Thursday, December 17, 2009

The 15 Minutes Table Runner

To help you with your holiday preparations, I am offering you PERMISSION.
7. Change up your routine of when you "allow" yourself to sew. Let yourself sew at unconventional times to reduce stress.

How do I find time when I so many things to get done??

Give "The 15 Minutes Table Runner" a chance. Truly, these will go together so fast even you will be amazed.

Step #1:
Start with 3/4 yard cuts of two fabrics. This will make TWO table runners. Cut 10" wide and then a 17" wide piece will remain. Make sure cuts are perpendicular (straight with the selvage). This might mean that you will have trimmed down each piece a bit in the width.
Step #2: Sew the 10" wide strip and the 17" wide strip together with the right sides together along the right side length of the fabrics.

Step #3:
Pulling the left sides together with the right sides together. This will be reaching the 10" piece to the other side of the 17" piece. Sew together, creating a tube. This may look unbalanced, but it is correct.

Step #4:
Turn the tube right side out.

Step #5
Spread the tube out on an ironing board, distributing the border evenly on both sides of the tube.

Step #6:
Press the "borders" measuring to maintain an even width on each side of the center piece (striped fabric in the photo). The "borders" will be approximately 1-3/4" on each the left and right side of the center.

Step #7:
Trim selvages off both ends of the tube. Be sure the cut is perpendicular to the sides.

Step #8:
Fold the tube in half lengthwise, matching the border pieces.

Step #9:
Sew the ends of the folded segment, back-stitch at the beginning and end. (Option: this could be sewn as a french seam: sewing the wrong side first with a 1/8" seam and then turning to encase the seam by sewing right sides together with a 1/4" seam.)

Step #10:
Turn points on each end of the table runner right side out and press out the points. You may have to do some trimming at the point to get crisp points.

Step #11
Back of the runners will have a band of the border. Press well.

Finishing:
At the points of the table runner, you can add buttonholes and attach tassles. Consider monogramming the ends of the runner.
Options: Cutting the strip in half after Step #7 and finishing each end, you can make two placemats of the strip width. You can use a cutaway stabilizer, Decor-bond™ or batting to add more body to the table runner. Try decorator fabrics for more stability. I prefer a cutaway stabilizer such as OESD Fusible Polymesh.

Download a copy of the pattern by clicking HERE.

3 comments:

Monica said...

These are also reversible if you just flip over and push the point out again :)

jillreicks said...

Then you'd want to make sure to install the buttonhole BEFORE you make the points so that it is functional both ways and attach a button to the end of the tassle to button IN.

Anonymous said...

HOW can you make it reversible, unless you leave a short opening in the side seam, after sewing it all together right sides facing? and then you must hand sew the pointed middle seam together...and then blind stitching the small side opening where you turned it, which takes some longer than 15 minutes, but is doable....