How to Make a Table Runner

Choose a cotton or cotton-polyester blend fabric in the color or print of your choice. For one 70-inch by 28-inch table runner, you will need 2¼ yards of 45-inch wide fabric. Choose the same amount of fabric in a lighter weight for the backing of your table runner.

Prewash fabric and press with an iron.

Use a fabric-cutting board, yardstick, and fabric-marking pen to measure out a length of fabric that is 71 inches by 29 inches. Before marking, fold the fabric in half so that the short ends meet; this will make it easier to measure and mark it.

Repeat Step 3 for the backing fabric.

Make a mark at the center of each short edge of fabric with a fabric-marking pen. Measure 5 inches down from the top of each short end along both edges, and mark these points. Use a yardstick to draw lines that connect the center points to each edge and cut along these lines.

Repeat Step 5 for the backing fabric. You will now have two pieces of fabric that are pointed at the ends.

Press each raw fabric edge under ½ inch toward wrong side of fabric. Use the steam setting on your iron to make sharp fabric edges and to help ensure that pressed edges stay in place.

Pin table runner front to backing piece, wrong sides together. Make sure that pressed edges match up evenly and that fabric pieces are securely pinned together along the edges and center. Pins should be at right angles to fabric edges at 1½-inch intervals.

Use a sewing machine to stitch ½ inch from the edges of the table runner. Stitch on all four sides. When you reach a corner or point, lift presser foot of sewing machine and swivel fabric so that your stitching line remains straight. Keep needle inserted in fabric as you reposition.

Stitch around fabric edges once again, this time only 1/8 inch from fabric edge.

Sew one small button onto each end of your table runner. Buttons should be placed about 1½ inches from the points on the table runner back. Use these buttons to hang tassels. Remove tassels when runner is laundered.