Make A Table Runner With Printed Canvas Squares

I’ve been working on nautical-themed decorations and accessories for my upcoming wedding for several months now. I’ve been using various nautical-themed products by Canvas Corp for some my inspiration as I go – it’s fitting because my picnic reception is going to be at a lake and my fiance and I are bringing our kayaks to the beach right by the picnic shelter for a photo op! I used four pieces of the Canvas Corp 12 x 12 printed canvas Sails & Shells nautical theme pattern printed in navy blue to make four table runners to put on selected picnic tables. After the reception is over, I’m planning to sew the four table runners together to make a quilt for our bedroom. The photo above shows two of the completed table runners displayed on a white bedspread. Each of the four table runners is 8 feet long and the width of each varies slightly.

Materials used to make the table runner:
Canvas Corp 12×12 Printed Canvas Sails and Shells 
Assorted printed fabrics
Assorted solid fabrics
Embroidery thread
All-purpose sewing thread
Sewing scissors, Ruler, Pins, Sewing needles
Pencil, Sewing machine, Iron, Ironing board

To begin designing, select some pieces of Canvas Corp 12 x 12 printed canvas and choose numerous other fabrics in solids and prints that go along with the colors and designs on the canvas. Keeping in mind my nautical theme and wedding reception colors of Navy, White, Coral and Lime Green, I went through my extensive fabric stash and picked out pieces in those colors, plus some seafoam green canvas that I hand dyed years ago and canvas and burlap neutrals in shades of white and tan that I thought would look good with nautical colors in a picnic and beach setting. My design was influenced a lot by what was already in my fabric stash so I did not rigidly plan my design out ahead of time – for a casual look I made a lot of parts and then put them together in pleasing but slightly random ways. If you want you can plan your design out ahead of time and purchase fabric to order. Next, measure and cut enough 12 x 12 pieces of fabric to make an 8 foot strip. Mix solids and patterns together. Applique some rectangles of printed fabric onto some of the solid color squares using embroidery thread in colors that harmonize with your color scheme. In keeping with the casual look that I’m after, I planned for the applique stitching to be part of the design as I did in this previous project where I sewed fabric onto canvas flags – Nautical Alphabet – Initial Flag Banners. Place two 12 x 12 pieces at a time together with the good sides facing each other and sew along one side with a seam allowance of about 1/2 inch to join them together. Keep sewing pieces together until you have a 1 x 8 foot long strip of 12 x 12 inch fabric squares.

Next create a narrower row of fabric pieces of random lengths that when sewed together create a strip that is 8 feet long. I let the sizes of my leftover fabric pieces determine the width of this strip, you can plan ahead and make it a specific width if you want to. Make a third 8 foot long strip out of larger fabric pieces. Lay the three strips side by side to make sure you like the layout. Iron your work to flatten out the seams.

Sew the three strips together lengthwise, then hem the four edges.

You’re done!

Carolyn Hasenfratz
blog and Instagram

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