Tabletop decorations

One of my holiday projects this past year was making placemats and table runners....

These are ocean inspired placemats made for Dad and Missy.  This was my first attempt at applique - a little time consuming - but got easier as the fish multiplied.  I appliqued these (the hard way), by turning down the edges before stitching by hand. The "school" of fish are all different colors, set on different shades of blue.








I made these beach inspired placemats for my mom. She recently re-decorated her kitchen with a newly painted accent wall in a light blue hue, so I choose a fabric that would compliment the new color scheme.

 

I hand quilted the starfish on the fabric with a white thread, so that the star design showed nicely on the back.

And finally, for Emily and Dan, I made a large runner for their dining table. The fabric is a really pretty batik and speaks for it self (i.e., I didn't add much to it).  I bordered it with a deep blue batik that compliments the colors of the main fabric.