When my grandma passed in 2016 many of her sewing supplies, projects, and textiles came to live with me, including a pile of very finely constructed doilies. I had an idea to put them on quilts for my family members, but four years later those doily quilts hadn’t made it to the top of my to-do list. It finally occurred to me that table runners might be just as appreciated and a far more attainable goal for me. I spent a week working steadily on these (and one for myself that is almost done) and finished them just in time for gift giving. They were opened over video call in true 2020 style.

I felt a little uneasy about cutting these lacy things that had clearly taken a lot of time and care to make. But I finally decided to go for it... Doilies aren’t exactly popular as home decor these days, and I thought chopping them for these runners was a better fate for them than staying packed away in boxes or drawers. Hopefully these runners will get plenty of use. And I think they really highlight her work. I hope she would approve.

I quilted these (very densely!) on my Juki. I wanted all the sections to get tacked down to prevent any snags during use. Lots of imperfect, organic echo quilting. Took a lot of time and thread, but I love the effect.

During our vacation out West last summer, my aunt and uncle hosted us for a couple of days in their beautiful Colorado home. I wanted to thank them with a handmade gift. I decided on a table runner because it would be quick but also useful.

I wanted to try a technique made popular by Nicole of Modern Handcraft. Instead of sewing the hexies to each other, you tack them down with fabric-friendly glue, then sew lines through all the points, on the diagonal. It's a kind of cheater's applique that ends up looking amazing in its own right.

I made the hexies from a charm pack of a fabric line called Barcelona, so they all played together perfectly. Then I pieced the background with strips from my stash.

My aunt and uncle were very appreciative of their gift, and I will always be grateful to them for showing us their corner of the gorgeous state of Colorado.

Table Runners featuring my Grandma's Doilies

Modern Hexie Table Runner