Whole Cloth Quilted Table Runner

On our recent trip to NYC, Mere, Lupine and I visited The City Quilter, Meredith’s store that she managed before she moved to Portland. We all picked up some fun fabric that we hadn’t seen locally, and we found this gem that had only a couple of yards left on it. Of course we all wanted some, so we decided to split it up.

Daisy Chain by Prints Charming

Two and a half yards doesn’t go a long way when you are splitting it three ways, so I thought I could make a table runner. I love the bright, geometric pattern and for a whole cloth, it looks like a modern hexagon quilt. Easy peasy whole cloth table runner!

I decided to use Insul-Bright for my batting. I have a 1950′s teak table that constantly gets water rings, kids try setting hot dishes on it, you know what I’m talking about! Insul-Bright gives me a little insurance that my table won’t get accidentally burned or stained.

I cut the top piece to 14″ x width of fabric (this will vary from 44-60″ depending on your fabric). Cut the batting 1″ wider and longer than the top and the backing another 1″ wider and longer than the batting. This will make your “quilt sandwich” so when you are quilting, you will be able to see all of your layers.

The three layered quilt sandwich

Since my project wasn’t very large, I only basted it with 8 extra fine pins. I didn’t use curved safety pins, because it left holes in this fabric. I put on my walking foot with the stitch in the ditch attachment, increased my stitch length to 3mm and began quilting on the fabric’s straight lines.

Quilting with the stitch in the ditch foot

Once the quilting was done, I took it to my table and chose my dimensions. I rotary cut it down to size and then prepared my binding strips. I attached them using my handy binding method, and voila! It was complete and so simple and beautiful. It only took me an hour to make it. I brought it downstairs just in time for a small dinner party and I got plenty of compliments. I am now on the hunt for other bold, geometric prints to make runners with.