Campaign Table Runner

It's been raining all weekend, so I have been playing around with some new quilt blocks that I got from a web site where a very generous lady takes requests from readers and makes foundation patterns that she publishes for free! She also has patterns for sale.

http://paperpanache.com/simplereqs/campaign.htm
I found two political blocks that I thought were so cute.

Here's the Democratic donkey. I love this guy! He finishes at 6 inches square.

She also gave a pattern for the republican elephant.

I wish I had used a different fabric for the neck scarf. Too late now.

After making these two 6-inch blocks, I had to think of a use for them. I decided they would make a cute table runner to use during campaign week. So now my quick blocks have turned into a weekend full of pleasure. What else is there to do on a rainy summer weekend? :)

I used the animal blocks as the center of a star.

I used Carol Doak's pattern book, Simply Sensational Nine-Patch Stars.
I adore this book! It comes with a disk for the computer and I can make the patterns whatever size I want. I just print them off and I am ready to sew.

Once I finished the two 18-inch campaign icon blocks, I needed to figure out something to join them together. Again I turned to Carol Doak. This time it was her 300 Paper-Pieced Quilt Blocks book.
I thought this patriotic heart would be nice.
So I printed 3 of them and began to sew. Halfway through I decided I only wanted one of them. So I finished one.
I decided I wanted two of these hearts.

I liked the open banner. Years ago I started to collect campagin buttons. I gave it up after a short time, but I do have a dozen or so of them and I thought they would be great to attach to the banner area of this star.
So I made two of them.
Now I don't like the center heart. It just does not work when I face the other two so that they are upright for each person sitting on opposite sides of the table. So I ditched the center heart. (I did not throw it away, I will find another use for it)

Hmmmmmm.............now what? Whatever I put here is likely to be covered by a centerpiece. I could just leave it white.

Instead I decided to put a flag in the center, just in case I use this without a centerpiece covering the middle.

Now I only have to figure out what to do with the ends. I like table runners that end in a point. If they are left just squared off, I think they look unfinished. I spent a little time trying to decide what I could put on point to use on the ends.

Finally I decided that I did not want to spend that much more time on this. I decided just to use the blue star fabric for the ends.

So much easier and I think it looks fine.

Now I just need to sandwich it, quilt it, bind it and it's ready for the next election.