The Double T block makes this Halloween table runner a real treat by Sarah Vanderburgh August 30, 2021 written by Sarah Vanderburgh August 30, 2021 318 It’s never too early or late to quilt for an upcoming holiday. This week I decided to focus on piecing a table runner for Halloween with the PFAFF performance icon. While it’s not the first one I made, I did discover some tricks using the performance icon this time that I thought I’d share. Of course, the ‘treat’ was getting to create using this amazing machine again. PFAFF performance icon with extension table Bobbin trick One of the features that I enjoy on the performance icon is the bobbin winding setup; having it on top of the machine makes it easy and accessible. Bobbin winding on top of the PFAFF performance icon While getting ready for this project and winding my bobbin, I discovered that the bobbin can only be put on the little spindle one way. This means it’s impossible to wind the bobbin incorrectly and the thread flows effortlessly off of it from the bobbin case. One way up for the bobbin Needle trick The second trick I discovered while sewing with the performance icon this time around concerns the needle. I usually activate the Needle Up/Down icon to have the needle stay in the down position whenever I stop sewing. I love using it as a third hand when piecing to help me keep the fabrics lined up. With this icon engaged, the presser foot also lifts up off the fabric to let you pivot the fabric with the needle down. I discovered that when the icon is not engaged and you leave the needle down, the foot still lifts! So much better than having to manually lift the foot to pivot. Presser foot lifted off fabric with needle down Double T runner The tricks turn into treats as we get ready to sew and quilt a table runner with the performance icon. I chose the traditional double T patchwork block as a nod to Trick or Treat. This version of the block changes the fabric placement to make the center look like a piece of wrapped candy. Wrapped candy on the Double T runner There is one trick to the fabric selection for this runner. To emphasize the ‘T’ in the blocks it’s important that there is strong contrast between the background, the T fabrics and the center or candy fabric. I selected modern prints for my T fabrics and tone-on-tone fabrics that are lighter for the candy fabrics and black for the background fabric. Fabric selection for the Double T runner materials finished size 15″ x 45″ fabric background – ½ yd double ‘T’ fabric orange – ½ yd candy fabric orange – ¼ yd double T fabric blue – ½ yd candy fabric blue – ¼ yd backing fabric – 17½” x 48″ batting black low loft INSPIRA Fusible Fleece – 15½” x 45″ thread for piecing and quilting (I used light blue and black for quilting) cutting instructions Background 140″ of 2½” strips for binding 3 – 6¼” squares 6 – 6″ squares Double T fabric orange print 4 – 6″ squares 20 – 3⅜” squares Candy fabric light orange 2 – 6¼” squares 2 – 4″ squares Double T fabric blueprint 2 – 6″ squares 8 – 3⅜” squares 4 – 3″ squares Candy fabric light blue 1 – 6¼” square 1 – 5½” square Getting all the fabrics cut today means we start piecing tomorrow. Tricks aside, the PFAFF performance icon will treat us to a great week! This is part 1 of 5 in this series Go to part 2: Piecing blocks are quick and accurate with the PFAFF performance icon Print this page or save as a PDF 0qs379free motion quiltingfree patternsGÜTERMANN threadsINSPIRAnotionsperformance iconpfaffquilting techniquesquilting tutorialsRuler Foot Templatessewing machine reviewstable runnersthreads FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinRedditWhatsappTelegramEmail Sarah Vanderburgh I love to play with color and *quilts* are my playground! A self-taught quilter, I've been designing quilts for almost 20 years. I'm inspired by happy fabrics, selvages, traditional blocks and nature. I'm also a wife, mother, and elementary school teacher, and enjoy drinking coffee on my front porch in northern Ontario. previous post Making an in-the-hoop cottagecore heating pad on the Brother Luminaire XP next post Piecing blocks are quick and accurate with the PFAFF performance icon YOU MAY ALSO LIKE... Stitch in the ditch AND grid quilting with... On-point quilting: Where to start with cutting and... Create or edit your stitches with the PFAFF... Creating custom stitched fabric is FUN with the... More is more with a quilted maximalist cushion... A two-panel backing completes the quilted ‘Sunshine’ cushion... A FUN way to blanket stitch with the... Stippling with different size stitches is OK [Defining... The ‘Radiant Stitch’ on the PFAFF performance icon:... Leave a Comment Cancel Reply Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.