Valentine's Day Table Runner Sew-Along - Part 3

Are you ready to finish this table runner?
As anxious as me to put it on that table?

Let's get going!

First, we need to iron our seams of the panels we sewed together on Monday.

Make sure you do it for every seam!

I also like to spray the seams with Magic Sizing to help them lay flat.

Now, we need to cut the back panel piece.

Actually, we will be sewing together two pieces.

Fold your front piece in half.

Measure from the middle to the end.

Mine turned out to be 30".

We are going to add .5 to that to make it 30.5".

I am going to cut TWO pieces 30.5" by 12.5".

Iron those bad boys.

Place the right sides together (of the back panel pieces).

You are going to sew along the 12.5" width.

This will be your CENTER line in the back of the table runner.

Iron out that seam.

Again, I like to use Magic Sizing to make it lay nice and flat.

Now it is time to put the front and the back together.

Using that center seam on the back, line it up with the center of the front.

Do this with RIGHT SIDES facing one another.

Your edges should line up nicely.

On mine, you can see my back is longer than the front.
I am not going to worry about that right now.

If you like to pin, I would pin your two pieces together now.

After you are done pinning, go to your sewing machine.
We are going to sew the two pieces together BUT we need to leave

a 3" opening so we can turn this pretty table runner out!

{i like to star about 1.5" from the center seam}

When you get to your first corner, place your needle in down position.

Raise your foot (not your actual foot, the sewing foot), pivot the fabric,

place the foot back down, and continue sewing.
You will do this for all four corners.

Before you finish, make sure you leave a big enough space for your hand to reach in!

If you happen to have extra of the backing, go ahead and cut it now.

We are also going to cut our corners.

Let's turn this pretty table runner right side out!

Reach in to the opening with your hand and grab one end.

Pull it out.
Do it again for the other end.

Using something with a blunt tip, you are going to poke your corners out.

We are going to iron our table runner nice and flat.

This takes practice and you have to be careful going across the opening,

making the creases so that they match up when you top stitch.

Now, I didn't put this in the list of materials and I am sorry for that,

BUT if you happen to have some Stitch Witchery laying around,

cut a pieces the width of your opening, insert and iron closed.

{that is a little trade secret of mine and of course I forgot the photo}

We are nearing the end.

If you have chosen to add some trim, let's do that now.

I was going to use the red pleated ribbon but I'm switching

to the big, white rick rack instead.

Lay the rick rack across the bottom or where ever you would like to put it.

Cut the width of the table runner.

Using a lighter, make sure to seal the edges otherwise they will fray.

You could also use Fray Check but I find the lighter much cheaper & more efficient!

Sew that baby on there!
Look at where my needle placement is.

Right smack dab in the middle of the rick rack.

Don't go anywhere yet!
We have to finish this loveliness up.

Top stitch all the way around the edge at a 1/8" allowance.

NOW...you are DONE!

{since i couldn't get outside, i put it against a white wall in our house}

{BUT...this is actually where the wall table is}

Don't you love the subway art, by the fabulous Yaya Design.
She has graciously created this for YOU to snag for free.
Just click HERE to download & print!

Isn't it pretty?
Wanna do another one for Easter?
Go on ahead!

Shoot, do one for Memorial Day/4th of July.

And Halloween.

Oh, don't forget Thanksgiving.

And the ultimate one of the year, CHRISTMAS.

Mix your fabrics.
Do some corduroy.

Or some other fancy stuff.

Add more embellishing.

Get it embroidered with initials, family name, or monogram.

Can you tell?
The possibilities are ENDLESS!

Now, I hope you take some time to photograph those beauties & show them to me.
I'm excited!
And let me know if you loved the sew-along.
I would like to host more!

Have a happy Wednesday Peeps!

Valentine's Day Table Runner Sew-Along - Part 2

Hey ladies!
Are you as excited as I am?
I can't wait to see what fabric you picked out.
Please feel free to share on the {SIG} Facebook Page!

Let's get this Sew-Along started.

Gather all your materials in one place.

Wondering about your overall length?
Let's talk about that.

Get a measuring tape and go to the table you are going to put the runner on.

Measure across the way you want the runner to go.

{mine is 40"}

Get a calculator OR you can do it by hand.
Yes, ladies...we are about to do some MATH.

Now, I stated in the first blog post that table runners normally hang about 6" on each side.

If you are like me, you will want it to hang longer.

Measure how far you would like the runner to hang off of each side.

{i like a 12" or so overhang}

Add that amount times TWO (one for each side)

For me, the math goes like this...

40" + 12" + 12" = 64"

That is approximately the length it will turn out.

Got it?
Good!

Let's move on to planning the table runner.

We are going to be cutting 12.5" x 12.5" squares.

These squares will be about 12" squared after we are done.

I went ahead & took my total length, 64" and divided it by 12".

That equals about 5, actually a little more, but I'm not too worried.
That is the number of squares I will be cutting!

You can round up or round down so you have an odd number of squares.
This is important visually but also aesthetically.
Our eye likes odd numbers and centers!

BUT, before we cut, we need to plan the layout.

Notice that I have a center fabric (the chevron) and then I have a directional print.

The pink and white damask will be directional from the center,

meaning that one will be heading to the left, the other to the right.

This will make it a mirror image table runner.

And finally, my red/pink polka dot will be the ends.

Now we get to start cutting!
I will need to cut the following amounts of each fabric and in 12.5" x 12.5" squares.

1 - Red Chevron

2 - Pink Damask

2 - Red/Pink Polka Dot

Lay out your pieces once again in the order you like them.

Double check that all your pieces are the same length & width.

{trust me, I cut one piece wrong}

Iron out your pieces so that they are nice and pretty.

It also makes them easy to work with.

If you are wondering about the back piece, don't worry yet.

We will cut it the next time so we have a more accurate measurement.

Let's get to sewing!

You will notice that I have appliqued a heart on my center panel.

If you like this, please make sure to follow my tutorial HERE.

{and you could make a cute shirt for your kiddo at the same time}

You will need to applique before you start sewing pieces together!

Some ideas for the applique...
heart
initial
double heart
broken heart (heart breaker)

Starting with your last piece, place it pretty side up.

This is called the "right side".

Now, grab the second piece.

If you have a directional print, be careful and make sure it is

placed upside down, right side facing the first piece.

Go to your sewing machine.
Using a 1/4" seam allowance, straight stitch the 2 pieces together.

I like to set my stitch length at 4 mm.

Open up your 2 pieces.

Lay it right side facing up.

Get your next piece (should be the center piece) and

place it on top of the second piece, right sides facing!

Sew your pieces together.

Open up your 3 pieces.

Lay it right side facing up.

Get your forth piece and place it on top of the third piece,

right sides facing!

Sew your pieces together.

{yeah, i forgot the photo for this one}

Open up your 4 pieces.

Lay it right side facing up.

Get your next piece (should be the last piece) and

place it on top of the forth piece, right sides facing!

Sew your pieces together.

If you have 5 panels/blocks, this is it for today!

If you have a longer table runner, you will continue to sew just

as above until you finish.

Isn't this awesome!?!

I want to see what you have done.

Again, please feel free to post on the Facebook Page.

And remember, come back on Wednesday to finish this baby up!

Happy Monday!

Valentine's Day Table Runner Sew-Along ~ Part 1

I have been wanting to do a table runner tutorial for a while.

Then someone suggested I do a sew-along.

So I married the 2 ideas in time for Valentine's Day.

Who doesn't love Valentine's decorations?
Especially something you can reuse year after year.

Or even gift to someone special in your life.

This is such a simple table runner.

Once you do this one, you will want one for every holiday!

You can even change it up every time.

And most importantly, any BEGINNER SEWER should be able to make it!

Check out the schedule for our sew-along.

And if you can't make it on those days, no worries!

Just get back to it when you can.

Schedule:

January 28th - Materials Shopping

I'm going to give you a full week to get your fabrics together.

February 4th - Cutting & Sewing Front Piece

We will cut all of our pieces & sew together the front.

February 7th - Sewing Back & Front, Pressing/Finishing

We will sew the back panel together, the front to the back & then finish!

Let's get this sew-along started!

Let's start with some explanation behind table runners.

Table runners are normally used as decorative table coverings.

Everyone has an opinion about how long they should hang over.

And the truth is, it is up to you.

The standard hang length on each side is 6".

{keep that in mind}

I personally like mine to hang a bit longer.

And don't think that your table runner is only

suppose to go on your dining room table!

I use mine on a table wall & then set pictures on top.

Or you can run it along a marble counter top that is used for serving.

Don't limit yourself to the home either!

Think about outside across a picnic table.

At your child's Valentine's Day party at school.

Even a sweet gift for a friend.

Seriously.

The.possibilities.are.endless.

I'm curious how YOU would use it!

Now that we have that out of the way,

let's get to our materials list.

Materials:

~ 3 or 5 fabrics for the top of your table runner.

I am going to use 3, if you want to follow along with me.

You won't need more than 1/2 a yard of each, especially the fabric used for the center piece.

You could also choose to use all fat quarters if you choose to use 5

different fabrics for each section of the table runner.

~ 1 yard of your backing fabric.

~ Rotary cutter, cutting mat, & acrylic ruler
{this is not necessary but makes life MUCH easier}

~ Thread & sewing machine

~ Ribbon or other fancy schmancy trim you may like.

{I am going to use the red pleated ribbon in the photo.}

I think that about covers the materials you need.

I'm going to give you until next Monday to get your goodies together,

just in case you are like me & either shop online or need the weekend

to get everything you need together.

If you have any questions,

please leave a comment & I will be sure to respond.

OR...email me at signature dot creations at hotmail dot com.

I look forward to creating this with you!

Come on by the Facebook page & let me know if you are sewing-along with us!