I was in a personal swap with teapotdnky and she requested some steampunk decor for her house, and said she was into the more romantic, Victorian side of steampunk. The wheels started turning in my brain, and I decided to try a quilted table runner!
It's about 5 feet long, and about a foot wide. I used some fat quarters in browns and golds that I got at the quilt store, along with scraps of felt and leather and satin and silk and lace and a stained pair of khakis that I had lying around.
First I found a bunch of vintage and Victorian and steampunk images on the internet (which is surprisingly hard to do! Someone seriously needs to make a steampunk clip art collection!) and adjusted all the images to be black and white or sepia toned in photoshop.
Then I printed them out on iron on transfers and ironed them onto my lighter fabrics, and cut them out. I assembled the basic quilt with strips of the fabrics, sewn together with a scallop stitch. I left all my edges raw because I wanted it to have a kind of deconstructed look. I worked in four sections, to make it easier to manipulate.
When I had assembled the basic background, I added the images, either with applique or reverse applique. I got to use all of the fun stitch patterns that my machine has on it that I've never used!
Then I added some additional embellishments (watch gears, beads, gilt angels, buttons) and sewed the backing on. I added a fabric tube on the backing so she can use it as a wall hanging too, if she wanted. I added the gold tassels and wah-lah! Steampunk table runner!
I didn't end up quilting it because I didn't want to over-embellish it. So really it's just a pieced and appliqued top with a back.
Detail shots:
Some of my favorite patches:
The backing, a dark gray raw silk:
