LoveCrafts Table Runner Pattern - Downloadable PDF

LoveCrafts Table Runner Sewing Pattern by Lou Orth – Downloadable PDF

This free downloadable PDF pattern by designer Lou Orth, published by LoveCrafts, guides you through creating a beautiful patchwork table runner with a finished size of 40½" x 16½". Rated as a beginner-friendly project, it is an ideal introduction to quilting and fabric piecing techniques, making it perfect for those new to sewing or looking for a quick and satisfying make. The design has a strong festive feel, particularly suited to holiday table décor thanks to its use of a Christmas Village jelly roll.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a quilted table runner designed for table settings and home décor. It is constructed from pre-cut jelly roll strips, layered with wadding and a backing fabric, quilted, and then finished with a neat double-fold binding. The result is a sturdy, attractive, and reversible-style table runner that works beautifully as a centrepiece for a dining or console table.

Materials Required

• 1 Christmas Village jelly roll – used for the pieced top and the binding strips
• Wadding, ½ metre/yard (at least 110cm/44" wide) – the designer specifically used Vlieseline 279 Cotton 80/20 wadding
• Backing fabric, ½ metre/yard – the designer used Robert Kaufman Kona cotton in Red
• Standard sewing and quilting tools including thread, scissors or rotary cutter, and an iron for pressing

Techniques Used

Jelly Roll Strip Piecing

Jelly rolls are pre-cut fabric bundles consisting of strips typically measuring 2½" wide and approximately 40" in usable length. Working with jelly rolls eliminates much of the cutting preparation and ensures a coordinated, harmonious palette across the finished piece. In this pattern, 20 strips are sub-cut to 16½" lengths and joined along their long edges to form the table runner top, while 3 full-length strips are reserved for the binding.

Seam Pressing

Careful pressing is emphasised throughout the pattern. The designer recommends pressing all fabrics well before cutting and pressing seams to the side – ideally toward the darker fabric – though pressing seams open is also noted as an option. Good pressing technique is essential in patchwork and quilting as it ensures flat, accurate seams and a professional finish.

Basting and Quilting

Once the top is pieced, the three layers – backing, wadding, and table runner top – are basted together with wrong sides of the backing and top facing the wadding. The designer chose to quilt ½" either side of every seam, a technique known as stitch-in-the-ditch-adjacent quilting, which adds texture and secures the layers neatly without obscuring the patchwork design. However, the pattern encourages makers to quilt as desired, leaving creative freedom for personalisation.

Binding with Diagonal Seams

The binding is one of the more technique-rich elements of this pattern and is an excellent skill-builder for beginners. The three reserved full jelly roll strips are joined along their short ends using a 45-degree diagonal seam – a classic quilting technique that distributes bulk and creates a smooth, flat join. The steps involved include:

• Laying two strip ends perpendicular to each other, right sides together (RST)
• Sewing diagonally across the join at a 45-degree angle
• Trimming the excess to a ¼" seam allowance
• Opening and pressing the seam flat
• Folding the entire binding strip in half along its length, wrong sides together, and pressing

The binding is then attached by aligning raw edges with the raw edges of the table runner, right sides together, and stitching all the way around with a ¼" seam allowance. A tail of unstitched binding is left at the start,