Hey everyone! Today we're making a modern table runner, and I'll show you how a dark gray hexie print can do all the pattern work for you.
Here we go.
Meet the fabric
This is the Banyan Dark Gray Hexies Neutral Cotton 44"/45" Fabric Per Yard from Northcott. It's by Banyan Batiks Studio, in the Hexies - New Colors group.
It's cotton, and the width is 44"/45". The color here is dark gray, listed as a neutral, and that matters. A deep neutral like this grounds a table. It doesn't fight with your dishes or your centerpiece.
The collection is built around intricate hexagon-inspired motifs. The description calls out geometric precision blended with the organic beauty of handcrafted fabric. That's a fancy way of saying it looks crisp up close, and soft from across the room. Just like that.
Hexies also offers a modern twist on traditional batik. In this dark gray colorway, that twist reads calm and contemporary. Perfect for a dining table, a sideboard, or an entry console.
The project: a modern hexie table runner
We're making a table runner that finishes at 14" by 44". That's a friendly size. Long enough to anchor a table. Narrow enough to quilt on a domestic machine without wrestling it.
Why does this fabric suit it? A runner lives or dies on its center panel. This print already has the geometry, so you don't need to cut it into tiny pieces to make it interesting. You let one generous cut be the star, add a simple border if you like, and quilt the hexagons so they pop.
Materials
- 1 yard of Banyan Dark Gray Hexies Neutral, 44"/45" wide — you'll cut the center panel and have fabric left for binding
- 1/4 yard of a coordinating solid or tonal for a narrow inner border, if you want one
- Cotton batting, cut about 18" by 48"
- Backing fabric, cut about 18" by 48"
- Thread that blends with the dark gray for quilting, plus a lighter thread if you want the hexies outlined
- Rotary cutter, ruler, mat, pins or clips, and an iron
Brief steps
One. Cut your center panel at 10" by 40". Center a nice run of hexies in the middle. Take your time lining it up. Look at it from a few steps back before you cut.
Two. Add a border all around at 2 1/2" wide. That brings you to 14" by 44" finished, before quilting. Press the seams away from the center panel so the top lies flat.
Three. Layer the backing right side down, then the batting, then the top right side up. Smooth from the center out. Pin, clip, or spray baste, whichever you trust most. Completely up to you.
Four. Quilt it. My pick is simple echo quilting around a few of the hexagons, then a light meander in the border. You can also stitch in the ditch around the border seam to lock everything in first. Use a size 80/12 needle and a 2.5 mm stitch length, about 10 stitches per inch. Go steady. Slow down or the needle snaps if you try to pivot too sharp on a point.
Five. Trim everything square. Cut binding strips at 2 1/2" wide from your leftover Hexies fabric. You'll need about 124" of binding for this size, so four strips cut across the 44" width will cover it with room to join. Bind with a 1/4" seam allowance.
Full honesty. My first echo lines wobbled a little around the points. From two feet away, nobody could tell. It doesn't have to be perfect, folks. You're your own worst critic. Take your time. It's not a race. If I can do this, y'all can do it.
Practical tips
Press before you cut, and press after every seam. A print with a lot of geometry will show a wavy seam right away, and five minutes with the iron fixes most of it.
Don't quilt every hexie. Pick every second or third one. The rest will puff a little, and that contrast is really really nice on a table.
Check your runner for square twice. Even 1/4" off will show when it lies flat. Square it up before binding, not after.
Save your scraps. This dark gray neutral plays well with almost everything, and a leftover strip makes a sharp binding for placemats down the road.
Alrighty. Thanks so much for sewing along with me today. I hope this one finds a happy spot on your table. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Banyan Dark Gray Hexies Neutral Cotton 44"/45" Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
