I have managed to be crafty while waiting for baby and last weekend I made two table runners: one that was a bridal shower gift and one for myself. The bride-to-be and her husband-to-be are cousins and recently purchased a large "old" home so I figured they would need some accessories besides all of the wonderful kitchen and bathroom goodies you get at a bridal shower.
I headed to Jo-Ann's and selected a main fabric (the beige with the birds) and two complimenting fabrics (the green geometric and blue geometric). I decided to make theirs 96 inches long which would leave excess if used on a 6 foot table or fit end to end on an 8 foot table. For the width, I decided to go with the width of a placemat since that looked good when I laid it out before pinning. I also decided to make both sides different so they essentially have two runners in one. The first side has the beige bird fabric in the center and one end has the blue geometric while the other has the green, and the back side is all beige bird.
For once I took the time to trace with a disappearing ink pen, the size of my blocks so I could make sure I wouldn't have to go back to the fabric store or have unsightly seams running down the center.
Sewing a table runner is very much like sewing a baby blanket except in my case, I was working with extra seams since I used a few pieces of fabric. I added an extra inch onto each measurement since I pressed a 1/2 inch seam on all edges to sew the blocks together.
Then, I laid out the fabric end to end so I could measure again and make sure I was happy with the placement. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product.
The runner I made for our dining room (which acts as an everyday table) was sewn to 120 inches since we have an 8 foot barn-wood table and I wanted room for the runner to hang off the ends. I used the same blue and green geometric fabric because the "main" fabric I selected for my own runner was a green paisley and also a blue/beige floral. I wanted something that would look good in the Spring and also through the Summer since I'm not quite sure how much time I will have to make another one when baby R. arrives.
For the top side of mine I knew I wanted a specific pattern and specific size blocks which I measured out. The back side ended up being a free for all based on the amount of fabric I had left, but the blocks are larger and still the same fabric.
In our dining room I set out my go-to set of glass pillars with a bowl for candles at the top and two additional pillar candles. These are the same glass pillars I used for
Valentine's Day and although I intended to fill them with pastel Easter candy, I decided against it since I am trying not too indulge in too many sweets.
