IN THE MOOD FOR SOMETHING NEW? REFRESH YOUR HOME DECOR WITH QUILTING IN NO TIME WITH AN EASY TABLE RUNNER FOR YOUR DINING ROOM!
Have you ever looked around your home and realized that it needed a little … something? Nothing big, nothing crazy, just something. That’s how I’m feeling right now. I’m pretty happy overall with how our house is coming together, but our dining area is kind of lacking. So I dug into my fabric stash to see what I could find. Project time! In just a couple of hours, I made this easy table runner and I love how it’s jazzed up our dining room!
I have to admit that in the past, I wasn’t really great about changing out ALL my decor with the seasons. Now that we’re in our new home, I really want to freshen things up from time to time. We still don’t have a ton of space to store a lot of seasonal stuff, so I like to create more evergreen types of projects. Mind you, when it comes to Christmas – all bets are off, but that’s a TOTALLY different story!
So let’s get back to the table runner. I found some gorgeous fabric at Joann Fabrics a while back when I was on a romantic weekend getaway with my husband. Yes, you read that right – I was shopping for fabric on our weekend retreat. Anyway – I picked up these beautiful coordinating fabrics because something about the blue really spoke to me. Just love them. I have some more fabric in my stash that could work nicely with these prints, but I think these three stand well on their own.
Sew three coordinating strips together to kick off this easy table runner project — the Brick Path design starts with simple, satisfying seams!
I bought so much of this fabric that I actually made some pillow covers that match the table runner, but I use them in our breakfast nook.
What you’ll need to make your Easy Table Runner
Before we begin, gather your supplies:
- Fabric – Three coordinating fabrics of approximately 0.5 metres (½ yard) of each and additional fabric for backing – 0.6 metres (⅔ yard) – this can be one of the coordinating fabrics or something else altogether
FABRIC + NOTIONS FOR EVERY PROJECT
From charm packs and jelly rolls to rulers and thread, Fat Quarter Shop is packed with everything a quilter or sewist could need. It’s one of my first stops when planning a project.
- Batting – I chose to use Insul-Bright for my runner. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid injury or damage to furniture.
- Rotary cutter and mat – You can absolutely use a good pair of scissors, but I do find that you get the most accurate cuts using a rotary cutter.
- Quilting Ruler
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Iron and ironing board or pressing mat
- Pins or clips
- My FREE Brick Path Table Runner Pattern, available in the Handmade Home Library
Remember, keep all your sewing and quilting tools at the ready with your Portable Sewing Room!
That’s all you’ll need.
I’ve laid out all the steps below, and in a printable form as well! But if you want to see it all put together, here’s my YouTube video:
Be sure to subscribe – you don’t want to miss my next project!
Before you begin
Choose which fabrics you want next to each other in your runner. You’ll need to know which fabrics represent 1, 2 and 3 BEFORE cutting! This is because each different fabric has different lengths of strips to cut.
Once your fabric is prepped and you’ve assigned a number to each of your three fabrics, lay it out for cutting. Here’s what you’ll need to cut out:
Fabric 1
This fabric will be used as one of three in the blocks, as well as the inner border. Cut as follows:
Width of Fabric (WOF) x 1 ⅞” wide – cut 2 – these will form the squares for the blocks
11.5″ x 2″ (cut 2) – short side of the inner border
27.5″ x 2″ (cut 2) – long side of the inner border
Fabric 2
This fabric will be used as one of three in the blocks, as well as the middle border. Cut as follows:
WOF x 1 ⅞” wide – cut 2 – these will form the squares for the blocks
14.5″ x 2″ (cut 2) – short side of the middle border
30.5″ x 2″ (cut 2) – long side of the middle border
Fabric 3
This fabric will be used as one of three in the blocks, as well as the outer border. Cut as follows:
WOF x 1 ⅞”wide – cut 2 – these will form the squares for the blocks
17.5″ x 2″ (cut 2) – short side of the outer border
33.5″ x 2″ (cut 2) – long side of the outer border
Sashing
This can be any of the above fabrics, or something entirely different. Cut as follows:
8.5″ x 2″ (cut 2)
Backing
Measure it against your finished quilt top, but it will be approximately 20″ x 39″.
And now the fun begins!
Putting it all together
I like to make things as quick and easy as possible when it comes to sewing. While I do love sewing, I don’t always have all the time I would like. This is the process that I find works best for this runner:
Step 1:
This step uses the WOF cuts.
Stitch Fabrics 1 and 2 together along the long edge, right sides together. Stich Fabric 3 to the other side of Fabric 2, again with the right sides together.
Please note: These fabrics do NOT have to correspond to the pattern in terms of 1-2-3. Because each fabric has three WOF strips, you can mix and match them as you like!
Once your fabric strips are stitched together, you’re on your way to building an easy table runner. This Brick Path design is quick, fun, and beginner-friendly!
Press your edges open if all your fabrics are relatively dark. If one fabric is significantly lighter, such as the one I have chosen, press the seams away from the lighter colours.
Step 2:
Using your rotary cutter and quilting ruler, you’re going to cut twelve 4 ½” squares from the strips.
Cut your fabric strips into 4½″ squares with a quilting ruler to start building your easy table runner — precision here makes the rest of the project a breeze!
Build your blocks by using four of the 4 ½” squares. I’ve assembled my squares like this, but you can play with them and come up with a design you love.
Start building your easy table runner one block at a time! This Brick Path block is beginner-friendly and comes together fast with just three fabrics.
Again, press your seams, taking care that they are not visible through the lighter-coloured fabric.
Your blocks at this stage should measure 8 ½” square.
Step 3:
Connect the blocks to each other using the Sashing strips.
Step 4:
Continue to build the top out to the edges using the remainder of the strips, following the Table Runner Pattern. Be sure you are pressing all your seams, either open or toward the darkest fabrics so that you don’t see anything through the lighter colours.
Step 5:
It’s time to quilt your runner. I’ve opted to just follow some of the lines of the squares. Because the table runner won’t be getting moved around a lot, I don’t feel the need to quilt heavily – just enough to keep the top and bottom together. This is totally up to you how your quilt it!
Step 6:
Add your binding and finish in your favourite way.
SMARTER CUTTING, FASTER QUILTING
Cut your fabric in a fraction of the time with AccuQuilt. Whether you’re making half-square triangles or appliqué shapes, this tool is a game-changer.
And that’s it! It’s a quick and easy table runner pattern that you’ll use again and again. You can whip them up in just a few hours, any time you need to refresh your dining room or you want to give a handmade gift. This would be made even faster by using a jelly roll! Keep in mind, jelly roll strips are 2.5″ wide, so you may not even want to do the outer pieces and you would need to adjust the lengths of your cuts, as your blocks will be larger. I know for sure I’ll be making this pattern again, probably for each season!
For other quick and easy table runner projects, be sure to check out my Jelly Roll Table Topper and my Jelly Roll Pillow Covers!
Want to remember this? Save “How to Make an Easy Table Runner: The Brick Path Pattern” to your favourite Pinterest Boards!
