Table Topper with applique’ flowers

I love changing quilts around my house to reflect the season. Or my mood. This Table Topper with applique’ flowers is the best one for me right now, and it was a long time coming together!

I finished this table topper about SEVEN years ago and totally forgot about it! It is now quilted (thanks to Melissa at Sew Shabby Quilting), bound, and living on my dining room table. I love its colors and, best of all, the applique’!

The flowers on the main fabric are colorful and fun so I copied them and turned them into the applique’ motifs. I stitched the ric-rac down using a straight stitch, following its wavy shape so that ric-rac is going nowhere! Look closely: I machine appliqued everything observing these tips:

Tips for successful machine applique

• Match the thread to the applique’ shape fabrics or use monofilament. I love to machine applique’ with the blanket stitch using matching thread colors (Aurifil 40 wt).
• Fuse the shapes using a fusible web such as Heat’nBond, my favorite. The shapes stay in place even when I leave the stitching for another day.
• Go slowly! By doing so, you will have perfect curves, points, etc.
• Always pivot to change direction with the needle down!
• Begin by stitching the topmost shape if they are stacked.

Click to see this cute small quilt for more tips on machine applique’.

I pieced the backing using leftovers of this beautiful wide back by Timeless Treasures. Lucky I had it! When I free motion quilt (which I have not been able to do as often due to my work, and the carpal tunnel mess), I go around the applique’ motifs except I told Melissa to just quilt over it so the applique’ would look like part of the print.

She did a fantastic job custom quilting it for me. I don’t need to tell her what I want – I just give her my quilts and say: “Have Fun”.

These are my favorite colors so I am pretty happy that the table topper is finished. If you’ve been following along, you know I already have Christmas projects all around the house. Just to show you I am not a total rebel, come on over and see this topper in the dining room!

Now… I am the only one who cooks at home. I love cooking; yet, my days are sort of crazy as I am sure yours are, too. When I know I will have no time at the end of the day to come up with dinner, I begin the morning by preparing dinner in the crockpot.

Any chicken dish served with rice is comfort food for me and my middle son, Chris, agrees wholeheartedly. I made a lot – dinner that night and lunch for the rest of the week for me. Yes!

If you like to cook like I do and would like a great cookie recipe as dessert for this meal, check out the Soft Gingersnaps cookies I posted a while ago. They are worth every crumb! I posted another quick dinner idea using Tilapia, for those days when morning crockpot prep is forgotten.

Is sewing in your plans for this weekend? If so, get the crockpot out, add all these ingredients, and relax as you will have dinner ready by the end of the day when you are tired of sewing and ready for some TLC of the food variety.

Perhaps you will make your own Table Topper with applique’ flowers. If so, send me a photo so I can post on this blog.

Have a great weekend,