Hey everyone. Today you will learn how to make a simple strip table runner in one weekend.
Here we go. The fabric is Blueberry Blue Cotton 44"/45" Fabric Per Yard. It is a cotton fabric from Poppie Cotton. It comes from the Country Confetti collection.
The width is 44"/45". That is handy for a runner. The width of the fabric can become the length of your runner. Just like that, you avoid piecing a long seam for length.
The color is right there in the name. Blueberry blue. It is rich and friendly. It can sit under a plain white dish and still look special. The color does the quiet work.
I like quilting cotton for a runner. It presses clean. It cuts clean. It lays flat on the table. Those things matter on long, straight seams.
The project: a weekend table runner
We are making a runner about 15 inches by 40 inches. That is a useful size for a dining table or a sideboard. It leaves room for place settings. It is big enough to notice. It is small enough to finish.
Why does this fabric suit it? One color carries the whole top. You do not need a complicated pattern. Long strips show off the blueberry blue end to end.
The strips are forgiving, too. If one seam is a hair off, the runner still works. You trim the ends square at the finish. Completely up to you if you want five strips like mine, or four wider strips. My preference is five. The seams give you easy quilting guides. And if I can do this, y'all can do it.
Materials list
- 1 yard of Blueberry Blue Cotton 44"/45" Fabric Per Yard for the strips and binding, with fabric left over
- Backing fabric about 18 inches by 44 inches
- Batting about 18 inches by 44 inches
- All-purpose quilting thread
- A size 80/12 needle for piecing cotton
- Safety pins or basting spray, plus binding clips
- A rotary cutter, ruler, and mat
Those are honest numbers, folks. One yard gives you the strips and the binding. Save the leftovers. Really really useful scraps find a job later.
Brief steps
Step one, press your fabric. Square up one long edge first. Take your time. A wobbly first cut follows you down every strip.
Step two, cut five strips, each 3 1/2 inches wide by the width of the fabric. Keep your ruler steady. Slow down near the end of a long cut, or the blade can wander.
Step three, trim the strips to about 42 inches long. Lay them side by side. You are checking length and grain, not arranging prints.
Step four, sew the strips together along the long edges. Use a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Five strips, minus the seams, give you a top about 15 1/2 inches wide before trimming. Press seams to one side as you go.
Step five, layer backing, batting, and top. Baste well so nothing creeps. Then quilt it your way. Stitch in the ditch is clean and simple. An echo line down each strip is lovely too. I aim for about 8 to 10 stitches per inch. Guide the runner. Do not push it.
Step six, trim to about 15 inches by 40 inches. Cut binding strips 2 1/2 inches wide from the remaining fabric. Sew the binding on, turn it, and finish.
Practical tips from my table
Measure your table before you cut. A runner can hang over the ends or sit inside them. Either way works. Decide first, then cut once. Your table may want 36 inches or 44 inches. Adjust the strip length, not the width. We're not reinventing the wheel here.
Here is a mistake I have made. I once pressed every seam a different direction. Oh my goodness, that top was lumpy. The fix was simple. I re-pressed them all one way, and it laid flat.
And here is the permission beat. This runner does not have to be perfect. You are your own worst critic. A seam that wanders a little will disappear under a centerpiece. Take your time. It is not a race.
Wash it the way you will wash it in real life. Table runners meet coffee and jam. A runner that can go in the wash will actually get used. That is the whole point, folks.
Alrighty. Give it a good press and set it down your table. Super duper cute, and super duper useful too.
Thank y'all for sewing along with me today. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Blueberry Blue Cotton 44"/45" Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
