Appliqued Heart Table Runner

Greetings!

Fussy cutting. You guys know what that is, right? It's when you cut pieces of fabric so that a particular part of the printed design is centered or featured.

The weekend leading up to Valentine's Day I got a wild hair and started fussy cutting hearts out of some hot pink flannel fabric that I've had in my stash for a long time (and which I used in small doses for this project a couple of years ago). Mainly I was just playing with my new scalloped scissors and getting the feel of them, but the more I cut, the more I realized how much I liked those printed hearts. The fabric on the whole is just too bright for my tastes (and that's really saying something, because you know I love bright colors) but all those darling hearts! So what to do with them?

I know, I'll make a table runner!

I cut a long, wide strip of canvas and without any plan whatsoever, just started spreading out the hearts across the fabric in all directions. I stepped back and squinted a couple of times just to make sure the color was evenly distributed (very scientific, aye?) and when it was, I pinned them down and started stitching.

Here's a picture I posted on Instagram just as I was getting started. I never thought I would like it as much as I do, but I'm really starting to love Instagram for quick little WIP pictures.

Once I started I was a stitching machine. I queued up a book on Audibles (kind of "meh" as far as books go, but an easy listen, and one of my book club picks so I had to get through it anyway)

Somewhere along the way I fell in love with the stitching on the back and decided that I wasn't going to back or quilt this piece, I was just going to add binding and call it a day.

I mean really, look at that! It's kind of accidentally pretty isn't it? I'm not fussed about the knots, it's a table runner, not a hard wearing pair of jeans...

Speaking of binding, Instagram is also great for quick opinions. Like choosing which binding to go with, hot pink or aqua gingham?

Gingham for the win! I loved the pink, but there was a lot of pink in those hearts already, and I thought the aqua was a good balance, and besides... gingham!!

I'm pretty much in love with this runner now, it's one of my all-time favorites out of ALL the things I've ever made and that just tickles me because I really didn't put any thought into this. No planning, no worrying, I just cut a bunch of hearts out of some too-pink fabric and stitched those babies down. Talk about pretty accidents.

Valentine's Day has come and gone, but the runner remains out on the coffee table in the family room. It's just too pretty to put away.

Finally this fabric which has been sitting on a shelf for years met it's best potential (or at least the best I could give it) and has struck the right balance of bright & pretty and just a little bit tame. I love it!

Happy Monday everyone! 

oxo,

Lisa