How To Sew A Table Runner

Decorate Your Table For Every Season, Holiday, And Dinner Party

Once you learn how to sew a table runner, you will be making them for every holiday and season. With a little bit of fabric and an hour or so of time at your sewing machine, you will have a new, reversible table runner.

A fun project for beginner sewists, since you will be sewing a simple straight line.

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Updated 9/6/2024.

Best Material For Fabric Table Runners

You can use any fabric for your table runner. However, you need to consider cleaning options. What type of cleaning you need will dictate the best fabric for your table runner.

Home Decorator Fabrics

Home decor fabrics (like this one from Mood) make sumptuously rich table runners. They are perfect for special occasions and celebrations. If they can’t be washed, they work fine for plated dinners, but not so great if you are passing gravy and drippy food.

Quilting Cotton

Quilting cottons (like this one from Minerva) make wonderful table runners. You can wash the fabric before you cut it out to eliminate the sizing on the fabric and hopefully pre-shrink the cotton. Cottons come in all sorts of prints and seasonal patterns, they are fairly inexpensive, and sew up beautifully.

Because they are budget friendly, you can switch up your table setting for every celebration.

Does a Table Runner Need Batting or Interfacing

Putting quilt batting or interfacing in your table runner is a personal decision. I don’t use batting because the table runner becomes puffy and decorations and dishes wobble around on the puffy surface. For me, a table runner is simply decor so it doesn’t need the extra backing fabric.

As far as interfacing goes, if a fabric is soft and floppy, I might consider interfacing. However, the table runner is simply decorative and doesn’t need to function. I just want the fabric flat and pretty.

Reversible Table Runner Tutorial Video

Here is my step by step reversible table runner sew along video. We explore this quick and simple decor item which can set the tone for your seasonal dining room decorations.

Cut Your fabric

For a reversible table runner, cut two pieces of fabric the same width and length for your desidered table width and length. You don’t need a pattern to make a simple table runner. All you need is the table dimensions to determine your fabric width and length.

Classic table runner sizes:

Typically you would have your table runner drape down the edge of your table ends. However, if you plan to sit guests at the table ends, you might prefer to have your runner stop short of the full length of the table.

The runner I cut was 14 inches wide and 73 inches long. It runs of the edge of my small side table and/or buffet.

Pin And Sew

Place the right sides together and pin around the entire table runner seam allowance.

Stitch around the table runner, and on one end, leave about 6 inches of the seam allowance unstitched — this is where you turn the table runner right side out. To make a great table runner, stitch on and off the full length of each side — do not pivot at the corners.

See the video for turning perfect corners.

Turn Right Sides Out

Turn your table runner right sides out. Iron the edges, pressing the open bit with the seam allowance tucked inside.

Topstitch

Topstitch around the edges of your table runner. This will stabilize the sides and keep it from shifting around.

More Home Decor Patterns

You will find cute fabric will have you sew table runners as hostess gifts for holidays and other celebrations. Once you get started sewing home decor items, you will be able to find uses for all your excess fabric. There are so many easy project ideas for table settings and other home decor items.

You can find lots of DIY sewing patterns in my Etsy Store – Sewing With Sandi. There are patterns for fancy tablecloths, placemats, aprons, doll clothing, and more. Excellent options for gift giving and home decorating.

Online Fabric Stores

You don’t need to go out into the world to get amazing fabric. Here is my list of favorite online fabric shops. Order now and be ready to sew for the holidays!

Get Your Sewing Machine Humming And Make A Table Runner

Pin it for later

Once you learn how to sew a table runner, you are collecting different fabrics that will shift with your decorating mood. A rustic look to show off your farmhouse style, lush and glitzy to highlight a fancy dinner party, or cute and colorful for a holiday display. It is amazing what a difference one long strip of fabric can do for your decorative style. And when you make a reversible table runner, you get twice the decorating possibilities.

Happy Sewing,

Sandi

PS

Here is what I know about fashion. Everyone’s taste is different. The opinions expressed here are mine alone. I’m just a girl who loves to sew.

I love my Bernette 38 Sewing Machine. It is perfect for sewing beautiful garments. 

Make your garments better with my 21 Tips To Take Your DIY Garment From Homemade To High End

Do you love Sew Alongs and Sewing Tips and Tricks? My Youtube channel Barrett’s Custom Design is filled with great sewing techniques served up with a few laughs.