is so unique a center block isn't needed. A feathered wreath would be awesome in the center.

QuiltE - Thank you and also thanks for those great ideas. This is small enough that I could be brave and try quilting in the center if I used a plain white Center Piece. I've seen some lovely work with metallic threads here on the QB, but have been too uncertain of my quilting skills to try it.

Sure, I'd be happy to sell the fabric prints to QB members, just for what it costs me to make them. If you'd like to ask more about it, feel free to PM me. And goodness, i wouldn't make anyone wait till I've finished this one: Thanksgiving is almost upon us! ;-)

Thank you! I'm really curious how you "made" the fabric ... and with using your own leaves, etc .... photos first? and then what?

Thanks Sadiemae! Perhaps I should start searching for quilting motif designs for that by checking out what people have done here!

Yeah, I was worried about over doing things Scissor Queen and feathered wreaths are very pretty and understated.

I'm seeing you each like the idea of a plain center with a beautiful quilting motif.

What do you usually have on your table? If you normally have a centerpiece, you may want to leave the center plain as it will be covered. If not, I vote for the block with the square border,

QuiltE - I'll try to write up a good explanation for you on how I made the fabric. It's actually a very fun process, though it does take a good bit of time. I'll post it in a bit. Multitasking at the moment. :D

PaperPrincess, Our tablescape tends to change a lot. It varies by time of day, number of diners, occasions, etc. Though I don't tend to use centerpieces, you are right, there is not much use in making the center fancy if it will be covered up.

.... consider whether the fancy part will take away from the work you do to make the fabric? Can you get fabric that matches/coordinates well enough to make it work? Or what about doing a motif in the centre in the same way as you are doing the border?

No rush on the how to ... and don't worry, I can't see myself doing this, in a million years! I'm just totally curious on the whole concept!

i like the quilt block center, maybe something botanical rather than a star.

Okay, for you QuiltE, since I remember how much you enjoy maple leaves! :-D Curiosity has many rewards!

This is how I "make" fabric using things I find in our garden:
I pick & snip a lot of goodies that look like they would press flat nicely.
Then I press my samples flat in wax paper sandwiches between thick sections of phone book pages. Then I weight them and then wait on them. LOL After a month or more, you have very nice pressed leaves and flowers.
When the time feels right, I lay all the flat flora across our huge kitchen table. Then little by little I build arrangements on white foam core boards. I use very small bits of rolled scotch tape to hold them in place, since some items will need to be moved around and even reused.
When I'm happy with the arrangement, I carry it carefully to the scanner, flip it over with trepidation and scan it.

I did a lot, and I do meana lot, of testing on various means of printing images on fabric. I tried every homemade idea, many kinds of cotton and silks and a few brands of commercial products. I like EQ Printables the best when sharp photo quality matters. For these I also use archive quality pigment based inks, so they will really last and not fade. And I use the really huge EQ 13"x19" fabric sheets.
It all works really well.
Next I would like to try it photographing unsquished arrangements. ;)

Nancy, do you mean like an applique motif?

hey, I'm Canadian ... gotta love those maple leaves!
WOW ... so you do this on a regular printer? and kind of the same process as what people print labels (except of course, a LOT more work!!!) ... WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

I can just imagine the old heart a fluttering as you turn over your foam core each time!

As a hint ... you don't have to "roll" the scotch tape ... you can get the double sided scotch tape, that's like post-it notes, so easy to remove and move around. You can also get the same stuff in "dots".

I like the quilt block in the center. Very pretty.

I like the quilt block in the center. Very pretty.

QuiltE that's cool! I didn't know tape came in "dots." Where do you find that? I bet it would speed things up considerably.
I had troubles with the double sided tape. It either didn't have enough bulk to fill gaps in between the pressed items and the board or it stuck too well. I kind of dull the stickiness by sticking it on my jeans and then pulling it off.

Actually I don't use a regular inkjet printer, although that works too. Ours is an ink jet printer but it is made for artists and photographers: An HP Photosmart ProB9180. It takes 8 different colored ink cartridges... hubba hubba! I did comparisons with that too and the photo quality and color nuances and intensity is way ahead of our regular printer's capabilities. Jeepers, I sound like an ad for HP. ;)

That fabric is so beautiful I would love to have it.

Looks like you are more than the average home printer use ... high end stuff, eh? :) Check out the scrapbooking supplies for the dots .... though I know I saw that type of stuff in Staples in the regular section with scotch tape recently. I get what you mean that some stuff may not work with the bumps in the leaves, etc.

Remember the old saying ... if it ain't broke ... don't fix it!! :)

(and with this, I think it's time for me to hit the "hay")

I think the small green border inside the botanical is a great idea and then some fancy quilting in the center and maybe the border edges too.

Can you tell I love hand quilting !

The border is spectacular. The block brings it down. To my thinking, a vase of flowers and leaves(a la Baltimore Album, or a wreath of leaves would be a better approach, although I do like the idea of only leaf quilting too.

Wal mart has adhesive dots in the scrapbooking section. I almost bought some yesterday then thought I would never use them Guess I will buy some next time.

Since it is a botanical block how about birds. Check out some of the pictures in Birds and Bloom they are just lovely.
mumzer

Wow! That is so beautiful! Great job!!!

That looks perfect for an autumn hunting panel. Something like this center panel. Just a thought.

You can find diff ideas at Quilter's Cache.com.The blocks are shown in color & also by size.The table cover is so pretty,I see it as a wall hanging after the day.Just one idea.

They both are pretty, but I like the one with the green trim around it better.

howaboout a tree in full autumn bloom either in applique or fussy cut

Really good discussions today--enjoying just reading and learning!

I like that idea.

I really like the block you put in the centre. have you thought of using elements from the border to make applique shapes for the centre? I think that might look very pretty.

Absolutely love your leaf fabric with the green border. I can almost see your head spinning with creative ideas. Could you possibly make your own fabric for the block by grouping greens, browns, rusts from the garden and then using those for the center motif? Lots more work, I know, and more expense..........just thinking out loud. I always make more work for myself that way, so feel free to totally ignore : ) Whatever you do will be absolutely stupendous, as it already is.

I love those colors, very pretty.

How wonderful!! I would make the star in neutrals so it is barely there. That is a compromise between nothing and a star that may compete with your botanicals.

The focus should be your gorgeous garden motif -- not the center (even tho the square is beautiful.) Center should have muted color - not brighter than the border.

Try and turning the center block on point and see how that looks.