Pink love for April's Table Scrap Challenge

This weekend was the first time in years that I went to an in-town quilting retreat. What a lot of fun 😀 

April's Table Scraps Challenge

April's colour was pink and the theme was "word". 

Pink Love table runner

I spent a good part of three days sewing at a local quilt retreat organised by the Common Thread Quilt Guild (CTQG). I hadn't been in several years, so it was really nice seeing familiar faces. 

I spent a few hours on Friday and Saturday sewing improv piecing strips. Each strip is a different colour and measures roughly 7½" by 40". I worked on the yellow and orange strips and have more than half of the strips done. I'll talk about these in a separate post, hopefully soon 😊.

Today I made my Table Scrap Challenge runner. On retreats we can use the guild's Accuquilt Go! Cutter, so I cut quite a few squares as well as a few shapes that I eventually want to use in projects. 

Using the guild's Accuquilt Go! Cutter

I love making 9 patch type blocks....and I don't care how many "patches" there are 😀. I put some pink and white-on-white 1½" squares together and then used the scraps left from the cutter to improv piece the borders. 

Sewing 1½" squares and adding improv borders

I put the top together and as soon as I got home (to my Jag), I cut the batting and backing fabric and started free motion quilting (FMQ). That's the best part and fun was had by all 😄. I started by stitching-in-the-ditch around the corner white pieces and then used some very pink Glide thread to FMQ.

In the pink borders, I followed the pink "waves" and then quilted loops or wishbones (I call them lj since that's what I think about when I quilt them). In each white corner, I quilted either my word "pink" or a flower. The centre of the piece is quilted in what I call "Flower Meander". It's my variation of Angela Walter's Feather Meander.

Details of the FMQ

Details of my word "Pink"

The back of the runner

Another view of the Pink Love table runner

My Table Scraps challenge quilts are always a squirrel because I only make them if I can find the time and interest to make them - and they are, of course, always at the last minute!

May's One Monthly Goal

I almost forgot to add my OMG for the month! I'm a member of the Fibre 15 group and are having a group show at the Stone School Gallery. I volunteered to make our comments book - so I'll be using some of the painted/dyed fabric to make a quilted journal cover. 

What I learned

• I am accuracy challenged, and it didn't help that I was making it up as I went along. I really should have paid more attention to piecing the blocks....oh well, they are cute!
• I love white-oh-white fabric but it's not easy to tell which side is the right one. Thank goodness it doesn't really show unless you look at it too closely!
• I thought that I was doing a good thing by cutting my batting ¼" wider than my quilt. I was going to make the binding that much bigger. I should have cut my binding strip larger than 2½" wide. I also finished it by machine with so-so results. Next time I want to do this, I'll have to check out a tutorial!
• Although I don't make quilts often, I really appreciated the use of the Accuquilt Go! Cutter. I'm hoping for before going to my next retreat that I'll have a plan so that I can cut my fabric using it.
• I was nervous about attending the retreat because I'm very much an introvert and depending on my mood, these events can be too much for me. I'm happy to say that I lasted longer than I thought I would each day. The food was great and the people so friendly. It was nice to be sociable after over two years of isolation 😀.

Related links

On for another week!

• Accuquilt Go! Cutter
• Table Scrap Challenge posts: 
• A little yellow and floral runner, March 27, 2022
• Fibre-Fling 2022 It's still on for another week!
• Fibre Fling 2022 - Free Virtual Show now on, April 23, 2022

Linking parties

I'll be linking up to many fun linking parties, especially the April Table Scrap Challenge with the Joyful Quilter. It's also Muv's turn to host Free Motion Mavericks - remember to check it out! Oh Scrap! Beauties Pageant, Peacock Party, Patchwork & Quilts, DrEAMi! Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, May's One Monthly Goal, Midweek Makers, Put Your Foot Down, 

This mini was featured on mmm quilts' DrEAMi!

Project details

Pink Love runner

for the April Table Scrap Challenge

11½" x 12"

Materials: commercial quilting cotton 

Techniques: Accuquilt Go! cutter, piecing and improv piecing, FMQ