When you are stuck, it is. I love those houses, but…No.
New favorite. I ordered two more yards.
I love having scraps of batting that are just the right size.
Letting us both rest after a few hours of quilting.
Here come the beauty shots. (Isn’t that little bee with the branch arms the cutest?)
I quilted whatever came into my head.
I haven’t measured it, I haven’t labeled it, but the saga of the Orphan-Blocks-into-Table-Runner is now complete. I’m sorry to say, it didn’t empty out my orphan blocks bin much. Now I have to think up another way to use some of those up. And I have to think up a name. These orphan blocks came from when I taught the First Monday Sew-day class of beginners about Square-in-a-Square, or Economy blocks.
I still love these little houses. Now I have the beginning of another quilt! Get the Pattern Lite here.
Happy Memorial Day Weekend.
Or, as my mother would say, Happy Decoration Day (some fascinating reading in this link). The weekend before Memorial Day, my mother and father would go out and decorate the graves of their grandparents and great-grandparents with flowers, the cemetary made beautiful with pots of mums everywhere. This is the gravestone of my Scottish gr-grandmother. I have two namesake gr-grandmother Elizabeths and I remember them both on this Decoration Day. While the origins of Memorial Day are generally thought to be about the war dead, because of my mother, I remember it also as a day to honor those long gone.
I think we can do both.
In case you need to whip up a flag quilt, here’s a quick free tip sheet to do so!
OccasionalPiece--Quilt! 
The houses and the runner are both cute! I’ve always loved blue and yellow together. They are such a sunshine-y combination. No help with a name though!
They may not “technically” be called quilts but you named every reason to make them. I just did a Jolly Bar 3 Tablerunner with the FatQuarter Shop and I think I got hooked on table runners. Mine is 80″ long. Yours looks to be about the same size. Yours and mine look great on the dining room table and, of course, with a bouquet of flowers. They give a great presentation on the table. I was also proud that I could pull out my batting scraps and make use of them. Win, Win all the way around. You did a great job. Thanks for sharing.
I love a table runner! Also a great gift when you don’t want to commit to a full size quilt!
We always visited the graves the Saturday before Decoration Day. Grandpa and Grandma would clean up and place flowers at their respective family’s cemetery. Our family cemetery, Poland Riverside , was begun for Civil War dead and dedicated by then state senator William McKinley. As kids we stood at the dedication lectern and made “speeches “.
Happy Decoration Day!
I love your table runner! We all seem to have many orphan blocks and it’s great to find some great uses for them.
My husband managed a cemetery for over 30 years and it was so interesting to see the amount of flowers on graves for Memorial Day decrease over the years. The younger generation just doesn’t make the cemetery trip like earlier generations did.
A table runner is definitely a quilt! And I do love that bee fabric! Just bought some in each colorway.
Another wonderful post Elizabeth. I really enjoy hearing of your memories. Your runner is beautiful and sunny; blue and yellow is always a favourite and the bees fabric pulls it all together in such a fun way. 😉
Why wouldn’t it be a quilt? Quilts are (usually) functional objects. The bee print is super cute and I’m glad you were able to order more of it. My parents tend to decorate my paternal grandmother’s grave this weekend every year and I got a text of the refreshed flowers they placed for her yesterday.
What kind of machine are you quilting on? It looks relatively small. I have very little room so need suggestions. Thanks. Sue Everett
Yes! I include table runners in my quilt inventory! Yours is beautiful; I especially like the pic with the tulips.
Nice use of the orphan blocks. Maybe the houses need to be the center of some future medallion quilt. I remember going with my parents to all the various family grave sites with bouquets of peonies. Peonies will always hold that association with Memorial Day for me. Wish I had some in my own garden.