More tea time table runners -- part 2

One of the prettier table runners

Last week, I shared pictures of a table runner I had made using children's vintage hankies.  It was a prototype for two more runners I wanted to make for my daughters.  Today (and this is a bit of a repost from 2012) I'm sharing photos of those prettier table runners.  First, the backstory:

Some years ago, my mother gave me a bag of vintage handkerchiefs.  Some had been mine as a child, some had been hers, and I think some are even older than that.  She had kept them in a fabric bag in a dresser drawer all those years.  I just don't believe in doing that with heirlooms -- stashing them away so that no one, not even the person who stashed them there,  ever sees them or enjoys them.   I had always wanted to put these hankies to some good use, and had actually planned to make them into a quilt. 

I was so determined to do this that I had found a free pattern I wanted to use and had even bought the fabric for the quilt.  I had even tried sewing several of the vintage hankies into the center of the quilt blocks.   But as much as I wanted to make the quilt, I just couldn't get enthused about the project or get off the ground with it.  I don't know if other people ever feel this way about projects, but sometimes I do.  It just wasn't looking as nice as I'd hoped, and -- truth be told -- was somewhat of a boring project.  (I hope my grandchildren never read this, as they are not allowed to use the "B" word at my house.)  So for awhile it just languished in a heap of UFOs and fabric. 

Then one year, I came up with the idea to use some of the hankies to make a table runner instead.  I wanted to make more of these for gifts, so I decided to use the kids' hankies that had been mine as a child in blocks for a sample table runner and see how it all worked out.  I decided to use the hankies as "doilies" or "napkins" under various tea-themed items such as teapots, teacups, etc. which I would applique out of coordinating fabric.  Well!  It took quite awhile, and some time on the part of several craft forum friends, to find enough motifs to use for the tea-themed items, but in the end, I ended up with more than enough ideas.  This was way more interesting than the quilt I had planned!

I made the runner for myself that summer of 2011,  and it turned out quite well even using the cartoon-themed hankies and the brighter colors.  It was a fun summer project.  (That would be  the runner that I showed pictures of last week for the link parties I joined in on.)

I planned to make two more tea-themed runners, one for each of my daughters, for Christmas that year.  The hankies for theirs are some of the prettier floral designs, plus others.   I managed to get one runner done in time for Christmas, and finished the second one in mid-January of 2012. These runners were the ones I'm showing here today...

One half of the runner

The other half of the runner

Now, for a closer look at the individual squares and their motifs and the hankies I used.

A pink teacup with blue saucer.  Love this pretty hankie!

A pink-frosted cupcake.  This is an unusual hankie.

A stack of teacups and a pretty paisley hankie

A rose-colored teakettle on an unusual hankie

Pretty aqua teapot on another paisley hankie

Teapot and teacup on a blue & white hankie

Hope you have enjoyed this look at more of my tea-themed table runners!  I am so happy to have found a use for those vintage hankies so they can be seen and admired.  And there are still more of them left for other fun projects.  In a Gooseberry Patch Christmas book I saw a wonderful idea for Hankie Blankies -- sort of throw-sized quilts made from vintage hankies -- and I hope to eventually make some of those for my granddaughters. 

I'm linking today with Sandi's No Place Like Home and Bernideen’s Tea Time, Cottage and Garden Blog Party, as well as Stephanie's Roses of Inspiration.    Also linking with Share Your Cup Thursday and Vintage Charm.