Table runner experiments

I made a Christmas table runner with some left over charm squares and scraps I had and it is pretty darn cute. There was no pattern, but if anyone wants what I did, let me know.

So there were two things I experimented with on this.

1. Elmer's Glue Basting - seriously, this has blown my mind. You can follow the link to the full tutorial, but basically you use glue instead of safety pins to baste you quilt front, batting and quilt back, then let it dry over night. The next morning you can quilt it all together right through the glue. The reason I made the table runner is my next quilt project is a baby quilt, and I was worried the quilt would be crunchy because of glue. When it was complete I washed it on warm and all the glue was gone. It is as soft as any of my other quilts, but didn't involve taping it to my floor and a million safety pins. I want to glue all my fabrics together now. Oh! And I was able to sew through the glue, even when it was thick, just fine. Mind. Blown.

2. I sewed the binding using my machine. I followed this tutorial. I love how a hand sewn binding looks, but I was worried with a baby quilt I needed to do something a bit sturdier. I am glad I did this project first because now my next project will look nicer. Overall it was easy and way faster. I still prefer the look of hand binding, but for something that may get a lot of use I may start doing machine binding more.

So I tried a couple new techniques, used some scraps, invented a pattern and have a great thick table runner I feel comfortable placing hot dishes on. What a winner of a project! I needed that.