Scrap fabric table runner and Zanesville Stoneage Modern

Sometimes timing just doesn’t work out. Last Thursday I had my last sewing class for the session. My intention was to make a dog bed for Chester, but instead of the fabric I ordered showing up in time for me to wash and dry it, it showed up 10 minutes before I had to leave for class.

But since I wanted to go and needed something to work on, I shoved the scraps of burlap and scraps of the accent fabric I bought into my sewing bag and off I went to class with my fabric and my sewing machine and a complete absence of a plan.
Luckily, it worked out pretty well and I got a table runner out of the deal.
The problem was, I didn’t have quite enough of the fabric I used for the center strip on my pillow to make one long runner and my teacher was concerned that putting a seam in the center of the runner would look odd unless the fabric matched up, which I couldn’t do because I didn’t have enough. So I borrowed the look of my pillow and put a burlap strip in the center.
Not bad for a little fall-inspired sewing project and it only took about an hour. I have a 60″ long table so I made sure all three pieces together would equal 78″ leaving 9″ on either side to hang off the ends. The most challenging part was sewing in straight line for 78″, but it was good practice.
As for the pottery, most of what you see here is vintage Zanesville Stoneage Modern. I find the little ones at local thrift stores and estate sales pretty frequently. The larger ones are a little harder to come by. Also, the white one in front and the shiny bronze one right behind it aren’t vintage at all. The first is by a guy named George Scatchard, who is 77 years old, but still making pottery. He even sells on Etsy. Up close, it really puts the Zanesville to shame, but from far away, they look great together. Oh, and the shiny one I got on clearance at Michaels a few weeks ago.
The point is that this ended up being kind of a fall-inspired table thanks to the colors of the fabric, the texture of the burlap and the colors of the pottery, which I already collect and lives on the open shelving in the kitchen most of the time. I have trouble with the frivolity and waste of seasonal decorating so putting together a something that feels fall-ish to me without spending any additional money was pretty satisfying.
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