Linen + Shamrock Table Runner {a tutorial}

You will need:

• green scraps to make shamrocks
• 1/4 yard linen
• 1/4 yard background fabric preferably linen
• 1/2 yard backing
• batting scrap at least 11” x 30”
• fusible web of your choice (I used Lite Steam a Seam 2)

Use a 1/4” seam unless noted.

1.  Download & print the template for the shamrock.  Lindsey Weight of the Fort Worth Fabric Studio blog kindly let me borrow the link.  You will need the smaller template for the table runner.

2.  Trace the template 5 times on fusible web.  Following manufacturer’s directions iron the web to the wrong side of your green scraps.  Cut very carefully around the shapes you traced.

3.  Cut five 5.5” squares from your linen.  Peel off the paper from the back of your shamrocks and arrange them on the squares how you like.  Press them to bond into place on the linen.

4.  Set your stitch length a little longer than the normal 2.5 for piecing.  I set my machine to 3.0.  Straight stitch close to the edge of the shamrocks to permanently stitch on the linen.

5.  Cut five 2” x 5.5” and five 3” x 5.5” rectangles of background fabric.  Arrange your 5.5” squares in a row how you like them.  I alternated the shamrock orientation.  Sew the rectangles onto the top and bottom of your 5.5” squares so that the squares appear to move up and down.

6.  Press all your seams open and you can use some light starch or Magic Sizing to help set those seams open.  I found that the linen seams didn’t stay perfectly flat without a little spritz of Magic Sizing.

7.  Sew your blocks together and press those seams open.  Add a 2” x 9.5” strip to each end of your runner.  Press those seams open, too.

8.  Press your runner really flat.  Now baste it however you prefer to your piece of batting.  I used a little bit of spray adhesive or you could use safety pins. 

9.  I hand quilted big stitches around the perimeter of the center section.  One nice thing about this runner is you don’t need to bury your threads because you are quilting through the top and batting only.

10.  Once your runner is all quilted, square up your runner & batting to approximately 9.5” x 28.5”.  Place right side down on the right side of your backing.

11.  Using straight pins, pin the top/batting to the backing all the way around the perimeter.  Then I used a long ruler and rotary cutter to trim off the excess backing.

12.  Using a walking foot, sew a 3/8” seam around the edge leaving a 2.5” opening for turning your runner.  Clip off the corners making sure not to cut through your stitch line.

13.  Turn right side out.  I used a chopstick to push out the corners of the runner.  Press the opening closed as perfectly as possible so you can’t even tell there’s an opening.  Press the entire runner as flat as possible.

14.  Using the walking foot, sew a 1/8” to 1/4” seam around the edge of the runner. 

That’s it!  Sewing this runner took about 3 hours, including almost an hour to do the handstitching.   Happy St. Patrick’s Day!