Tutorial
• Instructions are for a table runner that is 14 ½” by 73” and has a ¼” seam allowance.
• Be specific when cutting but don’t fret over these specific measurements when you are sewing. This table runner is pretty hard to mess up and very easy to alter! In the instructions, use the word “ABOUT” with this in mind.
Material:
Front: Cut (scraps of) fabric into 35 strips of 2 ½” by 16” for the front.
• I’m serious about scraps. I had left over strips of fabric from making a patch-work quilt. There are 15 different kinds of fabric on my table runner.
Lining: Batting of your desired thickness cut to 14 ¼” by 76 ½”.
Back: Cut the fabric you chose for the back to 18” by 76 ½” inches and the fabric you chose for the thin middle strip on the back to 4” by 75” in dimensions.
Instructions:
Strips-
1. As you can see from the table runner I tried, the strips of scraps are pieced together. I cut some of my strips into halves and switched them around and cut some of the strips in thirds and fourths and switched them around. Some of them are even and some of them are (purposely) not even. Then, I sewed everything together to make 35 different strips of fabric. The point is to end up with 35 strips of scraps that are all the same length and width. What each strip looks like is up to you and your creativity.
2. Remember that when you sew two half together you lose a ½” in seams. When you sew 3 thirds together you will lose 1” in seams. And when you sew 4 fourths together you will lose 1 ½” in seams. That is why I had you cut the strips 1 ½” longer than 14 ½”; to give you room to sew the patches together. So if you decide to do the patches, when all the strips are sewn together you will have a pretty rough edge. Cut the rough edges to about 14 ½”.
3. You don’t even have to do patches. You could just have 35 strips of fabric that are not altered. Then you would need to cut that extra 1 ½” off (that I gave you for seams) of one side to make the table runner measurements line up.
4. Make sure to iron the seams open when you are done making your patch-work so the table runner doesn’t have lumps and bumps everywhere.
Front-
5. Place the 35 strips of fabric on the table and arrange the colors, patches and strips according to how you want them arranged.
6. Start sewing the strips of fabric together hot dog style (sewing long sides together). When all the strips are sewn together and you have cut the rough edges even, it should be about 14 ½” by 70”.
7. Iron the seams open on the wrong side of the front material.
Back-
8. Iron ¼” under on both of the long sides of the thin middle strip for the back of the table runner.
9. Pin the thin middle strip onto the center of the back material. There should be about 8” on each side of the thin middle strip and sew right next to the ironed edge (the long sides) leaving the top and bottom of the thin middle strip open. Cut any excess fabric on the top and bottom of the thin middle strip.
10. Iron ¼” under on all 4 sides of the back fabric.
Layering-
11. Place the back material with the sewn on middle strip, wrong side up on the table.
12. Then center the lining on the back material. There should be about 1 ½” of back fabric on each side of the lining and the top and bottom should be the same measurements.
13. Place the front material (strips sewn together) right side up on top of the lining and centered at the top and bottom (Lining and Strips should both be 14 ½” wide.)
14. Pin, Pin, Pin!
Finally-
15. Turn the long sides of the back material over on top of the front material to create a 1 ½” border around the strips. Pin and sew right next to the ironed edge on the long sides all the way up and down the sides even at the top and bottom where there is just lining.
16. Turn the top and bottom sides of the back material and lining over the top and bottom of the front material to create another 1 ½” border. Pin and sew next to the ironed edge from side to side.
17. Iron the table runner one more time and whah-lah! You are done!
Appendix-
• You can make the length of the table runner longer (based on your table) by adding more strips of fabric to the front material and cutting your back and thin middle strip material longer (based on your table). You can also make the table runner as wide as you want by cutting the strips of fabric on the front of the table runner longer and your back material wider.
• You can also create whatever patch-work or size of strips you want for the front design as long as it measures 14 ½” wide by 70” long.
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