Summer is quickly approaching and that means outdoor fun is about to kick into high drive.

Not sure what the COVID restrictions are for you, but it’s about to open up here in Quebec with outdoor gatherings being permitted – wahooo!!

And what better way to celebrate being reunited with family and friends after….gah, a year now?! – than to celebrate with some brand new homemade table linens.

Rather than just a plain jane table runner, I’m showing you how to kick it up a notch with this joyful Jolly Jelly quilted table runner.

*This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission. 

VELVET COLLECTION

This is the 5th collection I’ve worked with of Amy’s and each time she releases a new series I’m always floored by how her designs continue to evolve yet always retain that beautiful whimsy and delicateness I’ve come to know of Amy’s work. One notable difference in the Velvet collection is that I feel it’s got a sophistication and English interior design vibes that really lend themselves to all the home décor projects. Less girly and more feminine if that makes sense.

There’s two colourways to choose from, the warm toned, very pleasing and coral focused *Beloved (no surprise here that I love this colourway) and the cooler more richly hued *Treasured. 

I opted to blend the two colourways for a beautiful push pull effect between the warmer and cooler tones. I do love adding a little contrast in my designs and mixing warm and cool tones is a great way to achieve that!

JOLLY JELLY TABLE RUNNER INSPIRATION

I originally planned on making a Harvest Falls quilted wall hanging, but once the fabric arrived, I couldn’t get the Jolly Jelly quilt out of my head! It just seemed like the perfect pairing to feature Velvet in and celebrate the impending arrival of summer and all the fun outdoor entertaining we’ll get to do! I had visions of hosting high tea with scones and jam all atop my new Jolly Jelly table runner!

My intent was to pair the Velvet prints with a Pure Solids in *Icy Mint, but once I switched my idea to the table runner, I wanted to incorporate a little texture and what better way than with some linen! This one is leftover from my lap Cloud Surfing quilt and my Cloud Surfing Improv wall hanging. I’ve been holding onto these remnants for quite a while just waiting for the right project to come along. This quilted table runner was that project!

While I think the blue would have been a glorious combo, I do love how both the vibrant and more subdued colours of the collection pop against the calm neutral beige background of the AGF Premium Linen.

There was a moment where I thought I wasn’t going to have enough of the background fabric, but this is why I love holding onto all my trimmings, because I used a weird remnant from cutting my oval drunkard’s path block to eek out just enough for Jolly Jelly table runner – love when that happens. It’s a sign to me that it was meant to be 😉

Plus, any time I can sneak in a different substrate that oozes texture I’m alllll in!

You can read more on working with substrates here. 

STITCHING JOURNEY

It’s been a while since I tackled a foundation paper piecing session (most likely the last time I made a Jolly Jelly block back in November 😉). I also don’t typically take on multiple FPP blocks at once. There were a few things that I observed along the way:

• I love getting into an FPP stitching zone. It’s very methodical and when you’re stitching several blocks at once, it’s fun to batch the steps to keep things organized and efficient.
  
  
• There’s a lot of pieces when you’re making more than one at a time! I’m happy I had gotten into good quilty practice of organizing my pieces (even with just one block) as it helped me keep track of everything.
  
  
• There’s a lot of paper involved. This became particularly evident when I was removing the paper. It also dawned on me that taking the paper out is not a Zen like step for me - ha! 

JOLLY JELLY QUILTED TABLE RUNNER LAYOUT

For the layout I opted to make 4 Jolly Jelly quilt blocks and then arranged them side by side, alternating one pointing up and the other pointing down. This means that no matter where you’re sitting at the table you can see a Jolly Jelly jar 😊

Here’s how each Velvet fabric combo breaks down:

 JOLLY JELLY BLOCK 1

 

JOLLY JELLY BLOCK 2

 

JOLLY JELLY BLOCK 3

 

JOLLY JELLY BLOCK 4

 

QUILTING

I was short on time. What else is new – ha! So, I opted for 1.5” quilted straight lines. I have this *ruler from my Sunshine on a Saturday Morning mini collab and it was perfect for plotting my stitch lines with a *Hera marker! 

I love how the simple lines using 50wt Aurifil Thread doesn’t steal the spotlight from the Jolly Jelly jars, but still gives some texture and that classic quilty puff.

This design is always super speedy and super enjoyable. I really do enjoy the Zen state I get into when machine quilting straight lines. Plus, it means I get to catch up on podcasts – woot woot! For this session I tuned into Marie Forleo’s episode on Healing Trauma with Science and Self-Care with Dr. James Gordon. 

This past year has been really strange and taxing on all of us in different ways. There were so many moments in this conversation that I paused and really thought through what he was saying, but the one I kept coming back to is how helpful journaling is. It allows us not only to reconnect with how we’re feeling, but it also allows our emotions to be released. I have a tendency to bottle things up, so I can see this being a very beneficial practice for me. Turns out after only 3 consecutive days of journaling for 20 minutes we’re left less stressed and more in tune with ourselves – how cool is that?! I have a journal by my bed, but I haven’t been using it as I tend to be someone who associates bed with sleeping – ha! I’m going to try journaling in the morning and see if that works better for me.

I’m curious – do you journal?

BINDING

This binding made more sense with my original quilt idea, but I still love how she turned out. There’s something about the combo of the warm toned *Firefly Awaken print paired with the cooler tones of *Tumble Reverie that I’m quite enchanted by. While the prints blend into one another, I love that it’s the tone differences that really make the statement.

To finish her off, I ended up going with a classic blind stitch for the hand binding. I’ve been on a real big stitch hand binding kick as of late, but this one was calling for something more subtle and seamless. A blind stitch does that beautifully.

For more binding tips, check out the 3-part binding tutorial series:

• Quilt Binding Tutorial – Part 1 – 10 Tips for success 
• Quilt Binding Tutorial – Part 2 – Ultimate hand binding 
• Quilt Binding Tutorial – Part 3 – Big stitch hand binding 

 

MATERIALS FEATURED

To make your own Jolly Jelly table runner featuring Velve, here’s all the materials and notions you’ll need to bring her to life:

 

*Find all my go-to quilting essentials here. 

New to FPP? Check out the Ultimate Foundation Paper Piecing Tutorial to rock your Jolly Jelly blocks.

VELVET SHOWCASE

We have so many talented makers in our community, and I love a good showcase for highlighting each of our unique creations. Amy has pulled together an amazing line-up of modern makers for her Velvet Showcase. Be sure to check out the #velvetshowcase hashtag for all the pretty projects being stitched up!

Velvet Showcase Schedule

 

For more inspiration featuring Amy’s beautiful fabrics, check out:

 

How would you feature the Jolly Jelly quilt block pattern? 

Happy quilting!

xo,

Shannon

PS while I was stitching this up I kept thinking it would be an adorable bed runner for a little girls room or playroom. Just too cute!

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