Square In A Square

Hi everyone!  Today, I thought I'd share a really sweet table runner/topper I made for my mom for Christmas.  The best part was getting to give it to her in person - though a little early.  (We made the trip out to see her earlier in December!)  I used a new-to-me technique I've been wanting to try and it was totally fun!  I also used some fabric I've been saving for something special, so the whole thing gave me great joy!

I'm calling it "Square In A Square" - you can see the whole tutorial at this link.

Basically, you place a smaller square of fabric in a larger one, right sides up, and fold in the sides.  You stitch a quarter inch in from the fold, then press it open.  Now do the top and bottom.  This way, there is much less cutting AND no raw seams in the block.  (You will have raw seams as you join block to block, though.)

How cool is that? Fast and easy! Bulky as all get out along those folded seams, but I planned to work around them as I quilted.

My top was together in no time:

There are three major scenes in the featured fabric, so I cut each one four times.  I kept each "view" in a row, but turned it a quarter turn as I went down the length of the quilt.

Is that fabric cute or what?!?

I kept the quilting simple, just outlining my featured fabric squares; here are my three "scenes":

I did a "flip and turn" method, rather than adding a binding, to keep things simple. I also quilted about 1/8 of an inch in from the edge for detail, interest, and to sew up the "turning hole".

I was really happy with how it came out - and I think my mom really liked it!

Thanks for reading!
KZK