SEW Hip! Rail Fence Runner (issue 9) is completed!
After the successful injection of some much needed colour into my living room courtesy my SEW Hip! Patchwork Cushion, I thought I might finish the living room make-over with a matching tablerunner.
Why a tablerunner?
Forget 'tote' bags for your first sewing experience, this project just like the SEW Hip! Patchwork Cushion delivers outstanding results.
If you fancy giving sewing a try but already have a lifetime supply of shopping bags, I highly recommend this project.
(Off subject for a minute)…
As a visual learner I tend to rely on illustrations to guide me through projects. In fact for some activities I can only work from diagrams e.g. I can only crochet using Japanese pattern diagrams.
Written instructions especially the million & 1 worded patterns will be largely ignored. As long as I have the cutting measurements and the gist of a project I will get on with it.
There is however one tiny little problem with the tablerunner instructions – one of them is wrong!
Of course I didn't realise that until after I had sewn my lovely 'rail strips' of fabric together and begun to cut into them.
I had already cut 2 Rail Fence blocks before it dawned on me that my blocks weren't square!
(It never occured to me to double check the details of the SEW Hip! diagrams against the cutting measurements).
Three 2" strips of fabric sewn together with a 1/4" seam allowance makes 5" not 6.5"….
…I made my Rail Fence blocks 5"x5" after that.
The SEW Hip! Rail Fence Blocks are really easy to sew together as long as you keep an eye on things.
Please lay out your blocks in the order you want them to be sewn together and then double check the directions of the strips before sewing – it will save a lot of unstitching later.
SEW Hip! provide an interesting note in the instructions on seam pressing; They advise pressing both seam allowances to one side of the seam. I think the idea is that this will help strengthen the actual seam (I could be wrong).
I decided to open the seams and press it flat down the middle. I am more worried about the 'staircase' effect running across my project than I am weak seams.
In keeping with my SEW Hip! Patchwork Cushion I used Osnaburgh farbic for the SEW Hip! Rail Fence Runner borders.
This tablerunner's borders are made up of large triangles. They sounds tricky but they are actually really easy to sew on. In fact they were so easy I didn't even use the wonderful diagram provided!
(To keep things even I pressed the borders seams open as well).
As with every other 2010 SEW Hip! Challenge I have made, I couldn't resist deviating a little from the instructions.
It wasn't a major change, all I did was lengthen and square off the ends of the tablerunner but it is was one I felt I had to make.
To lengthen and square off the ends, I simply cut additional triangles of Osnaburgh fabric and pieced them on using the same process as before to form a square end.
Before starting the SEW Hip! Rail Fence Runner, I toyed with the idea of not adding the batting as suggested. I really don't like padded tablerunners.
I understand padded placemats but not tablerunners…but as I had already deviated once already from the instructions I added the batting.
Thankfully the Santorini fabric is so great that my tablerunner can withstand some batting.
To keep the top, batting and backing fabric from flapping about I got creative and introduced myself to a new stitch on my Huskystar E10…..the leafy one!
So here it is…my SEW Hip! Rail Fence Runner.
Please click SEW Hip! Rail Fence Runner Fabrics for info.
Related posts:
SEW Hip! Hexagonal Tablerunner
2 Comments on SEW Hip! Rail Fence Runner…..Completed
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The leaf stitch looks great. The fabric looks great. The osnaburgh looks great – must get some and try it. In fact your whole sitting room looks extremely stylish! x
Thank you. Fresh & bright and really easy to do!!
xxH