My motherinlaw bought a bunch of Christmas fat quarters and asked if I could make her a table runner, which I happily did I want it to look as pretty as possible, so I have a few questions and hope you can help, as I’ve never seen a quilted table runner before How much of the table do you need to fill I’ve seen some with pointed edges Should the points reach the end of the table or stick out Are they generally used for decoration, or do you need thermal padding so you can put hot dishes on them Do you have any pattern recommendations free ones are best I’d say I’m an advanced beginner, maybe even intermediate, but preferably nothing too complicated, as I’m hoping to finish it by Christmas and US dollars’t have much time Hi
I think it’s a matter of taste If you want a dining room runner, I’d make it small enough to leave room for placemats For buffets, I like thin runners that hang over the edge I would never put food on a runner The risk of staining it when serving is too high If you Google free fat quarter runner pattern, you’ll find tons of answers Just choose something you enjoy making and that suits your motherinlaw’s style Personally, I really like braids like this one or this one
I made them reversible and heattreated I love being able to place plates directly on them, which saves me the trouble of searching for coasters I also made them small enough to fit a place setting, about 15 x 45 inches Because they are heattreated, they are a bit thicker, as you need batting, heattreated batting, and batting between the top and back I used this basic pattern for several of them
I’m not sure what size the coaster should be, but I think it would be a good idea to ask her what length she’s looking for and if she wants to use it as a coaster Do your guests usually sit at the head of the table If so, perhaps the coaster shouldn’t be too long
Claudia also a member of rQuilting has several free tablecloth patterns on her website I like to sew my tablecloths from darker fabrics and quilt them more often so they get used during service and washed frequently So I embrace the gravy dripping and keep my favorite orange degreaser on hand for washing I have one with Insulbrite and one without For service tablecloths, I prefer the Insulbrite version, even though it’s thicker cottonInsulbritecotton, because I can easily place hot dishes on it without having to put a lot of trivets on the table I’m not a huge fan of tablecloths, and at Thanksgiving, I usually go bowlfree and just serve the green bean casserole in its own casserole on a trivet I’m thinking of making a decorative centerpiece for when I’m not eating However, that wouldn’t require A my dining room table to be used for projects long enough to decorate it, and B the cat to not consider it a new sleeping spot
I saw a reversible table runner pattern here called “Twisted Pole” It’s clever and can be used for parties or to cover up sauce stains I also believe Jordan Fabrics has a free pattern for this table runner
I just made one using 12inch Lemoyne star blocks I added a 25inch border I always use batting