Dining Room Dress Up: Table Runner

Table runners are a wonderful way to showcase your embroidery and dress up your home decor!

Stitch an embroidered table runner to add seasonal style and holiday elegance to your dining room.

These project instructions demonstrate how to size a runner to fit your table, and how to create an ornate hand-made braided trim.

Supplies & Materials:

Supplies needed:

-1 yard cotton muslin fabric(amount varies depending on size of runner)
-1/4 yard cotton chamois
-Cutaway stabilizer
-Spray adhesive
-Fabric glue
-Masking tape
-Air erase pen

Designs Used:

Celtic Knotwork Circle
Celtic Knotwork Rectangle
Celtic Knotwork Corner

Gather Materials:

First, measure the table to find the total length of your table runner. If you have a square or rectangular table, measure the length across. If you have a circular table, measure the diameter. Each end of the runner will have nine inches of overhang on the ends of the table, so add 18 inches to your measurement. This is the total length of your runner.

We made our runner 15 inches wide. This size accommodates the designs well. You can make the width of your runner as wide or narrow as you like--just keep in mind the size of the designs that you are embroidering. Cut the muslin fabric to size.

Hand holding orange scissors cutting a corner of beige fabric placed on a dark wood surface. The fabric is folded and partially cut along the edge.

Once the fabric has been cut to size, measure and mark the center point. To do this measure the width of the runner, divide that measurement by two and mark that center down the length of the fabric.

Hand holding a white and blue marker, drawing a line next to a black plastic ruler on a light beige fabric laid on a dark wooden surface.

Start Embroidering:

Connect those marks to make a line that extends down the length of the fabric. This line will be used to place the embroidery designs.

Two long, rectangular pieces of off-white fabric laid flat on a dark wood surface, with a ruler placed between them and a hand holding a pen near the ruler's edge.

Connect those marks to make a line that extends down the length of the fabric. This line will be used to place the embroidery designs.

Two long, narrow pieces of plain beige fabric laid flat on a dark wooden surface, with a hand holding a pen and a black ruler measuring one piece.

Design placement is easier when using templates. If you have embroidery software, print templates of the center, rectangle/border, and corner designs.

If you don't have embroidery software, then draw a template approximating the size and shape of the designs.

If you've printed templates from your embroidery software, then the center point and axis lines should be marked. Poke a small hole through the center point and align it with the center point on the fabric. Line up the horizontal line on the template with the horizontal line that you drew on the fabric. Then, mark the vertical axis on each side of the template.

Hand holding a purple pen tracing a black intricate circular Celtic knot design printed on white paper, placed on a beige fabric with purple lines drawn on it.

Remove the template and draw a line connecting the vertical axis lines. These lines will be used for hooping.

Hand holding a purple marker drawing lines on white fabric using a black ruler placed diagonally across the fabric surface.

Next, put the circle template back in place by aligning the center point and axis lines as you did before. Tape the template in place so it will not shift around.

Add the rectangle/border template next to the circle. Align the horizontal axis line on the template with the horizontal line on the fabric. We left one inch of space between the rectangle/border and the circle.

Poke a hole through the center of the template and mark the center point. Mark the vertical axis points as well. Tape the template in place.

Hand tracing an intricate circular and rectangular Celtic knot pattern onto plain fabric using a marker and a metal ruler, with paper patterns taped down.

Add another rectangle template aligned exactly with the first rectangle to create a repeating border. Align the second template with the first, connecting the edges and aligning the horizontal axis lines. Tape in place. Mark the center and vertical axis points.

Repeat this for as many designs as you'd like to add.

Hand traces or colors a Celtic-style black line pattern on white paper taped to a fabric surface, using a blue marker or pen.

Next, add the corner design template. Arrange it 3/4 of an inch from the end of the fabric and mark the placement, lining up the center point and axis lines with the lines that you have marked on the fabric.

Hand tracing a triangle pattern on fabric using a blue marker, with a ruler and paper stencil featuring black decorative designs taped to the fabric.

Repeat these steps for placement on the other side of the table runner. When you have made all of your marks, remove the paper templates and connect all of the vertical axis lines.

Cream-colored table runner with black embroidered designs including two vertical rectangular panels, a central circle, and a corner triangle.

The designs will be embroidered from the center out, so we'll begin with the circle first.

Spray a piece of cutaway stabilizer with adhesive and smooth the fabric on top. Hoop the fabric and stabilizer by aligning the lines on the fabric with the marks on the hoop.

Embroidery hoop holding white fabric with purple alignment marks, placed on a wooden surface, with fabric gathered around the hoop edges.

Attach the hoop to the machine, load the center circle design. Move the hoop so the needle is right over that center point, and embroider the design.

Close-up of an embroidery machine stitching a design onto light-colored fabric, with a needle, hoop, and part of the machine visible.

When the circle has finished sewing, unhoop the fabric. The first rectangle design will embroider next. Spray another piece of cutaway stabilizer with adhesive as you did before, and hoop it with the fabric. Align the lines on the fabric with the marks on the hoop. You may find that the embroidery that you just completed is hooped -- and that is okay, it won't distort the stitches.

White fabric with a partially embroidered brown and beige floral or ornamental design, centered within a gray embroidery hoop on a wooden surface.

Attach the hoop to the machine, and load the design. Move the hoop so the needle is right over that center point, and embroider the design.

Close-up of an embroidery machine stitching a brown, intricate Celtic knot pattern on white fabric held in an embroidery hoop.

Repeat this for each rectangle design. Re-hoop the fabric and...

White fabric with black embroidery featuring symmetrical ornamental designs; rectangular embroidery hoop placed centrally on fabric with marked lines.

...continue sewing the rectangles.

Close-up of an embroidery machine stitching brown floral design on white fabric held in a square embroidery hoop, illuminated by built-in light.

When all the rectangle designs have finished sewing, unhoop the fabric and re-hoop for the corner designs at the ends of the runner.

Embroidery hoop holding white fabric with visible stabilizer, purple grid lines, and an incomplete brown embroidered design on the right side.

Embroider the corner designs as you did the other designs. Repeat these steps and embroider the other end of the runner.

Close-up of a white fabric secured in an embroidery hoop on a sewing machine, with black thread partially stitched and loose purple thread strands visible.

After all the designs have finished sewing, flip the fabric over and carefully cut away the excess stabilizer.

Hand cutting a paper pattern piece with orange-handled scissors over fabric with partially visible brown and white embroidery designs.

Next, cut the ends to a point. On the diagonal, measure one inch from the end design. Mark two points on each side.

Hand drawing blue ink guidelines on white fabric with a ruler and purple marker near a brown symmetrical embroidery design featuring loops and leaf shapes.

Mark the two points from the center line of the runner to the outer edge of the fabric on both sides

Hand drawing symmetrical leaf and swirl pattern with a marker on white fabric, next to a black ruler, with a similar embroidered design nearby.

Cut along these lines to create the point

White fabric with brown embroidery designs featuring loops and leaf shapes, partially cut with orange-handled scissors on a wooden surface.

Next, cut a back for the runner from the muslin. Lay the top embroidered piece on the fabric, and trace the shape.

White fabric with dark brown embroidery featuring symmetrical floral and scroll motifs along the edge and center. Hand drawing purple guidelines.

Cut out the shape.

Hand holding orange scissors cutting a corner of a pale beige fabric piece on a dark wooden surface. The fabric is plain and unembroidered.

Lay the right side of the underside fabric on top of the embroidered top piece. Pin the pieces together, leaving one entire pointed end open for turning.

White fabric pinned with colorful pins over another white cloth showing brown embroidery of a geometric floral design on a wooden surface.

Sew a 1/4 inch seam on both layers of the open end.

Close-up of a sewing machine needle stitching a folded edge of off-white fabric under bright light, with a blurred dark background.

Turn the runner right-side out

Cream-colored table runner with dark brown embroidered geometric and floral patterns running lengthwise, placed on a dark wooden table.

Press the seams flat.

Hand pressing a beige table runner with brown embroidered circular and rectangular patterns using a white and teal iron on a light surface.

Also, fold and press 1/4 inch seams on both layers of the open end.

Close-up of a white fabric table runner with brown embroidery and a folded corner showing blue embroidery underneath, next to a white iron on a dark wooden surface.

Line up the layers of the open end and secure with pins.

White fabric with dark brown embroidery featuring symmetrical floral and geometric patterns, pinned with colorful sewing pins on a wooden surface.

With a straight stitch, sew the open end shut by sewing right along the edge.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching white fabric, showing the needle, presser foot, and feed dogs in a well-lit workspace.

Top stitch around the entire edge of the runner by sewing a 1/4 inch seam.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching beige fabric with a straight stitch. The machine's presser foot and needle are visible, with fabric under the needle.

Add a seam on both ends to help the runner fold neatly over the edge of the table. Lay a ruler along the edge of the last rectangle and mark the edges of the runner.