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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Independence Day (July 4th) Table Runner

Sewing tutorial for making a star, rag quilt table runner
I am sort of obsessed with stars; I actually have a metal star that is taller than I am hanging on the wall of my home.  I look for any excuse to include stars on my decor, crafts, or dress.  We made these table runners for Super Saturday a few years ago in the fall using fall colors.  You will spend more time cutting than actually sewing this table runner.  This is a great project for new sewer because there is a lot of forgiveness with this project.

Supplies
  • Gingham fabric (I used 1/2 yard of backing fabric, and bought 1/4 yard each of 3 reds and 3 blues, but I had quite a bit of leftover fabric that I will use for napkins)
  • Scissors
  • Sewing machine & thread
  • Paper & pen or pencil
Directions
  1. Cut 6: 10x12 inch rectangles of backing fabric.
  2. Cut 2 reds, and 1 blue: 10x12 inch rectangles.
  3. Cut 2 blues, and 1 red: 8x10 inch rectangles.
  4. Draw a tall star on a piece of paper.
  5. Cut a star on each of the 8x10 inch rectangles.
  6. Stack two layers of the background fabric, one of the large rectangles and a contrasting star.
  7. Sewing tutorial for making a star, rag quilt table runner
  8. Sew through all four layers 1/4 inch from the edge of the star (on the inside of the star, so you are sewing the star down to the other fabric).
  9. Sewing tutorial for making a star, rag quilt table runner
  10. Repeat steps 6-7 for all three blocks.
  11. Sew two of the blocks together by stacking backs together using a 3/8 inch seam allowance.  Repeat to join last star.
  12. Sew around the edge of the table runner.  Be sure to open seams when sewing over them.
  13. Sewing tutorial for making a star, rag quilt table runner
  14. Snip around the table runner, around each star, along the seams.  Be careful not to snip through your seam.
  15. Sewing tutorial for making a star, rag quilt table runner
  16. When you are finished, it will look like this:
  17. Sewing tutorial for making a star, rag quilt table runner
  18. All you need to do now is wash your table runner in your washing machine, and dry in the dryer.  This will shrink up and crinkle the edges of your stars, seams, and the edges of the table runner.  Make sure you empty the lint trap in your dryer before and after you dry your table runner.

14 comments:

  1. Oooh! I like it! Very patriotic! And sort of country cottage at the same time! :)

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  2. Excellent!! I've made a few rag quilts and love doing them since they're so easy. I never thought of doing something like a star in the pattern! Thanks so much for sharing this. Next time I get out my sewing machine, I'm doing this for sure!

    Cheers,
    Tracy Screaming Sardine

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  3. Totally cute! I love it. We are hosting our very first link up party on Sunday, and would love to have you link this up!! Thanks for sharing.

    Britney
    www.jandmseyecandy.blogspot.com

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  4. What a cute idea. I love the plaid fabric. I'm a new follower. Hope to see you at http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/

    P.S. I have a link party every Monday. Would love for you to stop by and link up your table runner.

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  5. What a nice table runner--perfect for the 4th! :)

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  6. This is great! I have some left-over material from a wreath I've nearly finished. I can use the scraps to make this! I am pinning it to my Pinterest board!

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  7. I Love stars too. That is pretty impressive - a star taller than you? I wish I had one of these table runners. Will you make me one?

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  8. This is so cute! I wish I had one of these for our table. Thanks for linking up with me last week!

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  9. love it! I'm featuring you tomorrow at naptimecrafters.blogspot.com

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  10. Thanks so much for your nice comment on the apron. You have a lovely blog and this runner is adorable!

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  11. Love the post! Interesting work
    http://www.askapparels.com/products.html

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  12. Can I ask a dumb question? lol Well I am anyways... Why do you need two backing fabrics? Is it so you have more seams to cut and make it ragged? I love your project and the tutorial/with the pictures is easy to understand. Thanks for sharing!

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  13. I have been looking for a store that carries this fabric. I refer to it as "homespun fabric." It is a very county looking fabric. No one seems to carry it. Is there a web site I can order it from. Thanks Harriet, mrsjayl@embarqmail.com

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Thank you for leaving a comment--I love to hear what you think! I try to respond to any questions within one day.