How could I forget?

I couldn't resist buying the kit for this quirky little tablerunner on a visit to Denmark last spring and thought I would have plenty of time to make it before Christmas (as you do...). But to finish something, you have to start, right? And that just didn't happen, because there was an ocean of time before Christmas. Until suddenly there wasn't. It seemed to be right around the corner instead. How does that happen?

I finally got started - some evenings of relaxing with a little needleturn applique and I'd have it ready in no time... Right. You know how these things go - Real Life butts in and your plans are overthrown. So I didn't get a new table runner for Christmas, but I decided to keep going and finish it anyway.  And I did. And then I forgot to post about it! Here I had been working diligently for weeks sewing everything by hand and nobody knew! Well, finally here it is!

The backround is linen and all the applique pieces are batiks. I did some changes along the way, had to, in fact. Because I didn't place all the trees right (even though there was a perfectly good full size chart), so there wasn't quite enough room for the house (I should have started with the house...) So the house isn't as tall as it should have been and didn't get a sign above the door to tell you that it is Santa's House. But I know anyway. And maybe that is a good thing, because it isn't all that Christmassy after all, so I can use it all winter if I like.

There is quilting around all shapes in the bacground colour, and one long winding quilt line in contrasting thread from the chimney to the parcels at the opposite end. Some parts were quite fiddly to do, especially the snowmen's noses. They were looking quite rude to begin with, so I had to go back and redo them to get the ends a bit more pointed. They look better now, although one has a tree growing out of his head, poor thing... The backing is a lovely deep red batik, folded around the edge of the batting, which is cut slightly larger than the front, so you get a red edge all around.

So there you have it. A christmas runner finished just in time for Easter!

The pattern is from Danish company Quilt My Design. Instructions are in Danish, but well illustrated, and applique shapes are the same no matter what language you speak ;-)