Decorator Style – DIY Lampshade ~ Countryside Runner & Pillow

The batik: Decorator Style.

The Quantity: three generous cuts, each a tidy 1½ yards.

The Challenge: Create something worthy of the name.

The Inspiration: That very name — Decorator Style — whispering possibilities.

The Result: A lamp shade, a pillow, and a runner… each with its own small adventure stitched in.

The teal and brown batiks feel like beach glass that’s washed ashore after crossing half the Pacific; colors that seem to hold a memory of salt wind and sunlight. The fleur-de-lis motifs hint at classic home décor — the sort found in rooms where someone has very good taste, or pretends convincingly that they do.

Naturally, this led me to a few projects perfect for the bedroom, den, study, or wherever you keep your favorite chair and your biggest dreams.

First up: the large pillow and runner. I used the Countryside pattern by Fran Morgan of Fabric Café (from Make It Home with 3-Yard Quilts). For cutting, I played a little matchmaker—combining the wall hanging and runner instructions. The result? Eighty sets of half-square triangles, courtesy of the diagonal seam tape method.

I prefer to make them oversized and trim them down, the tailoring equivalent of getting a second chance to be precise.

At an open sew, I joined the HSTs to their solid companions, chain-piecing style, the hum of the machine providing a rhythm only quilters truly understand.

The eternal question: press seams open or to the dark side? I am, without apology, a press-it-open devotee.

Look at how beautifully flat this block lies — like it finally found its calling.

Next came the alternate blocks: simple framed squares, but with a twist. Remember that fleur-de-lis? It practically begged to be fussy-cut.

With blocks assembled into the runner and pillow top, borders were next. I always measure across the center — the most honest part of the quilt.

The finished pieces took a quick trip to the longarm while I turned to the lampshade.

The Lampshade: where décor meets destiny.

The DIY kit included everything except the story. I centered the fleur motif on the self-adhesive backing as if it were meant for this moment.

After rolling it onto the hoops, I tucked the seam allowance in — the quilting equivalent of smoothing one’s collar before stepping out.

While traveling through Scotland, I noticed many small bedside lamps dressed in Harris Tweed — proof that even humble lighting can aspire to high fashion. It also happens that I brought home a bottle of gin in a shade of glass that matched this batik perfectly. (A souvenir, I assure you. The fact that it matched? Pure serendipity.)

And finally: where better to enjoy my new home-dec ensemble than Oceanside, where the ocean sighs, the air tastes faintly of adventure… and where, apparently, one can plug a new lamp into a currant bush.

So that’s how three cuts of batik morphed into a runner, a pillow, and a lampshade with a slightly mischievous sense of style. If you ever doubt that sewing can lead you to unexpected places, remember: it once led me to a currant bush by the ocean with a lamp under my arm. And honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Toni Wass

Tiger Textiles