a country table

I recently made this gift for our friend Susan before she moved away to the country. After many years of living in an apartment in the city, she bought a house of her own and was moving many miles away. 

I already wished we saw Susan more often than we did. But now this move means that I will see this dear friend even less. She has been so amazing to our little family over the years and we're so appreciative.

But even with this sadness, I am truly excited for her and for her new life ahead. 

Often when we spend time together it is over a big meal like Thanksgiving or Easter. So I thought it was very appropriate to make her a table runner for enjoying big country meals in her new country home. 

I didn't use a pattern for it, just sort of made it up as I went along. 
I'm happy with how it turned out - especially the binding. This was the first project where I felt like I mastered (or almost mastered) the art of binding! I wish I had done more quilting on it but time only allowed for stitch in the ditch. And if I'm going to be honest, I didn't have the courage to do free motion quilting.... just yet anyway.


 

Something from Nothing

I recently made this little mouse for a friend.

She asked me to make something for her daughter from a pillow that had belonged to her grandmother. 

This project reminded me of one of my favourite children's books by Canadian author and illustrator Phoebe Gilman, called Something from Nothing.

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Every little boy should own a copy of this heartwarming book. It's the story of a grandfather re-working the fabric of a favourite blanket throughout the early years of the little boy's life.

 

I thought this project would be such a sweet gift from something of generations past.

 

The pillow was made of a fabric that frayed very easily so I decided to use just a bit of it to applique the belly and ear patches of the mouse, and let it do just that - fray. For the rest of the mouse I used quilting cotton in coordinating fabrics and filled it with the stuffing from the pillow.

Mabelle the Mouse

I made a little pinwheel quilt for the mouse. The button in the center was created with that special pillow fabric. And you'll have to read the book for the significance of the blanket and button :)

To make this mouse I used a pattern found in this adorable book, Sewn Toy Tales - by Melly & Me: 

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 Thanks for reading.