Hey everyone. Today we're making a cozy fall bed runner, and we're letting one bold fabric do all the work.
Here we go. No piecing marathon. Just one beautiful wide piece, quilted simply, bound, and draped across the foot of your bed. Super duper easy, and it changes the whole room.
Meet the fabric first
This is the Autumn Colorfield Cotton Wideback Fabric per yard, from Maywood Studio.
It is 100% cotton quilting cotton, and it is a wideback. That means the width is 108 inches. Y'all, that is wide. One cut can stretch across a whole bed.
The colors are green, orange, and brown. Warm autumn colors, through and through. The genre is listed as a blender and a texture, and that fits it perfectly.
The product notes describe bold brush strokes. They paint a lively, textural surface. So this is not a flat, quiet solid. It has movement in it, like paint swept across a canvas.
It was designed as a quilt back. But a fabric this pretty does not have to hide on the back. Today it is the star, right on top of the bed.
The project: a bed runner
A bed runner is a long, narrow quilted strip. It lays across the foot of the bed, side to side. Think of it like a table runner, just sized for a bed.
This wideback suits it really, really well. The long direction of your runner runs along the 108-inch width. So you get the full length in one piece. No seam down the middle. No piecing two lengths together.
My version finishes at 24 by 96 inches. That fits a queen, with about 18 inches of drop on each side. For a twin, trim it to about 70 inches long. For a king, use nearly the whole width.
You have options on the back, folks. Use the same Colorfield and make it reversible. Or use a calm solid from your stash. My preference is reversible. Completely up to you, though.
Materials list
- 1 yard of Autumn Colorfield for the top — that gives you a piece 36 by 108 inches to trim down
- 1 yard of the same fabric, or a coordinating cotton, for the backing
- Thin cotton batting, at least 28 by 100 inches
- Binding fabric: about 1/2 yard, cut into 2 1/2-inch strips — you will need roughly 250 inches of binding
- All-purpose thread in a warm brown or deep green
- A size 90/14 quilting needle
- Rotary cutter, a long ruler, pins or clips, and a walking foot if you have one
My real numbers: cut top and backing at 26 by 98 inches. Quilt first, then trim to a clean 24 by 96 inches before you bind. That trim forgives a lot, folks.
Brief steps
- Press well. Wide fabric can hold a center crease, so take your time on that fold.
- Cut the top and backing to 26 by 98 inches. Keep your ruler steady on the long cuts.
- Layer backing face down, batting, then the top face up. Smooth from the center out.
- Baste every 4 to 6 inches with pins or spray. A long piece likes to shift on you.
- Quilt in long, gentle echo lines about 2 inches apart, following the brush strokes.
- Go slow at the start of each line. Drag pulls stitching crooked, so support the weight on your table.
- Trim the quilted runner to 24 by 96 inches, square and even.
- Sew on your binding, fold it over, and stitch it down. Just like that, you are done.
Practical tips from my table
Set your stitch length to about 3.0 millimeters for quilting, roughly 8 to 9 stitches per inch. A slightly longer stitch rides nicely over batting and shows well on textured fabric.
Use your walking foot if you have one. Three long layers will creep without it. I learned that the honest way. My first line wandered a half inch. The fix was simple. Rip it, rebaste, slow down, sew again.
Keep the quilting simple. The brush strokes already give you pattern and movement, so dense quilting would just fight the fabric. Straight lines or a soft meander is plenty. We're not reinventing the wheel here.
Here is your permission beat, folks. It does not have to be perfect. You are your own worst critic. A little wobble just proves a person made it. Take your time. It is not a race.
If I can do this, y'all can do it. One yard, one weekend, one brand-new look for your bed. Alrighty, you have got this.
Thanks so much for sewing along with me today. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Autumn Colorfield Cotton Wideback Fabric per yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
