Hey everyone. Today you'll learn how to make a festive table runner that lets a beautiful Christmas print shine right down the middle of your table.
Here we go.
Meet the fabric first
We're working with Adorn Bloom Green. It comes from the Adorn Collection. Makower UK designed it for Andover Fabrics.
This is 100% premium cotton. It is 44/45 inches wide. It is sold by the yard. It cuts clean and presses flat.
Look at the print. You get poinsettias, holly leaves, and delicate blooms. You get sparkling snowflakes, classic ornaments, and graceful scrolls. Then there are metallic gold accents running through it.
The collection colors are rich and traditional. Think green, cream, red, and burgundy. This colorway sits on a deep green ground. That green feels classic Christmas to me. The blooms and gold really pop against it.
For a table, that contrast is perfect. We are not reinventing the wheel here. We let the fabric do the talking.
Why this fabric suits a table runner
A table runner is a long, narrow quilt for your table. It makes the whole room feel finished.
You want a print that reads well in a long strip. This bloom print does that. Cut it wide and the poinsettias stay whole. The scrolls still flow down the length.
A tiny, fussy cut would chop all that beauty up. Big, simple pieces are faster too. You can finish this in a weekend, easy. Super duper fun for a first holiday project.
Materials list
- 1 yard of Adorn Bloom Green for the center panel and end pieces
- 1/2 yard of a coordinating cream, red, or burgundy cotton for side borders
- 1/3 yard for binding, cut into 2 1/2-inch strips
- Thin cotton batting, about 18 inches by 46 inches
- Backing fabric, about 1/2 yard of 44/45-inch cotton, cut to 18 inches by 46 inches
- 50-weight cotton thread for piecing
- 50-weight thread for quilting, in a deep green or soft gold
- An 80/12 needle for piecing and quilting on your home machine
- Rotary cutter, ruler, mat, pins or clips, and an iron
Finished size is about 16 inches by 44 inches. That fits most dining tables with a nice drop at each end.
Brief steps
Step 1: Press and cut big. Press your fabric flat. Cut one center panel, 12 1/2 inches by 40 1/2 inches, from the Adorn Bloom Green. Center a pretty bloom or two when you can.
Step 2: Add the side borders. Cut two strips, 2 1/2 inches by 40 1/2 inches, from your coordinating fabric. Sew one to each long side with a 1/4-inch seam. Press seams away from the center.
Step 3: Sew the rows together. If you added end pieces, sew them on now and press flat. Give the whole top one good final press. Check that your corners sit square.
Step 4: Layer and baste. Lay the backing right side down. Center the batting. Center the top right side up. Smooth from the middle out. Pin every 4 inches or so.
Step 5: Quilt it simply. Stitch in the ditch along the border seams first. Then echo that line once, or add a gentle meander across the center. Try 10 to 12 stitches per inch. Slow down at seam crossings, or the needle can snap on a thick spot.
I have rushed a runner the night before company came. Oh my goodness, yes. The fix was simple. Pull those wobbly stitches, press lightly, and sew it again slower. Nobody at dinner knew a thing.
Step 6: Bind it. Trim the sandwich square. Join your 2 1/2-inch binding strips. Sew the binding on, fold it over, and finish by hand or machine. Completely up to you.
Practical tips from my table
Press well before you cut. A wrinkled cut turns into a wobbly runner, every time. Take thirty seconds and press first.
Keep quilting light, not dense. A runner should lay flat and drape a little over the ends. Heavy quilting can make it stiff and wavy.
Let the metallic gold do the sparkle work. You do not need glitter thread too. A plain thread lets the fabric shine.
Take your time, it's not a race. If a border sits a hair off, it is still handmade. It does not have to be perfect. You're your own worst critic, I promise you that. If I can do this, y'all can do it.
Alrighty. Press it, cut it big, and quilt it slow. That is a Christmas table folks will gather around for years.
Thanks so much for sewing along with me today. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Adorn Bloom Green 44"/45" Cotton Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
