Christmas Quilted/Padded Table Runner Reveal

A few weeks ago I decided to set about attempting to make a padded/quilted runner to go on the dinner table over Christmas and protect it from any hot dishes that might be put on it during our forthcoming Christmas dinner.  I had lots of Christmas fabric and had been meaning to use it for a project for quite a while, but hadn't come up with one. 

I measured the table before I started, to make sure I made it the right length and then eventually set about making it, using several different panels of fabric for the front and one single fabric for the back with co-ordinating binding.   This made it reversible.   It is quite thickly padded as I used the same wadding I had used for some single quilts I'd made recently, but this should serve to protect our  table well from any heat damage.

We'll be eating Christmas dinner in our newly refurbished basement, which is OH's office, as it has a lovely large oak table in it with plenty of room around it, underfloor heating and is only a few steps down from the kitchen.  We've not actually eaten a meal down there yet, so it is actually quite exciting.

Once I'd sown together the runner, wadding and binding I added Christmas tree print ribbon and some fabric appliques in the shape of Christmas trees to make the runner a bit more interesting.  It probably would have been better to do this latter job before sewing it all together, but it was a bit of an afterthought and wasn't too difficult to do in retrospect.  I was quite pleased with the effect.  I hand stitched around each small Christmas tree to add definition and added a little ribbon bow.  It's not the most accomplished piece, but is very practical and should serve it's purpose well on the day.  Here's a few pictures of the finished project.  It was a bit long to get it all in one photo so I've taken several photos.

 

This shows the back.

 

 

My next reveal will hopefully be the Christmas rag wreath that I'm in the process of making.  Here's a picture of one I made last year which is hung on our living room door, just to give you an idea of how they turn out.  It's a bit of a mish mash of colours, but I quite like it.  It cost nothing to make as I fashioned it out of a metal coat hanger bent into a circle.  It was also quite satisfying to use up scraps of fabric that might otherwise get thrown away.

Is anyone else making anything this Christmas?