After hanging my Tulips Tossed quilt behind the buffet, I knew I wanted something great for the table that went with it; but I didn't have leftovers of any of the fabrics I used.  I pinned my quilt back on the design board and started pulling fabrics from my stash.

I auditioned some greens, burgandys and oranges and then found a charm pack that had the same bright, warm tones as the quilt.  The garnet Peppered Cotton was a really close match to the burgandy batik that was used for the sashing and I realized I was ready to make my Sedona Sunrise tablerunner.

Fabrics that have a similar feeling and tone can serve you well when you don't have enough yardage to make multiple projects.

Use a piece of clear plexiglass or acrylic to test out your quilting designs right on your quilt top!  You can get it at most hardware and crafting stores.  It's not too expensive and lightweight.  Use dry erase markers and a piece of batting for erasing.  Be sure and tape the edges with a bright color painter's tape or duct tape so you don't go past the edges and mark on your top.

Pre-printed panels are an excellent start to making your first quilt.  Just add a skinny border and a wide outer border and you have a good-sized quilt top that can become a beautiful baby gift or a snuggly car quilt.

A tray table is an excellent way to handle the bulk of the quilt while working on it at your sewing machine.  The table can be folded up and tucked out of the way if you have limited space.  In this photo, I'm using my Brother NX450Q to attach the binding to a quilt that just came off my longarm.