Friday, September 30, 2011

AccuQuilt Fall Blog Hop 2011

I love my GO! As cutting out stuff for quilting is my least favorite part of the process, using my GO! sure makes me happy! And, as autumn is my favorite season, I used my GO! to make a beautiful table runner I can use all season.

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The dies used for this project are the fall medley # 55041 and the 2 1/2” strip cutter # 55017.

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The first thing is to select some gorgeous fall leaf colors.  I used stash and scraps to collect 3 or 4 different values and textures of main leaf colors…including pink!!

You will also need some fusible of your choice!

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I plan to use this runner on my dining room table, so I used several darker values of blues for the background fabrics.

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I am only using the leaf and acorn potion of the die, so I cut the fabric only big enough to cover that portion.  After cutting and pressing the size rectangles I needed for the leaf/acorn die, I pressed fusible onto the back of each piece of fabric.

Using the GO! is pretty much the same with all dies.  First off, here’s a little tip. The GO!, although quite heavy, can slide a bit sometimes while in use, so to avoid this, I use this rubbery Grip It Shelf and Drawer Liner underneath it.

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Lay two fused fabric pieces on top of the dark rubber side of the die over the cutting area which is much easier to  see if you beforehand outline the cutting edges on the rubber with a black Sharpie.

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Next, lay the thick white plastic mat over the fabric and die.

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Slide the two as if one under the center bar using one hand to push

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and the other to turn the crank.

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When it has passed all the way under the bar and out to the other side, it is done!

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Now, remove the plastic mat and separate the cut out leaves and acorns from the leftover fused fabric.

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I like to keep the leftovers as they are all fused and ready to be cut out and used on small appliqué projects,

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so I stack them up and put them in a big ziploc for safe keeping!!

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Now, do the same process until all the leaves and acorns are cut out using die # 55041 and then

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use die #  55017 to cut out at least one 2 1/2” by width of fabric (about 42”) for each of 9 blue fabrics for the background blocks.  You won’t need that much for the center strips of the blocks… so use up those scraps. 

Now, sub-cut those 2 1/2” wide blue background strips for the 10 1/2” log cabin blocks as follows-

cut four 2 1/2” square from fabric 1

cut four 2 1/2” square from fabric 2

cut four 4 1/2” piece from fabric 3

cut four 4 1/2” piece from fabric 4

cut four 6 1/2” piece from fabric 5

cut four 6 1/2” piece from fabric 6

cut four 8 1/2” piece from fabric 7

cut four 8 1/2” piece from fabric 8

cut four 10 1/2” piece from fabric 9

Now they will be sewn together in exactly the order that they were cut-

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fabric 1 square to fabric 2 square,

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then press, add fabric three rectangle to the first two pieces you sewed/pressed,

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and so on …

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until you have sewn…

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all the pieces together…

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to create the 10 1/2” log cabin block.

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Repeat this process to create all 4 blocks!

Next cut out three 10” squares from one of the blue fabrics then cut them in half diagonally.  These are your setting triangles that fill in the spaces on each side of the log cabins on point.

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Lay them all out and sew them together in diagonal rows, pressing as you go.  Cut out your batting and backing fabric a tad bigger all around, pin it all together and quilt as desired.  I did an all-over meander with variegated thread.  Press then trim off the excess batting and backing.

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Next is the fun part!!  You can use your leaves and acorns to create any design on your table runner you like! 

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I tried several different designs before settling on

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this one with four oak leaves and an acorn centered symmetrically on each log cabin block and one maple leaf centered on each setting triangle.

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You can choose whichever design you like!

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Now, we have to remove the paper backing off all the leaves and acorns.  Here’s another tip!  Score the paper on the back of each leaf/acorn with a sharp pin then, slightly fold it on that scored line and slide your fingernail under the scored edge and the paper can then be easily peeled off leaving the cut edges intact.

I pressed the fused leaves down first- leaving off the center acorns.

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I used a heavier variegated thread

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to stitch around each leaf and add veins.

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Then I fused on the four acorns and stitched around them, as well!!  And that is it!!  The table runner top is now complete!!  Just bind it and add a label on the back!  All done!

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Waddaudink??

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You like???  I hope so!!

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And, as usual…

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guess what Yogi was doing…

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the whole time I was making this?

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YUP!!  Snoozin’ away!  What a life, huh?

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Would you like some fusible fall leaves of your own to use on a fall project?  I’m giving away a bag of pre-cut leaves ready to use!! 

Only two requirements!! 

Follow my blog and leave a comment telling me you are a follower…

and tell me your favorite fall childhood memory!! 

I’ll draw a winner and announce it on Sunday night!!  Good luck!!  Happy Fall Y’all!!  :-)

1signature 

70 comments:

  1. well, Number One never wins but that's OK - I follow you and have read your blog since the beginning of Time. Your runner is simply stunning but the true beauty is that Yogi - what a wonderful sewing room companion you have there !

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  2. Thank you for the great tips for using the Go cutter. I'm in the process of finding the best deal on one and even though I think I've found the best deal already, we have a big Craft Show coming to my city later in October, so i may wait until then :-) I'm excited at the prospect of using one!

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  3. Beautiful runner Polly, the stitching on the leaves really brings them to life. My brand new Go! arrived just yesterday (complete with Fall Medley die) so I am itching to get cutting :) Thanks for the great tips and the lovely pattern and hello to your wonderful stitching companion as well.

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  4. I absolutely love your runner! I of course follow your blog. My fav childhood fall memory has to be this time my cousin and I picked apples off a neighbour's tree - we were allowed - and decided that we were going to make an apple pie. Neither one of us knew how but we brought the apples in and started peeling them. There were apples and peels everywhere! Thank goodness my Mom came home or who knows what we would have ended up with LOL! That pie was the best pie I had ever tasted!

    Thanks for a great tut!

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  5. I am a follower and have been for a while now.
    My favorite fall memory is one of my pre-teen birthdays. (I have a fall birthday) I remember one party -possibly the only one I had - it is the only one I remember. There were about 7 boys and the best present was a rather inexpensive balsa wood rubberband powered airplane. We had a blast with it. The air was cool but still quite comfortable to be outside in short sleeves. Ahh...youth!

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  6. I am a new follower of yours. Love your sight. Favorit fall memory would be haveing fun with my kids making fall things from nature. Like leaf print echings, pine cone bird feeders, and picture frames made from tree branches. Such good memeories. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  7. I love your table runner. In Australia we call it Autumn but my favourite Fall memory would be the year we visited the US and spent time in Minnesota. The colours were beautiful and I just loved all the pumpkins everywhere. I'm a follower. Thanks for the great giveaway.

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  8. I'm glad I am a follower! I wouldn't have wanted to miss this great tutorial! What a beautiful table runner. Makes me tingle. Not to mention inspired!! My favorite fall memory is raking leaves with my dad when I was a young child and running and jumping into the pile with the neighborhood kids.

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  9. I'm a follower! I love the tutorial just wish I had a Go! cutter. I would love your precut leaves to make a beautiful table runner. My favorite fall memory is apple picking with my family and then having a picnic at a park near the orchard.

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  10. I'm a follower! I love fall - the raking of crisp leaves, my daughters jumping in the piles (many years ago!), the crisp air, Thanksgiving family celebrations - so much to love! Your table runner is great!

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  11. I love those leaves, I am a follower. My favorite childhood memory is playing in those piles of leaves for hours and hours and no one ever came out and told us we were making a mess. That smell! To this day the smell of those fall leaves takes me back to my childhood playing in those leaves, and it was a LONG time ago!

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  12. I am a follower. I think my favorite fall memory as a child was collecting the beautiful leaves off of our liquid amber trees as they changed colors and ironing them in between wax paper. Hadn't thought about that in a long time :)
    Thanks for the opportunity to enter your great giveaway of precut fall leaves!

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  13. I don't know if my favorite memory would be my mother making our costumes (like the year I wanted to be a butterfly and she mad 4foot wide paper mache wings!)or making my own kids' costumes...kind of a toss up...but both great memories...

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  14. I'm a follower!
    As I was reading through your great tutorial I was wondering about cutting out some leaves by hand for those of us without a Go!
    As a children we always went collecting conkers and running through the leaves - actually I still do!!

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  15. I'm a believer..oops I mean follwer. Fall was Chili, and playing outside with football on the radio throughout the whole neighborhood.

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  16. I am now a follower! Thank you for being part of the blog hop! I just love remember many halloweens and warm applcider waiting for us when we got home! I love the fall!!

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  17. I am a follower of your blog! What a great tutorial! If only I had a go! It's on my wishlist! My favorite childhood fall memory is raking up the leaves and then jumping in the pile...oh what fun! And thanks for a chance to win some beautiful leaves! :)

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  18. Your table runner is gorgeous!!! I follow you!! Thanks for the wonderful tutorial. My favorite memory of fall is my Mom cooking pumpkin pie from the pumpkins we grew in the garden and then roasting the pumpkin seeds as a snack. I always loved that!!!

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  19. That is a beautiful runner! I love the colors you used. Thanks for a chance to win! I am a follower of your blog. When I was in high school, I loved bonfires and hay rides in the fall.

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  20. Awww - Yogi is so cute! Love your runner - please count me in. My favorite childhood fall memory - raking a neighborhood lady's leaves with a friend. :)

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  21. I am a follower of your blog via Judy L. :o) One of my favorite childhood memories is fall in Omaha. Raking piles of leaves and jumping in them. Making the leaves crunch under my feet. The smell of fall. The colors of the trees. Change of temperature!

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  22. I'm a follower. Thanks for the tutorial. Also thanks for the tips on using fusibles. I'd love to win a bag of leaves!!

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  23. My favorite Fall memory is visiting my Grandmother's farm in the mountains - stomping through the leaves, walking in the woods, gathering eggs & feeding the chickens. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  24. I love the table runner. Your stitching is just beautiful. One of my favorite memories is when we would rake the leaves and jump in them. I think raking was fun when I was little and didn't mind raking the leaves again and again.

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  25. Well....I'm a follower now. May favorite memory was going to my Aunt and Uncles for Thanksgiving. I had a lot of fun with my cousins.
    Beautiful table runner....

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  26. I follow you and my best Fall memory is when my only grandson was around three years old (now 16) spent the weekend with us and piling the leaves in our yard so that he could enjoy the fun of rolling and falling in them. Thanks for jump starting those great Autumn memories and fun giveaway.

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  27. lovely table runner! I'm a follower and my favorite memory is playing the leaves. I loved to walk through deep leaves. The crunch and the feeling of the leaves flowing around my feet was just wonderful!

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  28. love the table runner. The detail in those leaves is just so wonderful. Thank you for sharing. My favourtie childhood memory....when i was 7 waking up on my birthday to find a she-ra castle in my room. Still makes me happy to this day!

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  29. I am a follower...thanks for sharing your tips on the GO Baby..my favorite childhood memory is getting a bike for Christmas...

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  30. Wow Polly! What a beautiful table runner! Love the way your arrange your leaves. I'm a follower and always enjoy your photos of Yogi!
    Quilting by the River

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  31. My favorite fall memories are building big piles of leaves with my brothers and jumping in them. Fall is always so beautiful here. Thanks for the great giveaway!
    Quilting by the River

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  32. Your runner looks gorgeous on your table. Great job and wonderful tutorial. Thanks for sharing with us. I am an avid follower and love to see your posts. My favorite fall memory is looking for a pumpkin in a field full of them. I just love pumpkins and the crisp cool air.

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  33. Are you kidding me...do I like it. NO....I Love it!

    What a great tutorial and the fabics you displayed...girl I want all of those too....they are just beautiful.

    Yes, I'm a follower.

    Smiles,
    Kelly

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  34. Ok, my favorite fall memory as a child...hmmmm....

    I think it was going door to door asking folks if they wanted their leaves raked. They all seemed surprised that I was so capable and I raked every leaf and bagged them...can you believe I'd get 5 bucks? Today it would take probably more like 200 dollars to get me to do that...LOL

    Smiles,
    Kelly

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  35. That is a very pretty runner. Thanks for the detailed tutorisl. I am a follower and would love to win the precut leaves.

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  36. I am a follower. Those leaves would make another great table runner or topper. Thanks for the chance.

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  37. My favorite fall memory is of a Halloween Party my parents had for my youth group from church in our barn. The had a hay ride around the farm with the traditional scary monsters.

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  38. I love the fall leaves, what a beautiful table runner. Favorite fall memory? Piling leaves at the bottom of the big slide and sliding into them, itchy, dirty, but so much fun. I follow your blog, I can't resist those pictures of Yogi.

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  39. I am a follower (have been for a while). Since my birthday is October 10, my favorite fall memory is celebrating my birthday every year in the magnificence of fall.

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  40. Great tutorial! I am a follower. Our school had a carnival during the Fall. Bobbing for apples and the cakewalk were my favorite things at the carnival. I had quite forgotten about this school event. Thanks! Have a great weekend!

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  41. I`m now a follower and love fall leaves.You did a great tutorial.
    My fall memaory is celebratin my birthdayn in november.

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  42. Oh Polly - I don't just like - I love! Great project! My favorite memory would be my brother and I raking leaves in a pile - and then running and jumping in them! Come to think of it - I should do that this fall with Studly LOL! Great tut - so cute!

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  43. I am following Aunt Polly's Porch via Google Friends Connect.

    BTW - Yogi is a real cutie!

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  44. Beautiful runner Polly! I just love fall and leaves! My favorite memory was staying overnight with my DGM~ she had a tree with red leaves that I just loved! I looked forward to picking a few leaves every autumn. :-) I'm a happy follower too. Have a great weekend!

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  45. I loved going Trick or Treating. Deciding what you were going to dress up as, putting together the costume (in the late 60's and early 70's we didn't even consider buying a costume!) and collecting tons of candy after which my brother, sister and friends would swap for our favorites. Good times!

    Thank you for hosting this giveaway.
    cgreenleaf2(at)gmail(dot)com

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  46. Oh yes I do like that Polly.....well done it the runner looks fantastic,,,,

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  47. Awesome runner Polly -- as usual and a great tutorial too. One of my very favorite childhood memories was the "fall picnic". Every fall my mom and my grandparents would load us kids into the car and we would drive about 2 1/2 hours to a place in the hills to see all the fall leaves. We always went to the same place. It wasn't far off the road, involved climbing through a barbed wire fence and there was a creek there where we would go wading if it wasn't too chilly. There was always, ham sandwiches, deviled eggs, carrots and celery sticks (I don't think potato chips had been invented yet), apples and Granny's white cake with orange icing. I remember because it was basically the same menu every year. Always a fun trip:)

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  48. What a beautiful runner. I love love making tablerunners and I could put your precut leaves to use. I'm a new follower. I love doing blog hops as I always learn and find alot of creative and inspiring folks.

    Thanks for the giveaway and a chance to win.

    usairdoll(at)gmail(dot)com

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  49. Your fall runner is beautiful. I am a follower and my favourite fall memory would be apple picking. Thank you for the generous giveaway.

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  50. That runner is beautiful. I am a follower of your blog and have been for quite awhile now. Sadly I'd lost you in my long list so I'm very happy you were part of this blog hop. Heck, I never even saw anything about this blog hop until Thrs night. :( I missed the entire thing. But I can catch up with all the awesome projects now.

    I'm taking a beginning quilt piecing class now and have had fun learning. I've never bought any batiks at all which may change very soon. A woman in class used batiks for her wall hanging and now you for these gorgeous leaves so it may be swaying my thinking. :) The colors in those leaves are just so bright and screaming Fall.

    One of my best childhood memories happened this time of the year. My Mom was an awesome woman who loved passing family traditions on to her own children so each year we always went to the apple orchard to pick apples. I continued that tradition with my own three boys. In fact, my oldest son was at the apple orchard at the age of 2 weeks. Two of my boys have continued the tradition now that they're older which makes me happy. Every trip to the orchard makes me think of my Mom and how awesome she was. She was from the Ozark area in SW Missouri and was pretty good in the kitchen so any trip to the apple orchard of course, was followed by us hitting the kitchen to make pies and apple crumble. She always made sure that we took a pie to our elderly neighbors. I did not like going with her to do that because the woman was very hard of hearing and had a hearing aid the size of about half her face (teenage thinking there as it wasn't quite that big haha) and she SCREAMED EVERYTHING! LOL Of course, as we age our attitudes and compassion also 'age' and become a bit more appropriate as well. In my old neighborhood I carried on the tradition she started to make pies and take one or two over to my neighbors house. They weren't as elderly but they were just as awesome and treated my oldest son like thier own grandchild so yea, they totally deserved that pie and all the goodies I took to them.

    Sorry, that got a bit long and spanned between my childhood and adulthood with my own childrens' childhood. Hey, I never could follow directions; my Mom would agree with that if she were stil alive too. :)

    Thank you for such a great tutorial on how to make our own beautiful Fall Table Runner.

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  51. I love your table runner and I like that you used a blue background. I am a follower. I always love going to the apple farm when I was younger. My Grandparents (whom raised me) would take me every Fall to get freshly made apple cider. We would get both the regular cider and the hard cider for the adults. The best part was we could watch them making it.

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  52. that's pretty! love Yogi :-) I used to love trick-or-treating as a kid! I'm a new follower

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  53. I think that your tablerunner is beautiful. I do not own an accuquilter- I have tried many times to win one without success but maybe some day...
    I love fall because of the beautiful colors but mostly I love it because it has some special days in it- My husband's birthday is in October and so is one of my dear friends. It is also my grandparent's wedding anniversary, and while they have both passed on, it reminds of two beautiful people that touched my life in so many positive ways.
    Thanks for sharing your lovely tutorial. I am sure I am a follower and have your blog on my blog list too.
    Regards from Western Canada,
    Anna

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  54. Your table runner with all the blues is beautiful. I love fall, and especially October, because of all the family celebrations and birthdays. It's a wonderful excuse for easy family get-togethers with food and childen of all ages. Thanks for the giveaway. Had a difficult time getting your comments area to display, so happy to get this entry. According to blogger, I follow you already.
    "Follow this Blog?
    You are now following Aunt Polly's Porch
    http://auntpollysporch.blogspot.com/
    View Dashboard | View Your Profile
    Close"

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  55. Polly your table runner is just darling -- I love it! And I'd love some leaves, too! I just gave away one of my all-time favorite leaf toppers as a door prize. Oh, and I'm a long-time follower!! Hugs! :)

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  56. Fun, fun table runner. I know you were very basic , I really appreciate your starting at the beginning, not assuming I know anything, which I don't. I just took out my Autumn/Halloween table topper and thinking it could sure use some dressing up. The leaves would be perfect! That's for having the GO blog hop, it's been fun.

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  57. This is so fun and I love your table runner. Fall colors are my favorite. I am a follower of your site now thank you.

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  58. I have some great memories as a child. My dad was a coffee drinker and he would go to the local gas station every morning. They had a counter and served a few things. He worked nights so he was able to do this and he would take me along and I so enjoyed being able to pick out what kind of ice cream on a stick I wanted. Thanks for the fun

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  59. Wonderful table runner and your pup isso cut!

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  60. My fall memory is jumping in the pile of leaves after we raked them up. I love your doggy!

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  62. i'am one of your new followers and have added aunt polly's porch to my blog reader.

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  63. my fav memory from so long ago was raiding gardens with my older brother and 6-8 of our friends. we were all sneaky petes but we did have one saving grace ... we ate what we snuck.

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  64. I am a new follower. I love the table runner, very awesome. Thanks for a chance to win some fall leaves. :)

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  65. My favorite fall memory is the first year Steve and I were married and we were out in the woods cutting wood. We got silly and piled up a ton of leaves and played in them for a very long time. He is such a great guy! Thanks again for the chance to win.

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  66. I love the fall and it brings many memories of long walks in the leaves with the children after thanksgiving dinner which is in Oct up here in Canada. Thanksgiving always brings the leaves out in full dress color.
    Love your sewing room, I have Zeusie my big yellow kitty who lies beside the sewing machine all the time I am sewing. His favorite spot just like Yogi. I have been following your blog for awhile now and just love all of your work. Blessings Sandra

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  67. Great tutorial and post! I'm a new follower.

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  68. favorite fall memory - attending college football games

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Thank you sooooooo very much for taking the time to leave a comment! I am always happy to know that someone is reading my ramblings!! Polly :-)