I enjoy changing up a few decorations here and there according to the seasons and holidays, but I’m not the type to go all-out. And I DEFINITELY don’t like the jinky-junk decorations that just clutter up the countertops and become bait for my curious 17-month old. Well, my mom came to visit this week and brought a really fun project idea along that was perfect for my decorating needs. (The original idea came from a Utah State sewing class, but I tweaked it slightly.) It only requires four seams and about 15 minutes.
Supplies:
1/2 yard “feature” fabric (12″ wide)
1/3 yard coordinating fabric – for back and border (18″ wide)
coordinating thread
iron/ironing board
First, wash and dry your fabric, clean up frayed edges, and make sure the fabric is cut squarely. Then, with right sides together, sew up one of the long sides. (I HATE pinning and tend to avoid it at all costs. If you feel the need, pin the edges together before you sew.)
Sew up the other long side, matching the edges. This will form a “tube” and will not lay evenly like a pillow case.
Turn your tube right-side-out, and center the feature fabric in the middle. Your backing should create a nice little border on either side. Press… (Sidenote: Lesson learned from my first tutorial… I need to wash my ironing board cover!!! LOL)
Next, with the “right sides” (feature fabric side) together, sew up the short ends.
Trim the corners, and then all you have to do is flip the ends right-side-out so that they come to a point. Press the triangles on each end flat, and…
Voila! You have an adorable (and reversible!) table runner. To reverse it, simply flip it over, and turn the triangle “pockets” on each end inside-out. You may need to press the ends again to make it lie flat. The table runner will now only show the backing fabric.
The way I see it, the possibilities are endless! You could attach tassels to each end, or sew on some cute trims. You could use pre-quilted fabric, or anything else that tickles your fancy. Try one for each season and holiday. They fold flat for easy storage too! (Tip, next time you buy linens that come in those handy zippered plastic bags, save the bag and use it to store things like this!) This is also a great project for using up your fabric stash, and would make an awesome hand-made gift for friends and family. I’ve already got a huge stack of fabric pairs just waiting for me to sew ‘em up…
Try it, you’ll like it! (And let me see it when you’re done!) 
***UPDATE***
I finished up my pile o’ fabric, and this is the result (in seasonal order, of course… and enlarged to show detail)… I still have some gaps to fill in, but this is a great start!
If the coordinating fabric requiers 1/3 yard than why does the feature fabric require 1/2 yard. To me a person needs to purchase 3/4 yard for the feature fabric. I’m I mistaken. I purchase material yesterday, to make the runner, and 1/3 yard does not give me the required 18 inches wide for the coordinating fabric. Thanks for posting this runner on the web.
I just followed what was on the original project my mom brought with her as far as the materials needed. I found that if my fabric wasn’t cut squarely, I often didn’t have the exact measurements either. I tend not to worry too much if I have to fudge something a bit, so I just adjusted as needed. Sorry… guess I should’ve mentioned that.
I would have liked to have seen 2 pictures of the finished runner next to each other, for comparison. Sometimes, I have trouble figuring things out, until I see the end results. They are beautiful. Thanks, Karen
Megan,
Thanks for the tutorial! I just made two table runners in Christmas fabric in 20 minutes. I cut the feature fabric WOF by 12″ and the backing fabric WOF by 18″. This is a ‘go to’ pattern when you need an impressive gift handmade by you in minutes! All the girls in my quilting circle will be getting one for the holidays.
It’s also a great way to update decor with a small amount of the latest fabric to hit the stores!
Rowena
Patsy: The two pieces are sewn together to form a tube. Then flatened out and ironed so the narrower strip is the center lengthwise piece, with an equal border on both sides. The borders on the front is the same fabric as the backing fabric. Then, the ends are finished off. The ends can be turned under as shown in the tutorial. Generally, the top border is usually from one to two inches wide.
The yardages were transposed. 1/2 yd is 18″ and 1/3 yd is 12″ so you should reverse the instructions or your yardage for the feature fabric will end up being the coordinating one instead.