Adventure In All Directions / Table Runner Tutorial
December 19, 2014
Hello Everyone!
It's Melissa again! Today I want to talk Wild & Free - How excited are you about our new Wild & Free lookbook?! If you haven't checked it out yet click here! There are lots of fun tutorials for you featured in the lookbook, but I wanted to share another project I"ve been working on. It's called Adventure In All Directions. I think this table runner captures the meaning of the Wild & Free collection - it's all about living your life without boundaries and following your heart wherever it might take you. There is always an adventure waiting to be had.
Here are the fabrics you will need:
Fabric Requirements
Fabric A WFR-144 2/3 yd.
Fabric B WFR-146 1/4 yd.
Fabric C WFR-143 1/4 yd.
Fabric D PE-442 1/4 yd.
Fabric E PE-427 3/8 yd.
Binding WFR- 140- 1/4 yd.
Backing WFR-147 - 2/3 yd.
Cutting Instructions
1/4" seam allowance included
Twenty Four (24) 2 7/8” x 2 7/8” squares from Fabric A
Forty Four (44) 1 7/8” x 1 7/8” rectangles from Fabric A
Eight (8) 1 1/2"x 10 1/2” strips from Fabric A
Eight (8) 2 1/2” x 10 1/2” strips from Fabric B
Twenty Four (24) 2 7/8 “x 2 7/8” squares from Fabric C
Forty Four (44) 1 7/8” x 1 7/8” rectangles from Fabric D
Thirty two (32) 2 1/2” x 2 1/2” squares from Fabric E
Eight (8) 2 1/2” x 4 1/2” rectangles from Fabric E
Construction
Cut all 2 7/8” x 2 7/8” squares from Fabric A and C diagonally in half. (Diagram1a)
Arrange your pieces so you have forty eight (48) half square triangles in total that look like Diagram 1b. Sew with right sides together and press seam open. Trim all dog-ears.
Cut twenty two (22) 1 7/8” x 2 7/8” rectangles from Fabric A and D diagonally in half starting from the right and cut the other twenty two 1 7/8” x 2 7/8” rectangles in half diagonally starting from the left side. (Diagram 2)
Arrange half of your half rectangle triangles following Diagram 3a and the other half following Diagram 3b. Sew with right sides together and press seam open. Trim your dog ears.
Sew six half square triangles made from Fabric A and C together following Diagram 4. Next sew four 2 1/2” x 2 1/2” squares from Fabric E together following Diagram 4. Following Diagram 5 sew the pieces you created in Diagram 4. Repeat steps in Diagram 4 and 5 to get the other side of your block. Set both pieces aside.
Next take 22 half rectangle triangles and place them following Diagram 6. Sew right sides together and press open. Following Diagram 7 sew the pieces you made in Diagram 6 together.
Next take the middle piece from Diagram 7 and sew a 1 1/2” x 10 1/2” strip to each side. (Diagram 8) Set piece aside. Next take the other two pieces sewn in Diagram 7 and sew a 2 1/2” x 4 1/2” rectangle to the top of each piece. (Diagram 9)
Take pieces created in Diagram 8 and 9 and arrange them following Diagram 10. Sew right sides together and press seams open. Now take 2 1/2” x 10 1/2” strip from Fabric B and sew to the outsides of the piece you created in Diagram 10. (Diagram 11)
Now take the two pieces you created in Diagram 5 sew one piece to each side of the piece you created in Diagram 11. (Diagram 12)
You have now created one full block; you will need three more of these to create this table runner. Follow picture below as a guide to complete the rest of the top of your table runner.
Table Runner Quilting Assembly
Place BACKING FABRIC on a large surface wrong side up. Stretch it with masking tape against that surface. Place batting on top of backing fabric. Place quilt top on top of the batting with right side facing up. Smooth away wrinkles using your hands. Pin all layers together and baste with basting thread, using long stitches. You can also use safety pins to join the layers.
Machine or hand quilt starting at the center and working towards the corners. Remember that quilting motifs are a matter of personal preference. Have fun choosing yours! After you finish, trim excess of any fabric batting, squaring the quilt to proceed to bind it.
Binding
Cut enough strips 1 ½” wide by the width of WFR-147 to make a final strip of 130” long. Start sewing the binding strip in the middle of one of the sides of the quilt, placing the strip right side down and leaving an approximate 5” tail. Sew with ¼” seam allowance (using straight stitch), aligning the strip’s raw edge with the quilt top’s raw edge.
Stop stitching ¼” before the edge of the quilt (Diagram B1). Clip the threads. Remove the quilt from under the machine presser foot. Fold the strip in a motion of 45 degrees and upward, pressing with your fingers. (Diagram B2) Hold this fold with your finger; bring the strip down in line with the next edge, making a horizontal fold that aligns with the top edge of the quilt (Diagram B3). Start sewing at ½” of the border, stitching all the layers. Do the same in the four corners of the quilt.
Stop stitching before you reach the last 5 or 6 inches. Cut the threads and remove the quilt from under the machine presser foot. Lay the loose ends of the binding flat along the quilt edge, folding the ends back on themselves where they meet. Press them together to form a crease. Using this crease as the stitching line, sew the two open ends of the binding with right sides together (you can help yourself by marking with a pencil if the crease is difficult to see).
Trim seam to ¼” and press open. Complete the sewing. Turn binding to back of the quilt, turn raw edge inside and stitch by hand using blind stitch.
I hope you enjoy making this table runner as much as I did! I also can't wait to see all the wonderful things you all make with the Wild & Free Collection! Get inspired, set free the creative explorer within you and set out on an adventure!
Until Next Time,
Melissa