Quilting table runners
 

I've made a few table runners lately (see pictures below) and I can't decide how to quilt them. I've only done a few quilts prior and they were all bed sized and so I had them long arm quilted by someone.

With these smaller projects I feel like I SHOULD be able to FMQ them but I've never done it and I'd really hate to "experiment" on these as they were done using expensive fabric and I really, really love how they turned out!

I don't have the time or patience to hand quilt them. What other options do I have?

P.S. My husband picked out all the fabrics (pretty much by himself, including the borders and batik background for the butterfly runner). I think I have myself a fabric savant!

Summer runner (it's hard to see the gorgeous coordinating fabrics he chose on the pieced border).

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Runner with backing... gorgeous batik
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Christmas runner (Robert Kaufman focus fabric)
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Christmas runner reversible side (also Robert Kaufman focus fabric)
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winter runner
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I stitch in the ditch. Then i may do some echo quilting or some grid patterns. I keep it simple esp on small projects. Yours are very pretty btw!
sandy

I would make up a few fat quarter sized quilt sandwiches and try your hand at some simple fmq. You sound like you'd like to try and these would be a great place to start after some practice.
I'm not likely the best person to take advice from though, I think perfection is overrated and I just really enjoy fmq so I just do it.

congratulations to your runners and your husband's wonderful choices. I am just beginning FHQ and simple is best. Especially on something so pretty.

You could do a straight line cross hatch on the two Christmas runners. You could also outline the squares on the batik runner. That would be quite easy to do. You could use clear filament thread on the batik runner so that you would not have to worry about colour matching. FMQ seems to be really easy for some people and truly difficult for others. I do not think I would like to make these beautiful runners into my 'first ever' or 'practice pieces'. But that is just me.

My only suggestion is to use thread that will blend into the fabric. When you do this any mistakes will not make you crazy with regret!

I would stitch in the ditch on the butterfly runner. If you take you quilting slow, you can outline the butterflies. The Xmas runners, I would mark diagonal lines in both directions and cross hatch the center section. I would try your best to match the thread. I am sure there are u-tubes on crosshatching. I have seen Eleanor Burns demo cross hatching. Your husband is a keeper with his eye for fabrics. They turned out very pretty.

Cross hatch quilting is another option when I don't want to do FMQ.

Table runners are a great starting point for FMQ. I would echo what others have said. Make up some practice sandwiches and play for a while. I also doodle on scratch paper-- pages and pages-- before I even start on the practice fabric. It develops hand- eye coordination, and muscle memory for the design. It sounds crazy, but I find shapes like flowers, leaves and loopy vines the easiest, so that's what I started with. Once you start on your table runners, try really hard not to stop and pull out quilting- even if you think it looks horrible. I look at each project as a snapshot of what I'm capable of at the time. Besides, what you can stitch in 15 seconds may take an hour to remove. Spending hours removing stitching sucks the joy out of quilting. Just go for it!

I have found that 8 hours of practice is what it takes for a lot of people to learn FMQ. Just be patient and don't watch the needle; look at where you are going. The needle isn't going anywhere. Happy quilting.