A Duo of Finishes...

Last night, not only did I get my table runner fully bound and the hand quilting done, but I finished another small project on my Winter Stitching list too!!

First here is my finish for the Duo Quiltalong...

Now it's pretty difficult to see my magnificent stitchery, as I went 'subtle' on my first attempt at hand quilting, but if you look closely, you might be able to see!

Boring or brilliant?  I love it!

I used natural Klona for the backing and binding, off-white for the FMQ and hand-stitching.  The perle cotton I pictured yesterday was just too thick and bright, so after a quick attempt with that, it got pulled and replaced with some old Finca that I have had forever!

I am surprised how good it all looks together; I think the scrutinising of every FMQ curve (or otherwise) and concentrating on the length of each individual stitch (some too big, others too small), convinced me it would look like a disaster.  But one step back, taking a look from a more natural distance, and it actually works. 

Thank you Rachel and Rhonda for pointing me in the right direction - as ever, I took a few short cuts/liberties, but ended up with a lovely little runner that I would not have made without them.

Finish number two, was one of Ayumi's Christmas Baskets.  This is a great pattern, one of those featured in Jennifer's brilliant 12 Gifts of Christmas Tutorial series. 

I made this with more 1001 Peeps to match the runner.  Maybe it will get filled with cutlery, but more likely chocolates!

I love to have finishes, and I love to have ticks, but I especially love to have things that we are going to keep and use...

Now back to the felt parliament!