Holiday Quilted Table Runner with Pine Cones Embroidery Designs

This gorgeous table runner is one of the beautiful projects by Beth Maitland Banninger.Beth kindly allowed us to publish it online, and even provided a detailed instruction,explaining how to do a similar runner. You will find the instruction below. Beth, thank you!!!

As you can see on the photo, the runner body is sewn from mono-color fabric and decoratedwith Evergreen Forest embroidery designs. The inside includes a thin layer of batting, and the outer edge is trimmed with a strip of designer fabric, to match the style of embroidery.

Beth used some interesting techniques in this project, besides quilting. If you will look close at the photos, you'll notice that the designs are not exactly like in our set. Beth merged several of our designs and created her own composition of pinecones and greens, using the original designs as "lego". Here is a photo:

And here is a detailed instruction, direct from project author:

I was very excited when this large design set was issued, since I wanted to experiment with layering some of the individual branches on top of each other to create one long meandering design. This table runner is the result. I was also lucky enough to find co-coordinating fabric for the bottom and binding, from which I matched my thread colors. I may add napkin rings and placemats too. As always the designs sewed out beautifully, and will make a wonderful Holiday centerpiece for my table.

Supplies List:

• 18" x 36" piece of linen and rayon blend fabric in beige, ivory, or off white. I like the rayon component of fabric for added sheen, but linen or even weave cotton would also do well. My finished size after embroidery was 16 " by 34", but you can adjust the length to suit your needs.
• Medium weight tear-away stabilizer (to support the embroidery designs)
• 20" x 38" iron on lightweight batting (to quilt after embroidery)
• 20" x 38" designer fabric in pinecone print or subtle print of your choice, to match embroidery and thread colors
• 2-20" x 4" designer fabric strips for binding short edges
• 2-40" x 4" designer fabric strips for binding long edges
• Embroidery thread colors of your choice to match your backing fabric and the embroidery designs
• Prewound embroidery bobbins
• Construction threads for building the quilt and stipple quilting the layers, in colors to compliment project and fabrics
• Construction bobbins
• Sewing machine with ability to lower feed dogs to free hand quilt, with darning or embroidery foot for quilting
• Evergreen Forest embroidery design set

Embroidery

1. Choose your design and transfer it to your embroidery machine. Techniques vary by brand, so use your manufacturer's instructions and software to plan the desgn sequence you want. Choose your color palette and assign threads of your choice for your embroidery. Just be sure to match them to your designer fabric.

2. Lay out your linen top layer to mark for embroidery.

3. Measure 6" in from each edge and 9" from upper or lower edge lengthwise, and mark with an erasable fabric marker. Mark center. Mark 6" in from opposite side edge and 9" from upper or lower edge (center) with erasable marker. This will be the general design area for building your meandering branches. See photo:

4. Start from either left or right outer edge marking. Hoop with tear away stabilizer and build the designs of your choice from this collection, working toward (but not through) the center of the runner. The idea is to create a large, realistic branch design. Move toward the center from either side first, then add the center motif last. See photos:

5. When embroidery is complete, tear away excess stabilizer, clip threads and iron on the fusible batting per manufacturers instructions. See photo:

6. Pin your backing fabric wrong sides together to the sandwich, lower the feed dogs on your machine, put on your darning foot, and stipple or meander quilt around the designs through all three layers. See photo:

7. Trim and square up all edges. Your measurement will now be about 17" x 35" and all layers will be even and straight.

Construction

1. Do both side (short ends) binding first. Fold and press the 20" x 4" strips lengthwise so you have a two-inch strip wrong sides together.

2. Align raw edges to back of table runner along one short side and sew 1/2" seam. Turn to right (embroidered) side and fold over the binding strip, which should be the folded edge, pin in place just past stitches, and top stitch in place. Reverse side should be stitched in the ditch. Repeat for other short edge.

3. Do long top and bottom edges in the same fashion to finish binding, making sure to turn under each finished edge of the binding strip. Ready:

Making napkins of additional backing fabric would look great, as well as taking the individual pine cone design in this set on the linen blend, and making napkin rings to complete your Holiday table setting. Happy Holidays!

Beth Maitland Banninger