Grandma's Garden Table Runner

Last December I was trying to decide what to make my Grandmother for Christmas. She had recently lost her husband to cancer and was re-inventing, well, everything. She replaced all her furniture and was learning how to be social again. To be honest, she had more than enough of the go-to chicken figurines. (She loves chickens; don't know why, just does.) Among the new furniture she bought was a dining set. This table was beautiful, but had some odd measurements. My Mother suggested that I make Grams a springtime table runner, since she had bought a fall and winter one. I had recently run across this picture on pinterest. (Well, I rotated it to fit better here; link I followed from pinterest.)

 I loved it. This was what I had to make. Only problem was, I didn't know how to work with hexagons. Oh well, I have always been a dive-in kinda girl. I spent a few days thinking about numbers, how long I wanted the runner to be, what fabrics did I already have that would look good, and of course, how do I piece hexagons. I was running into a problem....everything I read, and even heard from my God-mother, was that I was going to have to sew this by hand...It was December 11th when I started cutting out hexagons...this table runner had to be at least 60 inches...hand sewing wasn't going to cut it...Then, enter the Youtube search that saved my butt. I found a video for machine piecing hexagons. Could it be true? Did I find the answer I was looking for? So here is a picture break down of the creation and completion of this project.

I cut my hexagons, needing 6 in one color for the outside of the flower and 1 of a coordinating color for the center. I don't remember what size any more, but I believe they are 1 ½ inches.

These are fabrics that I had gotten in in fat quarter bundles from JoAnn's. They were supposed to be used for another project, but I was running out of time and money.

I couldn't decide which flower I liked best, so I opted to use both. I then cut out 4 flowers from each of my color sets (dark and light blue, dark and light pink, dark and light purple, yellow and orange). This resulted in 25 hexagons in each color.

I used 2 different shades of greens for the grass/leaves.

I then started laying them out on my table, and quickly realized I was going to run out of room.

I then found a length of empty wall in my house, and tacked up some fleece I had left over from the Reusable Swiffer Pad creation. My daughter helped me pin hexagons so that we could get a full length view of the table runner before sewing.

I wanted a more vine like table runner, so you will see that there are a lot of curves in this. My hope was for it to snake across the table. Now for the sewing.

First, I want you to note that you will technically be sewing diagonal lines.

Flip your hexagon over so you are looking at the wrong side of the fabric. With a pen (I use Frixion erasable pens, they come in many colors and the ink disappears when you iron), mark a 1/4 inch border around your hexagon. You will sew your hexagons together between where these lines intersect. I have heard this referred to as "dot-to-dot" sewing.

Do this for every hexagon in your rows.

Once you have all your rows finished, this is where it starts getting complicated.

Find where your rows are going to connect. They will lay fairly similar to this. Dot-to-dot sew where they connect.

It should look like this when unfolded.

Now, you have to fold the first hexagon in half so that you can line up the next seam.

Dot-to-dot sew again.

Now the second hexagon will get folded in half so the 3rd seam will line up, and you will dot-to-dot again.

See a trend yet?

You will continue to fold the previous hexagon as you dot-to-dot all your seams until your rows are joined.

Ta-DA! You have just pieced your first hexagons with your sewing machine. Continue this entire process until your project is finished. I swear the more you do, the faster you will get.

After completing the top of my table runner, I laid it with the batting and backing making the finished edging sammich that is required of hiding the seams. I then carefully sewed at 1/4 inch. I sewed up all but one end, then trimmed down my backing fabric so I could turn it over. Turning was a slow process because I had to poke and press all the corners out. I then sewed little bug buttons (dragonflies, bumble bees, lady bugs, and butterflies. Also found at my local JoAnn Fabrics) all over to tack it down and continue the garden feel. I sewed these bugs at about a hands width apart. I then sewed up the open end and called it done.

Over all, I know there are some bubbles in this project. I admit that it was rapidly thrown together with no idea what I was doing when I started. Grams loves it. I love it. Everyone that watched the development loves it, and that is what I choose to take from it.

I hope this helps and gives you a wonderful project to work on. I guess I need to get to work on some matching place mats. Grams has requested the ability to have a full setting for Easter. Guess I know what she is gonna get this Christmas!