Bonus Projects for the Valentine 26 Mystery

 

Bonus Valentine 26 Mystery

Table Topper, Table Runner, Mug Rug

 

If you missed the reveal of the Valentine 26 Mystery, go back and look at Clue 5. Be sure to download all of the PDF’s as this pattern will be taken down and go into my Etsy Shop for sale after February 14^th, 2026.

In this Pattern Bonus, you can make a simple Mug Rug, a simple Table Topper and a simple Table Runner.

Table Runner:

This pattern can be adjusted to fit the length of your table by simply adding or subtracting Hearts and lengthening or shortening strip piece to work with the length you need.

You will need 3 of the completed heart blocks. For this example, I have mixed them up, using a block from clue 1, 2 and 3 and the completion in clue 4.

You will need:

2 strips of your background fabric that measure 2.25” x WOF.

1 strip of your accent fabric that measures 2.25” x WOF.

2 strips of your accent fabric that measure 3.5” x WOF

2 strips of your accent fabric that measure 3.5” x 12”

3 completed heart blocks

Using a ¼” seam allowance, stitch together a strip set using your 2 background strips and 1 accent strip. It should look like the photo below.

Sub cut this strip set into the following sizes:

2 that measure 2.5” and 2 that measure 6.75”

Layout your strip set cuts and your heart blocks as shown in the finished photo below.

Stitch one of the 2.5” strip set pieces to the top of one of your heart blocks, then stitch one of the 6.75” strip set pieces to the bottom of that heart, continue by attaching another heart, another 6.75” strip set, another heart and the final 2.5” strip set.

Using your 3.5 x WOF strips, Stitch one strip down each side of your Table Runner and trim even with the top and bottom.

Using your 3.5” x 12” strips, stitch one strip to the top and one to the bottom to complete your table runner. Trim even with your sides.

( I have purposely given some flexibility here for new quilter/sewists)

For your backing - Cut a piece of fabric that measures 13.5” x WOF.

Cut a piece of thin batting (Hobbs 80/20 or similar) the same size as your backing.

With the wrong side of the fabric facing up, lay your batting on top and then lay your table runner on top of that creating a “quilt sandwich”. Pin in place carefully, smoothing and making sure that your table runner is in the middle so that there is excess batting and backing all around it. Quilt as desired. For a Newby, I would quilt by stitching in the ditch. You can watch my video tutorial for the mug rug by clicking here, and that will demonstrate how to stitch in the ditch. Add your binding and you are finished.

Mug Rug

You will need:

1 finished heart block

A scrap of batting measuring 6.5” square

A scrap of backing measuring 6.5” square

Place your backing fabric, wrong side up, lay your batting on top and then place your heart block on top of your batting centering it so you have a margin of batting and backing all the way around your block. Pin all in place. Stitch in the ditch or quilt as desired. A video showing you how to stitch in the ditch is linked here. Trim away excess batting and backing even with your heart block. Finish by binding.  For new quilters, I will link a video binding tutorial for a mug rug here.

Star Table Topper

To make the Star Table Topper you will need the following:

4 completed heart blocks each measuring 5.75” square

2 strips of an accent fabric measuring 1.5” x 5.75”

2 strips of your accent fabric measuring 1.5” x 6.6”

1 square of a different accent fabric measuring 1.5” x 1.5” square

2 squares of background fabric measuring 4.75” square

Watch the video Tutorial linked Here. 

When you have made your topper block, watch the video tutorial here for instructions to complete your project.

Please send me photos of your completed projects, I would love to see them and will post them on our social media for you. Thank you. I hope you enjoyed this mystery.

 

 

 

 

Mid Century Color Block Table Runner - Update

My son Andrew, loves mid century style. I created this table runner for his dining table. Here's how to make this easy runner.

The fabrics I used were Michael Miller Pin Dot for the yellow

Michael Miller Painter's Canvas for the slate and Artisan Spirit by Northcott Fabrics for the turquoise.

The finished size of this table runner is 33.5" x 11.5"

I purchased 1 yard of the Slate fabric, 1/2 yard of each of the others.That is way more than you will need.  

You need some scraps of the yellow and some scraps of the turquoise. A 2.5" x 12 " strip of each will be plenty. Dig through your stash, I'm sure you have something you can use. Your runner doesn't have to be these exact colors, you can make it any way you wish.

You will need a piece of the slate fabric cut 12.5" wide by the width of the fabric.

You will need a piece for your backing that is just a bit bigger.  I like a couple inches wider and longer all the way around to allow for quilting.

You will need a piece of thin batting that is just a bit bigger than your finished runner but a tiny bit smaller than your backing.

Other items needed, cutting mat, rotary cutter, ruler, sewing machine, pins, thread...the normal stuff.

Let's get started:

Open out your slate colored fabric and measure about 12 inches in on each end.  Make a cut straight across with your rotary cutter and ruler. Set these two end pieces aside, we will reattach them later. 

Using that middle piece of fabric, cut it into random strips no smaller in width than 1 1/2". Differing widths will add interest. Lay them out and decide where you want your color blocks, make a crossways cut in your strip and insert your color block.  You can slide them a little one way or the other but there is not a lot of wiggle room, so try to get your color block where you want it before cutting your strip crossways.  

Stitch all your color blocks in place, they can be any width you want, again, mixing up the sizes adds interest.  Lay them out on your cutting mat and make sure you like the layout before you stitch the completed strips together.  Also, I would suggest that you keep your blocks away from the edge of the strips, you will be trimming this area and you don't want to lose your effect.

Stitch your strips back together to create your center panel. Once you have your center portion stitched and pressed, trim it to measure the same width as your reserve pieces.  Stitch your reserve pieces onto the center panel,  one on each end.  Layer your batting and backing and pin in place.  

Starting in the center of your center panel, stitch straight lines across through all layers, using a longer stitch to quilt it together. Roll your runner up and it will be easier to get through your machine. Stitch straight across at varying widths to create a quilted effect that you like. Move from the center to the end and then turn it around and do the same to complete your quilting. This will help to keep things smooth as you quilt.

To bind I cut 3 strips 2.5" x WOF (Width of Fabric), pieced them together and folded it in half.  I chose to bind with the slate fabric to keep the interest on the color blocks.

And there you have it! You can make one in an afternoon and have it on your table for dinner!  

Update:  They love it!  Here it is on their table.  

Autumnal Flurries!

The oak and madrone leaves are drying on the trees now and it doesn't take much of a breeze for them to come swirling down.  The forest floor is carpeted in their gold and brown beauty, crackling as the deer wander through.  I think this is one of my most favorite seasons.  The sun is starting to drop down in the southern sky, the mornings are brisk and this past week we have been treated to a Hunter's Moon.  It has been so bright that even here in the forest, all the stars are dimmed behind it's blazing pale reflection.  

It calls for a moon glow table runner, something with lots of reflective bits, something that would express that Autumnal glow that lays below the pines right now.  Spider webs glistening in the last rays of the warm sun and pumpkins in the field, ready for their special night.

 The table runner is complete, batting and quilting done, now to pick out a suitable binding.  For me, binding is like framing a piece of art.  


















My friend Brenda Allen has just completed a beautiful Halloween Quilt!  Hand stitched center pannel with color crayon color on the fabrics, a fun technique!  Her fabric selections are always great.

I love the BOO surround!

Her backing is awesome!

Color applied to fabric with color crayons!

I always appreciate her beautiful creations.

We had our last quilt class for the year this past Friday.  Everyone was busy working on their individual projects.  Teri brought in her quilt top to pin and it is just so bright and wonderful!  She is really turning out to be a very talented quilter!

Teri pinning her quilt top.

In addition to her quilt top, she brought in a tree skirt that she made this past year.  Just cute as can be!!!

I am doodling along with my Sugar Block Quilt...here is my mess...LOL.

I am planning four corner blocks that will look like the one above, each block in the four corners will be different but will be framed with the flying geese and the white fabric.  More to be revealed there.  I have blocks from 3 other BOM's that I have yet to assemble.  Slacking off.  Lots of quilting in my future, lots and lots of quilting.

So, like the flurry of leaves that are falling to the ground now, I have a flurry of projects to complete.  A quilters work is never done.  Thankfully.  

A Bali Charming Table Runner

What can you do with a charm pack?  Well, you can whip up one of these sweet table runners. I used the entire pack of the Bali Snaps that you see above to make this little table runner.  I stacked the fabric and cut it with a 3 1/2 inch finished size Acrylic Quarter Circle Template purchased from Elisa's Backporch Design.  She has all different sizes and they are so quick, fun and easy to work with.  

For the backside, I used two fat quarters of fabric I had laying around which I randomly pieced for some interest.  Then I free motion quilted the piece using a variegated light green on the front and a berry on the bobbin for the backside.  I love quilting leaves.

I finished it off with a bargain bin remnant of batik for the binding. 

 Below is a video by Elisa, showing how to use her templates to make the quarter circle.  I think you will enjoy it.  

She also has a great book titled Crazy Curves Continues

which you can purchase online at Amazon.com or at your favorite quilt store.

Twisting The Afternoon Away!

Moda Little Black Dress

This coming Friday, March 1st, I will be teaching a mini-class on how to use the Twister Tool.  We will be making a table runner and there are a couple things you can do at home to prepare for this class!

To make the table runner you will need either 1 charm pack (about $10.00) with 36-42  precut 5 x 5 inch pieces or you will need to cut yourself some 5 x 5 inch squares out of the fabric of your choice.  The advantage to a charm pack is you will have a color coordinated packet of precut fabrics normally containing the entire run for that designer.  No thinking required...you like the colors and the fabrics in the packet, they WILL play nice together.   If you are cutting your own fabrics, I will suggest that you pick lights and darks and alternate them as you sew the blocks together.  Your end result will be a table runner that has pop and appeal.  Any scrap fabrics that you can cut 5 x 5 inches will work, so don't stress over this.  Just have fun with it!

You will need enough fabric for a border and backing along with some thin batting.  

BEFORE YOU COME TO CLASS:  Sew your blocks together.  Here is how I do mine, you can do yours any way you want, just get them together.

First I sort, light and dark from the packet.  Then I randomly sew the lights and darks together, one after another, I feed them into the machine without breaking the thread in between. Clip them apart, press to set the seams and then press them open.

 You will make two rows of equal length this way and then you will sew those two rows together.  Remember our trick of pressing the seams in opposite directions so they nest together when you are matching them up?  This would be a good time to use that trick.  DON'T stress if they are not perfect, it doesn't matter for this project, you will never see it.

When all the rows are sewn together it should look something like this.   Well, hey, that is pretty all on it's own...just wait till we are done with it!  Oh Boy!  Now we are ready to cut.  




If you are coming to class Friday...stop here and bring your blocks with you all sewn together.  If you are at home, or can't wait...well then, continue below.

This is the Twister Tool.  Kind of hard to see, it's clear.  But you will notice it's a square with an offset line in the center.  The tool is by Country Schoolhouse Designs and you can get it here:  Twister Tool  Now there are two sizes, get them both, you're gonna want them!  For this tutorial, we are using the Lil' Twister.  Below is a little video I created to show you how to place the tool on your fabric, once placed you will use your rotary cutter and carefully cut around the block.  You don't want to cut beyond the square tool.

Using your rotary cutter, carefully cut around the Twister Tool.  When finished remove your square of fabric and set it in a place where you can add your next piece to it without having to move your squares.  

'

Once you have cut about six pieces you will start to see your design coming together.  Sew in rows, careful not to move things around.  Check your design.  Add a border if you wish, batting and backing.  Quilt and bind...you have a lovely table runner.  Don't want to bother binding, add your batting and some muslin for the backing, quilt your top and then put a piece over it with the right side of your quilted piece and the right side of your backing together, stitch around all the edges leaving a 6 inch opening to turn and flip it right side out, stitch up your turning hole and you have a lovely table runner.

Borders - you can put them on before you trim your blocks or after, your choice, it will give you a different effect either way, both are lovely.  Save your extra bits that are left over, they can be used in other projects.  

Your finished piece for your table runner will be about 27" long.  You can decide how big you want your borders from there.

Table Runner in Blue

I love to make table runners! This one is blue to match my calico blue china. I have it draped over the side board here, but it looks lovely on the table, I'll have to take a picture and upload it. I collect rabbits and this is my little gnome friend riding a bunny, couldn't resist.