Lipari Oakshott and Velvet Table Runner

First of all, thank you to everyone who has reached out to me with an email or Facebook message to see how we are doing here in MA during the storm.  We are all safe and sound. The winds were very strong and much of town lost power but we never did.  However, we lost a bunch of shingles and have water coming into the attic.  Hopefully we can get that fixed right away!

I am sharing a long overdue project today using Oakshott Lipari shot cottons. They came to me courtesy of Michael Oakshott and Lynne of Lily's Quilts.

It took me awhile to decide what to make with these shot cottons. I am not the type who normally has a hard time chopping into fabric but I hesitated with this stack. It's just so beautiful and I simply didn't want to mess up!  I needed the right plan.  It finally came to me.  These fabrics are so iridescent, showing different colors from different angles. I tried to convey that in the close up shot of the fabric stack above.  They have a sheen and are a bit silky feeling.  To me, this Lipari collection seems regal.  I decided to pair it with something equally regal--velvet!

I had never pieced with velvet before and I won't be doing it again. It's a bit of a nightmare!  My best advice about piecing with velvet is not to try.  If you insist, I suggest using basting glue and lessening the pressure applied by your pressure foot.  Even then, it is a pain in the neck!  That's why I just used three carefully placed 4 1/2" squares of velvet (unfinished).

The rest of the runner is pieced with 112 quarter square triangle pieces cut using a Sizzix die.  Four triangles are sewn together to create an quarter square triangle block or an hour glass block.  I then assembled my runner with 4 blocks across and 7 rows down.  The runner finishes at 16" x 28".  The binding is Lime Essex Linen from Marmalade Fabrics.  

I quilted heavily with straight lines in a plum colored thread.  I chose to quilt certain sections leaving an unquilted zig zag down the center through which I stitched just two lines to hold things in place and emphasize the zig zag shape.

I think that this runner can carry me from fall straight through winter, I love that about this collection.