Table runner

The sun is shining into my work room so it still feels like the summer! 

Which is why it seems crazy to be thinking about Christmas - but we all know that we have so many ideas and plans to make things as done, (and I know no matter how much I like the idea now by next year it will be superseded by other projects - so they only have this tiny window in which to be created!)

So table runners - I like them because they are quite quick to make - can be used for our own table or given as a gift, and matching placemats are fun as well!

So here is a selection of table runners originally made for the Festival of Quilts, but with a change of colour suitable for Christmas, or weddings and birthdays - so versatile.

Starting from the left, the blue table runner was made using die 657615 trapezoid, in the Big Shot

machine. The pieces were joined together to make a friendship braid, and a plain border ( cut with die 656681 - 21/2" strip) was added and then a single colour binding.



 For Christmas try using reds and greens with a touch of gold and then make the binding in gold coloured fabric. It is easy to add length for any table.

The second runner is made of 21/2" squares ( die 657607) with a triangle at each end (die 657611) so that the squares are on point - very  easy to make and the triangles make a straight edge, for mine I used a single colour for the triangles to frame the squares and then made a binding out of all the pieces that were left.

 

I called the third runner Butterflies - and it is made using 2 sizes of squares ( dies 657607, and 657609) and 2 sizes of triangle (dies 657611 and 657613). The smaller blocks were used to run alongside the blocks to create the width that I needed, as shown in the photo beneath.

 

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I used a single colour for the background and a selection of pretty florals for the butterflies, but you could just use 2 fabrics for the complete thing.

The last runner was made with triangles ( die 657613) because I wanted to show that you could just use 1 die and create a pretty effect. Using a mixture of plain and patterned fabric I arranged the triangles into squares and then joined them in a semi random way.

 

 

All of these runners used fat quarters or scraps for variety and no more than 1/2 metre for main fabrics. They can be made as long or wide as you like by varying the number of blocks you make.

So happy stitching for your table and gifts for any event, and some more to follow next week.