Done and Delivered

Way back in July I was working on a runner for my daughter’s birthday. It didn’t get done by her birthday, which was expected due to starting it too close to the date. And then I ran into the problem of the length of the table is longer than anticipated, which caused other issues. I have been working on it over the last few months, but part of the problem was deciding exactly was I was doing. I finally figured it out and finished it!

To make the runner longer I planned to put an insert in the center, but what that insert was going to look like I had trouble deciding. I had the edgings done for a normal rectangular runner back in July, though I never attached them because I didn’t know how I was going to end up cutting the material. I finally came up with an oval for the insert.

This picture shows the center with the edging pinned to the material, so it looks pretty wonky. You can see that it is pretty large. One of the issues of coming up with the shape was to somehow make a pattern of the size I wanted. I finally used a serving platter. Then I had to sew it, oh boy.

The center edging pattern isn’t exactly like the end pieces due to the curve. I also used size 10 for the blue (Wedgewood Dark, Lizbeth #656) in it where the end pieces I had used size 20, though the red (Terra Cotta, Lizbeth #673) and white (Natural, Lizbeth #602) were in size 10. Why I had to make all the edgings so complicated I don’t know! Simple rings and chains would have gone so much faster!

After I got the center this far I kind of stalled out. I was afraid of making a mistake with the truck material or coming up with something I couldn’t finish. My sewing skills are minimal, mostly just straight(ish) lines. The two sides were going to be attached to the curved center. What had I gotten myself into? I hemmed and hawed with this for weeks – ok, months – before just doing it. I did cut out a paper pattern first, to test out the look.

I finally sewed the two sides and figured a way to attach them to the center. I’m hoping the tatting and the cute material will distract everyone from looking too closely at the sewing, LOL!

The ends were much easier! Why didn’t I keep the center edging more like this? I just have to keep changing things up!

This is the finished runner on my table. It turned out nice. Her table is a rectangle so the ends will hang just a little differently. This patriotic truck-themed runner birthday gift was supposed to be for July and Independence Day, now she’ll have it for next year. I had jokingly told her I might have it done for Veteran’s Day, November 11, which amazingly I did. I finished it yesterday and took it to her today so she could put it out for tomorrow.

My daughter loves it! She sent me pictures of it on her table and it looks good. I’m so happy she’s happy with it and that I was able to deliver it before Christmas. Or next July.

Tomorrow, November 11, is Veteran’s Day here in the USA. To all the veterans out there, thank you for your service.

A few facts about Veteran’s Day from History.com

Veterans Day occurs on November 11 every year in the United States in honor of the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918 that signaled the end of World War I, known as Armistice Day.

Veterans Day commemorates veterans of all wars

Great Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World War I and World War II on or near November 11th: Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November).