A Haven for Vee

Monday, May 20, 2013

Cobbled Table Runner

This is an idea snagged directly from Pinterest wherein a table runner is created from disparate bits of table linens and old doilies that have seen better days. The rough and ragged bits are lopped off or hidden and the good parts are rescued. *Source* Of all the pins I have, this is only the third thing I've actually done.

Here's my version:













I know such things are not for everyone; however, they totally float my boat because I can use those things that are full of meaning for me. There are doilies that my mother made, the crocheted lace on one side was also made by her. There are bits of my great-grandmother's tea napkins and my grandmother's embroidery. If you have these sorts of things, perhaps you'd enjoy creating a uniquely cobbled piece, too. 

~~~

In other news, my sister has moved back to Maine from Long Island, New York. I am thrilled to know that she is home. New York was not working out so well as far as taxes, cost of living, hurricanes, and traffic. Though my sister truly loved her job and her coworkers (she's a nurse), it was decided that it was time to get out of Dodge. She and her husband rented their home while they were in New York so they had a home to return to just an hour northeast from here. As all you movers understand, they're floating in a sea of boxes and so I'm heading over to help out tomorrow. I chose the one sunny day of the week to devote to the cause. This is mostly a case of "the thought that counts" because we'll be yakking so much that I don't know how we'll accomplish a thing. Perhaps I'll have something to share on the flip side. 

Have a good week!

48 comments:

  1. This runner floats my boat too, Vee. I love all your doilies and the final product. I am happy for your sister. I would love to get out of Dodge, too, although, I would be heading in a more southerly direction. I never cared much for LI, my family is buried out there, and I have cousins still living there. Traffic is a complete nightmare. I could go on but won't!!! Have a great week. xo P.S. Heard you met a lovely blogging buddy recently and her family? xo

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  2. Indeed, this runner also floats my boat. Vee, your table runner is precious and simply lovely! I will have to remember this for future use - my mom would love something like this :) Thank you for sharing and have a beautiful day!

    Hugs to you!

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  3. What a great way to use heirloom linens. Love the words you used to embellish yours as well...'joy' and 'coffee' are some of my favorites. Have fun helping your sister settle in at 'home'. I know you will. :)

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  4. I can see there are a lot of boats floating over this lovely table runner ... mine included. What a great idea for using those cherished linens and doilies. Yours is filled with so much family history. How great is that. The coffee ribbon is so cute too.
    Great news that your sister has come back home. Enjoy your day unpacking and catching up with one another.

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  5. I love your runner. What a wonderful way to save all of those pieces! I am so happy for you that you sister has moved back near you!

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  6. Love that runner idea! Yippee for sister moving back closer to you. Enjoy your time yakking!

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  7. Good rainy morning to you Vee! It's our Victoria Day holiday here and it's not nice. We usually go to St. Andrews on this day as that's when the town 'opens up' for the summer but it's definitely not a nice day for a drive or a walk on the wharf or beach. I love your cobbled table runner and have seen them here and there too. I think it's a great idea and you have chosen some very pretty and sentimental pieces for yours. That is nice that your sister has moved 'home' again and thankfully she has a home to move to. I hope you have a fun day getting caught up and unpacking tomorrow. Enjoy the day. Hugs.

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  8. What a fabulous way to use much-loved heirlooms! So glad you were inspired by that pin. (Most of the pins that I have followed through on have been recipes. Hmmm...what does that say about me?)

    Oh, you're sure to have a ball helping your sister! So what if there's more chatting than unpacking? That's what life is made of! I know you'll enjoy having her nearer.

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  9. The runner is beautiful Vee!! I love all the memories it holds for you. I have some of those pieces in my cedar chest - why not use them and display them....hmmmmm.
    Have fun unpacking and chatting - joy and coffee come to mind - smile!

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  10. I am floating in that boat with you! I really love it. Family treasures are among my favorite things.

    And I am cheering for your sister that she has returned home to Maine. As one who lives not far from mine, I know how much fun you too will have. And yes... you will probably not accomplish nearly as much unpacking as yakking, but yakking is the better choice anyway!

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  11. Your table runner is lovely. I know you love it because it has cherished pieces in it that once belonged to your loved ones. It is a terrific way to keep and use those special pieces.

    Have fun helping your sister. I'm sure you're very happy to have her closer to you. Have a great week!

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  12. I love this special table runner. I actually did something with a vintage embroidery piece and got the post ready for later this week. I didn't really copy you....although I might do this next! heehee! I'm happy that your sister has moved close. I sure do miss my sister and wish she lived nearby. HAVE FUN! Sweet hugs!

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  13. How special Vee!
    Every-time you go to the table
    you will remember all those
    wonderful memories!
    What a wonderful way
    to honor your family
    history...
    Just beautiful.

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  14. Love it!! I want to make one. So glad to hear your sister is home. Enjoy your time with her this week. ~ Abby

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  15. Love the table runner! I have been wanting to make one for our small coffee table and I think that would look wonderful...thanks for sharing the idea!

    Blessings,
    Nadine

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  16. I have a huge pile of old embroidered tray cloths and the like, just waiting for me to work out what to do with them. My grandmothers' (both of them) and great grans as well. This is genius! I will unearth them and start playing around.Tomorrow!

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  17. Your runner is beautimous!!! I've seen this idea; good for you for going with it!!!

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  18. I think this is wonderful and very creative. When I retire I want to make purses from old linens but not enough hours yet for that!

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  19. I am so happy your sister is so close by again!

    That runner is so special - all those lovely bits that women you love created....

    Deanna

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  20. The new table runner is a pretty remembrance! Pinterest to the rescue, LOL.

    Glad to hear that your sister has moved back from NY. Have fun chatting and unpacking!

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  21. That is brilliant. I have so many doilies and dresser scarves that are not really my style but hold so many memories. My mother's house is full of them too. I think this is lovely.

    In other news, I am soooo glad your sister is "home". Nothing beats having family close.

    xo Terri

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  22. Oh I love the table runner. I have some of my gramma's things that would be really nice to use. Now they just sit in a drawer.

    Oh don't I know about boxes lately!!! It appears we will be living in our travel trailer for about 6 weeks!!!

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  23. That looks great, Vee. Was it a lot of work? Looks so. I could see that being an "heirloom" passed down with many stories (for all the many parts). Great idea!

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  24. Vee
    I like your memory table runner-what a neat idea.
    Enjoy your time with your sis. It must be great to
    have her closer to home again. I don't expect
    you'll get all yacked out on one visit though!

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  25. What a great and beautiful idea! I have the same sort of treasured pieces and I'd love make them into something useful, like you've done.

    I've penned so much on Pinterest. I love looking and dreaming of my pins, but I haven't tried one single thing.....maybe soon.

    Yea, so glad your sister will be closer!!

    Love, love, love your work of art!
    Hugs,

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  26. I'm so happy for your sister and you...will she be living nearby? I would love to be near one of my sisters and yes, we wouldn't accomplish much with all of our gabbing!

    I love the runner, it would be such a keepsake. I wish I could sew!

    XO,
    Jane

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  27. Your table runner looks like a lot of fun to make, and to look at and remember....I hope you tell your grandson's a little of this family history. And I'm so glad to hear your sister is moving back, fairly near you. I never had a sister myself, and always wanted one. Actually I made three pretend sisters when I was very little, but it's not quite the same....

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  28. It's like a quilt made from fabric from previously made clothing, or retired clothing. Lots of memories. The coffee tape is particularly charming.
    I've caught up on all your posts.
    I don't get the optical illusion with your profile picture. Duh.
    I still chuckle when I re read John's poem.

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  29. The table runner is a beautiful way to use up bits and pieces of embroidery and doilies. And so evocative of people you love to remember. Great job.

    How fun to have your sister just an hour away. You'll have a wonderful time chatting a lot and unpacking a little.

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  30. I just love that table runner...what a great idea. It looks wonderful!

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  31. This is lovely, Vee, and so different. I like the idea that each person who makes one would have something totally unique to them. You've "cobbled" some really pretty pieces together; I love the crocheted doilies and the embroidery.

    Congratulations that you're getting your sister back home! I'm so glad for the both of you, and yep; I bet you'll both be talking a mile a minute tomorrow. :)

    Have fun!

    Denise at Forest Manor

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  32. LOVE LOVE LOVE the table runner. What a wonderful idea! I can identify with the having to concentrate on the task on hand while together with a sister...chatting ALWAYS gets in the way, haha. Enjoy your time together. Thank you for your recent prayers, I appreciate it so! HUGS

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  33. Have many of those types to things Vee. Love the idea gonna start on it soon. Now that all the graduations are out of the way our whole family will be glad to get back to normal. Would take anything for all the experiences but it was overwhelming this year. Now if we just don't get hit with the really bad weather heading in this direction. So glad your sister is moving back home and will be nearer to you. Blessings dear sista.
    Peggy

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  34. VEE- what a nifty craft idea and I LOVE that so many of the items have special meaning to you, too.

    I am so glad your sister is back closer to you. Sisters are so important. I laughed out loud at your honest assessment of how much you two will accomplish when you visit, haha.

    My youngest daughter is going to NYC this weekend for the first time - she lived in San Diego for 7 years so missed all the times we visited there. She's excited, hope it cools off a little and the storms blow over first though.

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  35. It still amazes me what a little community you have here on the world wide web. So many comments!

    I love the runner but when I saw Pinterest mentioned, I had to share what my daughter texted me. She said she was cutting tiny sections of licorice to make cupcakes look like baseballs for David's birthday party.

    Her next text was that she had to stop viewing Pinterest. :)

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  36. Oh sad glad the she "came home" it will be wonderful for you to be close by each other.

    I LOVE the runner - right up my alley in looks and sentiment!

    xo

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  37. The runner idea is neat, kind of like creating a quilt with pieces that mean something.
    It will be nice to have your sister close again; I miss not ever having one.
    Judith

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  38. The table runner is full of memories a nice way to bring them all together.
    Merle....

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  39. OH what a precious idea for that table runner.
    I love your vintage wall paper on your blog. A sister close by! That is so wonderful. I'm glad she is home again.
    Hugs!

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  40. May 22

    What a lovely way to incorporate, lots of bits of things you love. :-)

    Welcome home to your Sister. How wise of them, to have only rented their home. Now they have a place to return to, easily.

    Wise!

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  41. My mother had a lot of these type of runners, doilies, etc that her aunt made. I love them.

    Stopping by to see if everything is okay. Your comment on my blog this morning has me a little concerned. Thinking of you!

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  42. Love your runner! I like all the personal touches you've put on it. As for pinterest, I have made some recipes, but I think that's as far as I've gotten. And I would LOVE to live just an hour from my sister. We are 18 hours apart and have never lived close together our whole adult lives.

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  43. Oh Vee I love your runner and this post. I too have many treasures that would work for this. Bits and pieces that I just couldn't part with that my mom,aunt and grandmother had made. Thanks for the idea.
    By the way I did the calendar thing until Jan. this year and then just got to busy, sadly! I love looking back at what I was doing years ago.

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  44. WOW !!! Vee,it is just sooo gorgeous.And it certainly floats my boat. And when Sherry returns from her trip,I'll be telling her so she can come take a look.I'm sure it will float her boat too.
    XXOO Marie Antionette

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  45. What lovely treasures you have made by your mother. I love anything embroidered or crocheted. I can do a pretty mean crochet and embroidery but I gave it all away. Duh! I'm so glad your sister will be nearby again. Always nice to have family close.

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  46. This is a beautiful runner, Vee, and all the more special as it is made up of special pieces form your Mother that you remember and love.

    If I made everything I pinned I'd be so well fed, and well traveled and so crafty..lol! I just enjoy "collecting" it all!

    I'm glad your sister is close by you again. Yes, NYC is an expensive place to live and the traffic is horrendous--I don't miss that at all!

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  47. What a fun idea and how nice to have your sister close again Vee.

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  48. Oh that is a fabulous runner - I have lots and lots of vintage linens too - hmmmmm. Glad your sister is "home".

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