Here we are at the end of June with Independence Day sneaking up on us. I just realized that I need to start thinking about Christmas projects if I’m going to give any handmade gifts or quilts for the holidays this year. One of my favorite gifts to give are table runners.
I seem to remember a blog comment one time asking for a blog post about table runners. So I thought I’d share with you a rundown of our VRD Table Runner Rose Card Patterns arranged all through the year.
Wouldn’t it be fun to start a tradition of gifting a series of table runners to a special loved one or friend (or maybe even yourself!?!)? Maybe you’d only do one for each season. Or maybe you’d do the full 12 months. Whether you’d gift one every holiday, every month, every Christmas, or just because –imagine the delight of the recipient!
Isn’t that one of the biggest joys of quilt-making — the giving?
Let’s take a tour through the year with Villa Rosa Table Runners.
I hope you enjoyed this curated selection of VRD Table Runners arranged by months of the year. Maybe these runners will inspire you like they’ve inspired me. I’m thinking “Table Runners Through the Year” would be a really fun trunk show or guild program. What do you think? Something to add to my to-do list?
The sun is shining right now, melting the unexpected snow we got overnight, but at least it was only a couple inches and it should be gone tomorrow. Here in PA, we’ve had a relatively mild winter so far this year, but in California, where the Villa Rosa Designs quilt shop is located and where owner/Rose Queen, Pat, lives, there has been loads of snow and rain!
BRRRRRR!
The VRD shop was closed for more than a week! No electricity — no Internet! One of the shop workers couldn’t even get into her own home! It’s been that bad, really! Maybe you’ve been affected by all the bad weather out there, too.
Fabric orders are backed up, so please be patient as everything gets up and running again at the VRD shop and everyone is working as quickly as they can to get your orders put together. Thanks for your understanding.
NEW VRD March 2023 Rose Cards
On a happy note, it’s my favorite Thursday of the month — you know the one following the first Friday when the new VRD cards are released. Yay!
Drum roll, please!
Wow! Lot’s of fun, huh? You can order the set of 5 March Rose Cards HERE. (Psst — cards are not shipped from the shop in CA, so Rose Card orders are not affected by the storms on the West Coast).
And here is March’s new table runner pattern, Lucky!
I featured the Luck of the Gnomes fabric collection from Benartex, one of our newest Quilting Partners, in this runner. You can take a look at the whole collection HERE .
Check with your local shops as it should already be available.
Grab your March patterns if you don’t have them yet and get quilting — what are you waiting for???
Maybe you need some new fabric inspiration? Hmmmmm……???
Charley Harper Fabrics
Pat mentioned to me the other day when we were discussing QuiltCon, that the Charley Harper fabrics had been received well. And I was like — what are Charley Harper fabrics??!!?? I do so dislike not knowing something so I immediately went to the shop website, www.villarosadesigns.com, to see what “Charley Harper” was. And — WOW — did I get excited by what I saw.
Here are some of my favorites:
Aren’t they wonderful? Edgy and mid century modern? Rich saturated colors? Simple yet complex at the same time???
After perusing the Charley Harper fabrics available at VRD, I just had to look up some more information. Who or what was Charley Harper?
Charley Harper was born in West Virginia where he grew up on a farm. He attended the Cincinnati Art Academy and even taught there for years. He was considered a “modernist wildlife artist” and he died in 2007.
I asked myself how I had never heard of Charley Harper. I did not take any art classes in college or grad school, but I find it sad I never stumbled upon this amazing artist.
How fortunate for us that Birch Fabrics has brought Charley Harper’s incredible artwork to the quilting community.
Don’t forget to check out the Charley Harper fabrics available at Villa Rosa Designs HERE! Stock up now on these amazingly beautiful designs because they are sure to go fast. Just sayin’…….
I can’t! I feel like it should still be sometime in June. Where did 2022 go? I’d like to find it, please, so I can get more done before the end of the year. LOL!
This post is going to be shorter than usual because I have to get back to wrapping, baking, and decorating the tree as I am sure many of you are also trying to do.
Of course you already know that you can turn any of our Rose Card patterns into holiday quilts just by using holiday-themed fabrics, but did you know we have some actual holiday-themed Rose Cards?
I know, I know — it’s too late to whip up a new quilt for the holidays, but you can always start early for next year (after this Christmas, of course).
Let me show you. I bet this time next year, we’ll have even more holiday-themed patterns to add to this list, so stay tuned in December 2023 because I know our family of designers is already cooking up a bunch of new patterns for you to enjoy for 2023.
Holiday-Themed Rose Cards
Fa La La says Christmas — what more can I say??? Go HERE to buy the pattern.
First Night is a fast to make pattern using 10″ squares. I just had to include it in this Holiday pattern list because not only does it makes me think of the 12 Days of Christmas, but it also makes me think of the 8 Nights of Hanukkah if you use blue, gold, and white fabrics. Go HERE to buy the pattern.
Gift Wrapped is one of our new December patterns. And it’s a real cutie! Go HERE to buy the pattern.
Happy Hollies is also a new December pattern and is perfect for your modern holiday celebration. Go HERE to buy the pattern.
Merry Trees is a jolly table runner that will bring a smile to your face. Go HERE to buy the pattern.
Peppermint & Holly is sure to be your new holiday classic runner. Go HERE to buy the pattern.
Season’s Greetings will decorate your table with holiday cheer. Go HERE to buy the pattern.
Splendor is a reminder of all the happy shiny-bright memories of this holiday season and holiday seasons yet to come. Go HERE to buy the pattern.
Gulp — other than shopping, I have yet to even get started. Oh wait! I put out a couple decorations in the living room and got the outside lights on. Hmm. That’s it.
Yikes! I’d better get moving, there’s only 10 days until Christmas…..
Recently, I wrapped up (pun intended) my 2022 Table Runner a Month class with a festive December Christmas party/class. What a lot of fun we had — we met an hour earlier than usual so we could do a pot luck lunch. YUM! I don’t know why, but quilting and food always go together. And chocolate — you have to have chocolate!
It was a soup and sandwich pot luck — we had 2 soups, sandwich wraps, meatballs, and an awesome assortment of everything else! Way too much food, but OH SO DELICIOUS! I tried my hand at potato soup. I ended up mashing 3 different recipes together. I made it on the stove top and then transferred it to a crock pot. I was amazed at how good it actually turned out, considering I’d never made potato soup this way before. In the past, I always started with a white sauce, but this time I started with chicken broth — I didn’t even have to add any flour — the starch in the potatoes thickened up the soup when I squashed them up with a spatula once they were soft. Of course, the cream cheese and shredded cheddar didn’t hurt any either! Here is one of the recipes I mashed up: Easy Potato Soup Recipe.
We did a 1 yard fabric exchange, too. For my group, that means we each brought the equivalent of about a yard of fabric in a gift bag or box (could be 4 fat quarters, 8 fat eighths, 1 charm pack, 2 half yards — you get the idea). To do the fabric exchange, we sat in a circle and played a Christmas game using a Right Left version of Frosty the Snowman.
Don’t know what a Right Left Gift Exchange is? You can go HERE for more information and 5 fun Right Left stories. Or just search “Right Left Christmas Game” on the Internet and you will get lots of different story options so you can choose your favorite! What I love about this game is that it doesn’t take a lot of time, you can do it with any size group, and no one’s feelings get hurt.
I also went over our December project and introduced the group to the Disappearing Nine and Four Patch blocks. Are you familiar with these? I just love all the different ways you can do them and how each time, your quilt looks completely unique even though you are using the same concept over and over. Lots of fun! If you are new to Disappearing Nine and Four Patch designs, you can go HERE for more information.
Our 2022 class was a Table Runner a Month theme this year (I try to choose a different theme or project each year). We began the class in March and met once a month through December. We skip January and February because those are usually the worst winter months in our area, but sometimes March and April can be worse than January and February. Oh, jolly Pennsylvania….. Each month in 2022, we made a different Villa Rosa Rose Card table runner pattern.
One of my quilty pals, Sherry, had been after me for a couple years to do a class on my VRD runners. I finally agreed to do a year of my VRD table runner Rose Cards for 2022 — it felt kind of weird to do an entire year of my own patterns, but Sherry was right — it turned out to be an awesome group/class.
Here is the list of the Rose Cards we did for 2022 (I added the links to the VRD website just in case you want to know more or purchase the patterns) —
Now for the fun! Here are photos of some of the table runners made by members of the group.
Awesome runners, aren’t they??? And these are only some of the numerous runners!
I love how each person showed their own styles, used their own fabrics, modified the design by adding or subtracting borders, made the runners smaller or larger or even a square, and even made some runners extra special by piecing extra fabric into the backing. These ladies are not only talented, they are a great group of people.
I was so inspired this year using my Villa Rosa patterns, we are going to do a Year of Panels and Novelties in 2023, using — you guessed it — Villa Rosa patterns.
Villa Rosa Designs has over 500 patterns in our VRD catalog, so I could seriously go for years without using the same pattern twice. How cool is that? Besides, VRD releases 5+ NEW patterns every month — that’s over 60 NEW patterns EACH YEAR.
You might wonder why I am taking so much time to talk about the Table Runner class, but it leads right into my next topic!
Perfect Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas Quilters Can Make
Table Runners!
Yep — table runners are my go-to solution for a quick last minute handmade gift.
Let’s break this down:
Table Runners are….
quilts
handmade
a very personal gift
a lot faster to make than larger quilts
easy to personalize to the recipient
less expensive to make because they require small amounts of fabric
precut and stash-friendly
a great gift for practically anyone on your list
special
AWESOME!
Of course, any small quilt or project that can be finished quickly makes a great last minute gift — table runners, place mats, wall quilts, table quilts, doll quilts, mini quilts, pillows, and more.
Villa Rose Designs has got your back, I promise you!
A stack of VRD Rose Cards makes an amazing gift for yourself or your favorite quilty pals, too…..just sayin’……..
If you don’t have time to make a runner or other project before the holidays, consider gifting a quilt kit — pick a fun pattern and add the required fabrics for the top and binding. A kit for your fav quilty friend will give that person something new and fun to do during the winter months. Or gift a kit to a non-quilty person with a note saying you will complete it for them after the holidays.
However you do it, here are some great Villa Rosa Designs Rose Card patterns to inspire you:
Table Runners and Place Mats
Amen uses pre-printed panel squares or a theme fabric which means some of the work is already done for you before you even get started.
Griddle uses stash or scraps so there’s no need to head to the quilt shop (unless you really want to…).
Ripple Runner is super fast to make and finish. Short on time? Use a light, medium, and dark fabric instead of making it scrappy. Or go Christmas scrappy — what fun!
Season’s Greetings is a no-brainer — really. Don’t have fat sixths (12″ x 22″)? Dive into your scraps and stash instead!
Sugarplum is a super simple and cute pattern that goes together in a snap. 1 fat quarter and a bunch a scraps. Sew sew sew! Presto! DONE!
Let’s Eat is a fun set of place mats that uses pre-printed panel squares or a theme fabric which means of course that some of the work is already done for you.
Small Quilts
Baby Goose is a great versatile quilt at 42″ x 58″ and can be backed with only one width of fabric. It would take longer than a table runner to make, but it still goes very fast because the focal fabric does most of the work.
Cabin Fever is the perfect size for a baby quilt or a wall quilt or a small lap quilt AND it goes really fast.
Cat City for your favorite feline lover. Go HERE for a 2 Cat City quilt block mini cat quilt tutorial.
Dainty Machines has directions for multiple sizes, including a 26″ x 26″ mini quilt with 4 blocks. You can check out my interview with Sewl Sister HERE.
Did you know we have a whole VRD collection of Accessory Rose Cards? Accessories make great gifts for anyone and everyone. I’ll show you some of my favs, but you can click on the link above to see the whole collection.
I hope these great projects have not only inspired you but give you the desire to whip up those last minute holiday gifts. There’s still time, but you’d better hurry!
Happy Thursday to you! I hope you all are having a wonderful summer so far.
My summer just got a whole lot better! Just recently my family got in gear and finally got our little back porch raised garden planted. And our flowers, too. We may be running a little behind, but I have hopes that in late summer/early fall we’ll be enjoying some fresh veggies picked right out of our little garden pf goodness. If it goes well, next year we are going to add a second raised bed garden.
I used to be an avid gardener way back when, but gave up the year I planted my garden twice and the critters ate everything before it even had a chance to grow. That was it.
But now I’m excited to try container gardening. Besides, ”container gardening” sounds so trendy, don’t you agree?
Cake Day Quilt Block Assembly Tips
I thought I’d share a quick tutorial on how I put the Cake Day table runner quilt block together along with some of my favorite piecing tips.
Cake Day Table Runner Rose Card Pattern
You can get your own Cake Day Table Runner Rose Card pattern HERE.
Often, I prefer to cut out all my pieces for the blocks before I start sewing. I find this is usually quicker than cutting and sewing one block at a time.
Here you can see the pieces all laid out in the right order (all four blocks are stacked) on a flannel board and then I can simply take everything to my sewing machine. This works well if you have to stop in the middle and come back to your project later. Everything stays right where you left — unless of course, you have gremlins or leprechauns or some other little mischievous creatures running around your sewing room when you are not looking.
I have also found that laying out and stacking the pieces in order makes sewing them together faster and easier because I don’t have to stop and figure out where each piece goes.
With all the pieces cut and laid out right sides up, sewing them together is a breeze, especially when I chain-stitch the units one right after the other without cutting my thread in between the units.
Nope! No need to head to my ironing board after clipping the thread between the units, I just kept sewing and chain-stitched the other side too.
I have discovered that the less I press as I’m putting together quilt blocks, the less the blocks stretch or get distorted, which of course improves the accuracy of my sewing.
In the next photo you can see I have the left side background sewn to the Cake print rectangles. Now it’s time to sew the right side.
All right! All the units are sewn together and I’ve clipped the threads between them. I made double sure I layered the units again exactly the same as when I started — we’re ready for the next step.
Again, I’m going to ignore my iron (it must be getting lonely). Time to sew the units together. More chain piecing.
Want to know what happens when I get to seams (remember I haven’t done any pressing at this point)? I’ve already decided which way I wanted my seams to go so as I sew, I hold them down and keep on sewing. Pedal to the metal!
In this next photo you can see I sewed the top unit to the second unit. We’re on a roll — let’s keep sewing.
Okay, we’re almost there! I sewed the rest of the units all together and presto — all 4 of our blocks are now complete and I didn’t even have to get up from my sewing machine.
All right, all right, I relented and finally pressed my blocks — my iron was getting a little dusty from disuse.
Voila! Here is a finished Cake Day block. It’s a cutie, isn’t it?
My 4 blocks are now ready to assemble into a runner. There are sew many possibilities for this runner — birthdays, weddings, showers, parties, and the list goes on and on.
Villa Rosa Quilts 