Luminaries II

Back in 2020, I made Luminaries, a 15" x 28" quilt representing seasonal paper lanterns with a candle inside. I really loved it, but so did a friend, so I went ahead and gifted it to him. Ever since, I've been thinking of making another one to keep. 

One issue was that I didn't have any more of the focus fabric, and I didn't even know what it was, as I'd only worked with a scrap for the first Luminaries. Luckily, I was able to figure out that it was Charley 
Harper Barkcloth Cactus Needles, and eventually found some to purchase on Etsy.

I actually made all the luminary blocks last fall, but never got too far. Fast forward to this November, and I had decided I wanted more of a table runner for this project. So I gathered all the bits and pieces, including varying amounts of Konas Storm, Navy, Indigo, and Windsor that I'd stashed away. I also went through my scraps to see what blues, blacks, and grays I could add to the mix. And then I began designing/creating on the design wall.

The initial arrangement of luminaries (above) fit on the wall, but by the time I added an extra 16" or so to each end, it was too long (about 82") to fit either on the wall or in my camera photo frame.

Then, of course, it was time to create a quilt back, and I was happy to use every scrap other than a few pieced luminaries, into these two panels. 

For quilting, I used several threads, Aurifil 40wt 5015 [Gold Yellow] for the accent stitching through the center; and for the sides of the runner, Aurifil 50wt 4241 [Very Dark Grey], 2692 [Black], 2784 [Dark Navy], and 40wt 2730 [Delft Blue]. Once trimmed and finished, it measures 20.5" x 80".

After making the Modern Madras Table Runner a while back, I chose to again use Quilters Dream Select batting and an envelope-style finish. The combo worked great with the first runner, but I think with the more dense piecing of the Luminaries top, it wasn't ideal. The Luminaries quilt sandwich didn't quilt as smoothly as the first, unfortunately; and I can't say I'm 100% happy with the end result.

That said, once it was pressed, it doesn't look too terrible on our dining table. It's very blue - perfect for Advent - and though it gave me some grief during quilting, it's usable; and for now, I'll be happy with that.