Saturday, December 8, 2018

Last Minute Gift Blog Hop - Guest Post : Natalie Crabtree



Hello to all the quilters, fabric admirers and color enthusiasts reading this blog! I am Natalie Crabtree, quilt designer based in Cincinnati, OH. I am pleased to take part in this fun Michael Miller Holiday Blog Hop. I do hope you enjoy making these fun projects.

I adore the Christmas season. The hustle, bustle and holiday cheer is something that I have always thrived on! However, the holidays are often so busy it might be difficult to find time to sit down and sew! Running from store to store, cooking, baking and decorating! Easy to create, quick projects are wonderful for this time of year.

For my Last Minute Gift ideas, I wanted to focus on projects that didn’t require a pattern and that could easily be done in a day or less. It was also important for me to provide projects that were enjoyable and easy to create! What a joy it is to sit down at the sewing machine, listen to Christmas tunes and sew handmade gifts for family and friends.

For these projects I used Michael Miller’s Cotton Couture Solids, Fairy Frost and Rustique Winter.



The first project I focused on was a Woven Fabric Table runner. This project would be a wonderful gift for the host or hostess at holiday parties, or a lovely addition to your own dining table. This project requires sewing but includes a nontraditional fabric weaving method. It’s fun to change it up from time to time! 
This table runner design is versatile. You can add borders and intricate quilting for a more involved project, or you can bind the woven table runner and have a completed project. The choice is yours.
1 
      1. Start by cutting at least (20) 3” x WOF strips from various fabrics. Do not remove selvages. The sturdy selvages will help you in later steps. Use as many fabrics as you can, the scrappier the better with this project!

      2.  Use the 3” strips to sew tubes by folding the strip over on itself. The wrong side of fabric will be facing you. Sew all 3” strips into tubes.


     3.   Press all seams open on the tubes so that the tube will lay flat.
      
     4. Use a safety pin to flip the tube right side out. Sort of like putting a sweatshirt string back into a sweatshirt! This is where the selvages come in handy! Pin the safety pin to the selvage and pull the tube right side out. Pinning to the selvage allows you to pull the fabric through without worrying about tearing or stretching.
     
     5. Press tubes flat. Make sure that your seam is running down the middle of one side of your tube.
   
     6. Cut half of your tubes into thirds. (I used 20 tubes total. 10 tubes were left WOF, the remaining 10 tubes were cut into thirds giving me 30 shorter tubes)


     7.  This is where the fun begins! Using pins and a flat surface that you can pin things to (foam board, carpet, or in my case an ottoman!), pin the ends of 10 WOF tubes down so that the tubes are touching each other. We do not want space between each tube.

   8. Begin weaving the shorter tubes alternating the weaving as you go. Make sure to pull the tubes taunt and weave very close together as you don’t want any room in between each tube. 



9.       Pin tubes in place as you go to keep them straight. Use basting glue or school glue to hold tubes in place. This will become important when you lift the table runner from the flat surface. 



10.       Continue until you have reached the length of table runner you wish to create. Let the basting glue dry before lifting the table runner.  Don’t be nervous if the table runner’s edges look uneven! We will trim in later steps. 



11.       After the glue has dried, lift the table runner and trim the edges.
12.       Once you have reached this step, you have options.

a.       If you are low on time, you can bind the table runner and the project will be complete! The basting glue and tight woven fabrics will stay in place.
b.       You can quilt the table runner as desired and bind. (This is the option I choose, see photos below)
c.       You can add borders, quilt and bind! 


This project was such a joy to make, and a fun change of pace! I hope that you enjoy it too! 


******Giveaway Alert!******
Be sure to comment on the post below to enter for a chance to win a FQ bundle from us at Michael Miller Fabrics! 

Happy sewing! 

Blog Hop Schedule

Monday, December 3rd, 2018 -  Debby Kratovil 




Tuesday, December 4th, 2018  -Stephanie Kendron of Modern Sewciety






Wednesday, December 5th, 2018- Lish Dorset


Guest post on our blog :






Thursday, December 6th, 2018 - Sam Hunter of Hunter's Design Studio






Friday, December 7th , 2018 - Wendy Sheppard of Ivory Spring






Saturday, December 8th, 2018 - Natalie Crabtree


Guest post on our blog :






Sunday, December 9th, 2019 – Gemia Carroll of Phat Quarters Fabric


Monday, December 10th, 2019 -Sandra Clemons of Make it Blossom 







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19 comments:

  1. quilterDecember 8, 2018 at 11:17 AM

    Very pretty thanks for sharing and the great giveaway
    cork@pa.rr.com

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  2. Kathy E.December 8, 2018 at 11:17 AM

    I have heard about weaving fabric before, but haven't seen any photos. Your table runner is a perfect way to use this technique and I love the look! I also enjoy sewing when the method is a bit different than my usual routine, especially when it turns out so well! I need to make one like yours...thanks so much!

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  3. Steph CrabtreeDecember 8, 2018 at 1:25 PM

    So cute and easy!! Thanks!!

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  4. AmyDecember 8, 2018 at 3:01 PM

    I'd never thought of weaving a table runner before, but I really like yours. Bookmarking, and keeping my fingers crossed that there's enough time in the next week to make one!

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  5. Anne DDecember 8, 2018 at 3:24 PM

    Wow. It looks great. Love the fabric!

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  6. Angie TDecember 8, 2018 at 4:30 PM

    Thanks for the tutorial! Table runners always make a great gift.

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  7. Linda WilliamsonDecember 9, 2018 at 9:13 AM

    I've never tried weaving and quilting before. Thanks for the tutorial. grinnie1961 at gmail dot com

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  8. Patty December 9, 2018 at 11:58 AM

    What a great runner!

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  9. Cathy CDecember 9, 2018 at 12:03 PM

    I’ve never tried fabric weaving. Thanks for the good explanation

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  10. Joyce CarterDecember 9, 2018 at 9:07 PM

    WOW! This is sooo awesome! I really love this and I really like the way you put it together. Thank you for the giveaway.

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  11. Sharon AuroraDecember 9, 2018 at 9:33 PM

    I like the look of that. Thank you for such detailed instruction.

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  12. SewgirlDecember 9, 2018 at 10:32 PM

    Wow! What a great table runner idea! And love all the color. Thanks for sharing!!

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  13. Sarah JDecember 9, 2018 at 10:45 PM

    This is so clever! I love it!

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  14. StephanieDecember 10, 2018 at 3:10 PM

    I'd like to win a bundle.

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  15. Diane BeaversDecember 10, 2018 at 8:32 PM

    What a fun change of pace! I don’t know why I’ve been afraid to try this technique. Fabulous tutorial, thanks fir the push , I’m anxious to get started.

    bluestarof2(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  16. EdnaDecember 20, 2018 at 3:15 PM

    I like your tutorial. What fun project. Thanks for sharing.

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  17. Katie, Julep and Derby's MomDecember 20, 2018 at 9:08 PM

    What a great and festive collection of fabrics! Weaving fabric is something I have thought about and now I have the courage to give it a try. Thanks for the give-a-way and all the best for a great holiday season. Katie

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  18. AuntiekdaDecember 28, 2018 at 8:10 PM

    Sew cute!

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  19. Brenda @ Songbird DesignsJanuary 3, 2019 at 12:54 PM

    Love your project! I want to try weaving! Thanks for sharing the how-to's!!

    ReplyDelete