noelle o designs

creativity + sewing + upcycling inspiration

design, fabric, projects, sewing

barkcloth table runner

Back from vacation in Jackson Hole and head first into duties and responsibilities- being an adult is truly delightful. I got right down to the business of hand making a birthday gift for a friend of mine.
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A reversible table runner in the making, here are the pieces being organized. In my book there are just a few rules to guide you when piecing together something wild and random. Here are the guidelines:
1) use various widths for the pieces
2) pick a few colors to focus on
3) use the same fabric a few times throughout
4) vary the patterns in the fabrics- small & large prints, geometric patterns etc.

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All pieced together and ironed.

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I found this perfectly-perfect piece of vintage barkcloth in amongst my piles of fabric and it’s even barely the right size- miracles do happen.

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I decided not to put any interfacing or batting between the two layers this time, either way works just fine for a project like this, it’s just a matter of preference on a project like this.

I ironed the heck out of the wild pieced side, then pinned like crazy to keep the layers from moving at all when I sewed them together. I sewed the two layers together ‘in the ditch’ or very close to the seam (or ditch), using tan thread so the stitching blends in on the barkcloth side.

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The stitching is there, but blends in well.

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I used black bias tape to finish the edges- after I squared things up and trimmed the edges first.

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All finished- here’s the subdued and sophisticated side- makes me feel like I’m on the set of Mad Men. (If I were to be granted three wishes, one would definitely be to hang out the set of Mad Men- maybe work in the costume department?)

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Welcome to the jungle- life on the wild side.

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