A Table Runner 4 Years in the Making

My last finish for 2021 was 4 years in the making and I'm so glad I completed and gifted it! 

Back in 2017, we visited my sister-in-law's house for the week of Thanksgiving. 6 adults and 9 kids and basically a "free" week to have some fun. I don't live near any of my nieces and nephews, so my chances to be the "fun project aunt" aren't frequent. I came prepared, with supplies to decorate cookies and make some applique quilt blocks. 

Here's the workstation (aka kitchen island) for our quilting activity. I had a lot of fused fabric scraps in solid colors, and I gave each kid a scissors and a white background square. The kids' ages ranged from approximately 3 to 11. 

Here are all the kids with their finished blocks. It was fun to see how creative they got; especially the older kids who had a little more scissors skills. 

Then the blocks sat for four years. This week, I decided to turn them into a table runner for my sister-in-law (4 of the kids pictured are hers; 3 are mine). I surrounded each block with a solid-colored frame, varying the thick section to add interest and make the runner a little wider (the blocks were originally only 6-1/2" square). 

And the finished runner:

We met up with family this week for a belated Christmas, and I was able to give my sister-in-law the runner in person. Here she is with the runner and all 7 kids who made a block. Such a fun gift!