Do you have a host of Halloween goblins headed your way? Roll out this fast and easy table runner and spread out all your goodies in style. The simple patchwork design is made up of forty 5″ squares, which makes a colorful grid of stripes, dots, bats and spiders. It’s a little bit spooky and a little bit kooky. HA! Now you have the Addams Family theme stuck in your head for the rest of the day.
Our project is based on using a ‘charm pack.’ This is a bundle of pre-cut squares from within one coordinating fabric collection. It’s a great way to go when you have something that calls for patchworking. You save time with the pre-cut squares and the bundles are very inexpensive. One of our favorite online outlets for charm packs is Fat Quarter Shop.
We originally used the Spooktacular collection by Sanae, which is an older collection no longer readily available. Each season brings new Halloween options, so you can choose your favorite.
The steps below are put together for brand new sewers who may have never done any patchwork.
Sewing Tools You Need
- Sewing machine and standard presser foot
Fabric and Other Supplies
- 40 5″ x 5″ fabric squares; we use a Charm Pack
- ½ yard 44″+ wide quilting cotton for the back lining: we used black
- 4 yards of extra-wide double-fold bias tape; we used black
- All-purpose thread to match fabric and binding
- Fabric pen or pencil
- Iron and ironing board
- Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
- See-through ruler
- Tape measure
- Seam gauge
- Seam ripper
- Straight pins
Getting Started
- Place 40 squares in your desired order on large flat surface to form a four-square by ten-square patchwork rectangle.
NOTE: If you are using a charm pack, the squares you will get are random. The best option is to mix and match to create a pleasing design, alternating darks and lights, patterns and solids, bolds and petites.
- From the fabric for the back lining, cut one rectangle 16″ wide x 40″ long.
At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board
- Collect the four squares you want in your first row. Pin the first two squares, right sides together, along one side.
- Sew together, using a ½” seam. Press the seam allowance open and flat.
- Take the third square in your sequence and pin it, right sides together, to the completed two-square piece.
- Sew together, using a ½” seam. Press seam flat.
- Finally, take the fourth square in your first row sequence and pin it, right sides together to the completed three-square piece.
- Sew together, using a ½” seam. Press seam flat. You now have one four-square row.
- Continue in this same manner until you have ten equal four-square rows.
- Pin one four-square row to its neighboring four-square row. Be very careful to match your seams so you end up with nice square corners.
- Sew together, using a ½” seam.
- Continue in this same manner, adding one new four-square row each time, until you form the completed four-square by ten-square patchwork. Remember, at each seam, pin and stitch carefully to keep your seams aligned so your final intersecting corners will be exact. Iron seams flat. Since you were oh-so-careful, all your inside corners should come together at perfect points.
- Trim ½” from all four outer edges of the patchwork, resulting in a 16″ x 40″ panel to match your backing panel.
- Place your completed patchwork panel on top black lining fabric, WRONG sides together, matching raw edges all the way around.
- Pin FLAT. Start by placing pins in the middle, smoothing any ripples and working toward the ends.
NOTE: This step is quite important because the better you smooth and pin, the flatter your finished project will lay. There is nothing more disappointing than a ripply table runner. - Sew the patchwork panel to the black lining fabric around all 4 sides using a ¼” seam.
- Trim any excess fabric so your lining and patchwork are exactly flush along all their raw edges.
- Iron flat. The table runner is now ready for binding.
- Measure and cut binding strips to fit each side of the patchwork panel, making each one about 1″ longer on each end than the actual patchwork measurement. So you should cut two strips that are 18″ and two strips that are 42″.
- Apply the bias tape in a traditional two-step process. Unfold and stitch first to the front. Then wrap the binding over the edge and edgestitch front to back through all layers. Make a simple 90˚ overlap at each of the four corners.
- This process of individually binding each side is the easiest option if you are brand new. If you’d like to do a continuous binding or explore other options, check our our tutorial: Bias Binding: The Basics + Beyond.
- Press and display.
Project Design: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation: Michelle Pacheco
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