Easy to Sew Table Runner

While I was at Joann's picking out fabric for my recent baby gift projects, you can view those here and here, I came across this fabulous fabric on clearance!  I had already been talking about wanting to make a fall table runner for my fancy dining table and now I had no excuses!  This was a very easy project that took me about an hour (including ironing).

I decided I wanted my table runner to be 15" wide, but since the width of the fabric was too short for my table (especially once the leaves are in) I needed to purchase 31" - factoring in my seam allowance of both my decorative fabric and a complimentary backing fabric.

First I cut my decorative fabric in half right down the center.  I pinned them along one end, right sides together and stitched together.  Then I folded my seam open and pressed.

Now had one long piece of decorative fabric, I pinned it to my backing fabric (which came in a different width).  I knew that I didn't want any of the selvage to show, since it was so full of holes, so I pinned the backing fabric below that edge.

After one half of the table runner was pinned to the backing fabric I cut it to match. 

Then I pinned the second half of the decorative table runner to it and trimmed again. 

Sorry at this point I forgot to take pictures.  I sewed a center seam the same as on the decorative fabric and pressed open.  Then I pinned both sets of fabric together right sides together and sewed all the way around, leaving a small gap of about 5" in order to flip it right side out when done.  After I had flipped it right side out, I ironed the edges flat.  Don't worry about the gap, fold down the sides and the decorative stitch will hold it closed.

Then I went around the entire piece with a decorative stitch.  I chose a "straight stretch" stitch.  It look like a roman numeral III on my machine.  I liked it because it made the stitch stand out since it did each one three times.

And that was it, all done!  This was such a nice easy project that made such a difference in my dinning room.

 I just love the embroidered flowers on this fabric!

The next day Ben came home with some wonderful flowers, I knew right were I wanted to put them.  The colors went so perfectly together!

The only problem with the flowers is that they came with cat-tails that were fuzzing all over the place.  I decided to take them out of their wrapping outside and BOY was I GLAD I did!!!!!  Look at all that fluff!!!!!

The fluff was worth it, the flowers looked great in their new home!

I hope you try making your own table runner sometime, it is so easy to do an makes such an impact!