Last November I found a treasure in a thrift store. It was stuffed into a basket and was marked 50 cents. You know me, I couldn’t just leave it there. I posted a picture of it on Instagram asking what I should do with it. The most popular response was to ‘finish it up as it was’. Then the holidays rolled around and it was pushed aside.
Instagram posting from last fall.
On Monday, after a very busy week with the fair, I decided to just play in the sewing room for a bit. I was too tired to do much of anything and certainly didn’t feel like cleaning house (and truth be told, I still don’t feel like doing that!). I was poking through the piles of stuff in the sewing room and found this. I had pin basted it and it was ready to quilt.
I took a second look at it and changed my plan. I decided to finish it without batting (like I did with the purple pansies runner I recently made). I really like the soft drape that last runner had without batting. I thought it would work for this as well. The piece was not terribly big, measuring just 14″ x 25″. So I removed the batting and pinned the pieced top right sides together with a piece of pink batik from my stash. After I stitched the perimeter with a 1/4″ seam, I turned it right side out and pressed it. I top-stitched 1/8″ in around the perimeter which closed that opening nicely.
I used a gold thread and did more top-stitching here and there. I ran a seam around the three little two inch squares in the center of each block as well as along the edges of a few of the borders. This will keep things together should I ever need to wash it. (Though, I would likely hand wash this because I suspect the colors will bleed – these reds are really red!)
I think this is so pretty and very different from what I usually would make. I wonder how it ended up in a thrift store? Maybe the maker decided she didn’t like the colors? Who knows? But I really like it and love how it looks on this old sewing machine cabinet I have in my entry way.
This backing was perfect for this bright little project. The colors are gorgeous and have a Moroccan look to them.
I was very happy to finish this up and it was the perfect project to allow me to continue to avoid any mundane housework! I wonder how long I can keep procrastinating???
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What a sweet little runner! I only hope whoever abandoned the little top at the thrift store finds your post and knows it has a good home! The backing fabric is a great fit—-just perfect and the gold thread really sets off the pinks nicely.
That would be such a treat if the owner happened upon this post. Fun to think of that.
Hope you are doing well Kathy! Nice to hear from you.
Love those saturated reds and pinks! I can see why you rescued this little orphan and gave it a new home. I hope it’s the remaining blocks from a giant, bright, happy quilt somewhere 🙂
That deep color is what caught my eye. Even though I have nothing of this color in the house, it is fun to see it on the sewing machine cabinet. It is so pretty!
I often wonder what people would think if my half-made projects were to end up in someone’s possession. Sometimes I just lose interest. Simple with no story behind it. But other times, I get discouraged, or was just learning to sew. Whatever the reason for the discard you found, you turned it around beautifully! As for finding more way to procrastinate? I think you can come up with plenty!
Sometimes I get weary of a project too. Luckily I don’t have all that many but there are a few. I like finding these bits and pieces though – It makes for a fun project, trying to think of how to use it and wondering what it was intended to be.
Procrastination? Yes, it comes easily and today is no different – didn’t even pull out the vacuum to pretend like I was going to clean. Haha.
What a fun, bright pop of color on that cabinet! I love it, and I like the way you decided to finish it. I often wonder about the quilt stories when they come from an antique shop or a thrift store. So happy you gave this little burst of happiness a home! As to putting off housework, I could write a post on that. Haha!
You and me both!! I worked in the garden this morning and decided that was enough chores for the day. So, for yet one more day, the house stays a mess! 🙂
What a great finish, Bernie. I often wonder about the stories of items in thrift stores, and you have giving this a great new life. 🙂
It is a cute piece and I am happy to have it on display in my entry way!
Ah, the satisfaction of finishing a project and enjoying its beauty! It will always hold some wonder and mystery, but that makes it even more fun! The gold threaded stitching is the perfect touch.
Thank you Kathy! I had tried to stitch it up with a fuschia color Sulky thread because I wanted that shimmery look. But my machine wouldn’t have any of it!! So I switched to the gold. It looked great though.
Bernie I just love that you rescued that beautiful topper. I have finished several projects for people. One person decided not to quilt any longer and gave me a half finished lap quilt . I knew she had planned to give it to her sister ages ago so when I had a bit of time, I finished it up. My sister gave me a sampler quilt top that she had started ages ago and just hated how imperfect it was. I took the blocks apart and re-worked it for her, feeling that it must have meant something to her at one point. The quilt top became a few pillows and a table topper. I have also had an elderly gentleman give me quite a bit of his late wife’s sewing supplies and he asked me to finish up 3 table runners she had started making for her daughters. I say all of this because I actually makes me sad that projects, which obviously started with great enthusiasm, go undone and end up in the thrift shop. (and no, don’t anyone get the idea to send me your UFO’s!) You show that there is always a way to rescue the left-behinds!
How generous you are with your time and talents. That is really sweet of you to finish up other’s projects. I have found a number of fun treasures while hunting in thrift stores and it is a joy to finish up a project started by someone else. Plus it is so simple – much of the work has been done already!
Love the colors in this abandoned table runner. So nice that you rescued it, finished it and gave it a home. Congrats! on your finish.
Thanks Ramona. It was a lucky find!! So nice to hear from you – have a great weekend.
What a wonderful rescue! I really like the colours – so vibrant and it does look very nice on that table. Beautiful finish! Thank you for linking up for TGIFF! 🙂
Thank you Izzy!!
It did finish up nicely and looks good on the cabinet.
Thank you! I am very happy with it.
This is really pretty — I love the bright colors and it looks great on your sewing cabinet.
Thank you Laura!!
Very nice runner, you really took the pieced fabric and turned it into something wonderful!
Thank you! I really like the colors the longer I see it. It was a fun find for sure.