Tantalizing Table Toppers
Sew 20+ Runners, Place Mats & Napkins
Judy Gauthier’s Tantalizing Table Toppers includes over two dozen designs for projects that are stylish and achievable, ranging from farmhouse chic to contemporary to dinner party elegant.
The book’s designs and instructions cover twenty table runners and four place mats, as well as guidelines for dinner-sized and cocktail napkins, both reversible and not, with tidy, mitered corners. Full-color photographs show each project in its finished form.
The book’s instructions are clear, set in a single column, and easy to read, covering each step of the process in uncomplicated terms. They pay attention to both assembly and finishing steps. Measurements for the finished projects are included, along with measurements and numbers for their pieces; these can be cut from various colors, making it possible to customize projects without laborious calculations.
Most of the project designs can work for more than one style and color scheme, and many of the book’s runners employ a repeated motif; their basic pattern could be extended to make other items, including quilts, crib blankets, and throws. Single motifs could also be scaled for pillows or place mats.
These projects impart a workshop’s worth of quilting and piecing skills, along with helpful advice on how to get projects right, including how to applique, work with curved pieces, and incorporate different fabrics for three-dimensional effects. Professional tips for adding embellishments like rick-rack, reverse-side ironing techniques, a short course in color theory and using a color wheel, and instructions for assembling an ombre mosaic with subtle shade and hue variations are also included.
Tantalizing Table Toppers is a bright and appealing crafting book that packs knowledge and inspiration into its projects, all of which are within every crafter’s reach.
Reviewed by
Susan Waggoner
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
