Quilt in a Weekend: Table Runner

The size of the finished quilt is 26" x 44" (unquilted). Yardage in the materials list is based on 44-inch wide fabric.

Materials:

5/8 yard red print fabric for checkerboard center, nine patch blocks, and middle border
5/8 yard beige print fabric for checkerboard center and fence
1/3 yard green print #1 fabric for nine patch blocks and fence background
1/3 yard brown print fabric for inner border
5/8 yard blue print fabric for outer border and flower appliques
1/8 yard green print #2 fabric for leaf appliques
1/2 yard gold print fabric for flower center appliques and binding
1/2 yard paper-backed fusible web
one spool each #8 DMC black and gold pearl cotton
1-1/2 yards fabric for quilt backing
quilt batting, at least 30" x 48"
rotary cutter, mat, and wide see-through ruler with 1/8 inch markings

Steps:

Checkerboard Center
From the red print fabric cut two, 2-1/2" x 44" strips. From the beige print fabric cut two, 2-1/2" x 44" strips.

Piecing
1. Sew the 2-1/2" x 44" red and beige strips together in pairs and press. Make a total of two of these strip sets and cross cut them into 26, 2-1/2-inch segments.

Nine Patch Blocks (make four)
From the red print fabric cut one, 1-1/2" x 14" strip and cut two, 1-1/2" x 8" strips. From the green print #1 fabric cut two, 1-1/2" x 14" strips and cut one, 1-1/2" x 8" strip.

Piecing
1. Sew a 1-1/2" x 14" green strip to each side of the 1-1/2" x 14" red strip to make Strip Set I. Press. Crosscut this strip set into eight, 1-1/2-inch segments.

2. Sew a 1-1/2" x 8" red strip to each side of the 1-1/2" x 8" green strip to form Strip Set II. Press. Crosscut this strip set into four, 1-1/2-inch segments.

3. Sew a Strip Set I segment to each side of Strip Set II segments. Press. Make a total of four, nine-patch blocks. At this point, the nine patch blocks should measure 3-1/2-inches square.

Fence Sections
1. From the beige print fabric cut one, 1-1/2" x 44" inch strip. Cut three, 2-1/2" x 44" strips and from these strips, cut 24, 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" rectangles.

2. From the green print #1 fabric cut two, 1-1/2" x 44" strips. Cut two more 1-1/2" x 44" strips and from these strips cut 48, 1-1/2-inch squares.

Piecing
1. Sew 1-1/2" x 44" green strips to each side of the 1-1/2" x 44" beige strip. Press. Crosscut this strip set into 20, 1-1/2 inch segments.

3. To make a short fence section, sew two, Step 1 units and three, Step 2 units together. Press. Repeat to make another short fence section. Sew these sections to the short ends of the checkerboard center. Press.

4. To make a long fence section, sew eight, Step 1 units and nine, Step 2 units together. Press. Repeat to make another long fence section. Press. Sew a nine-patch block to each end of these fence sections and press. Sew these sections to the sides of the checkerboard center and press.

Borders
Note: The yardage given allows for the border strips to be cut on the crosswise grain. The border strips are longer than necessary and will be trimmed later.

1. From the brown print fabric cut three, 1-1/2" x 44" strips for the inner border. From the red print fabric cut three, 2-1/2" x 44" strips for the middle border.

2. From the blue print fabric cut four, 3-1/2" x 44" strips for the outer border.

Attaching the Borders
To attach the 1-1/2-inch wide brown inner border strips, the 2-1/2-inch wide red middle border strips, and the 3-1/2-inch wide blue outer border strips, refer to "Border Instructions" in Thimbleberries Guide for Weekend Quilters.

Putting It All Together
Trim the backing and batting about 4-inches larger than the table runner top. "Quilting Ideas" and the "Quilting Design Diagram" can be found in Thimbleberries Guide for Weekend Quilters in addition to detailed marking, layering and finishing instructions.

Binding
The 2-3/4-inch binding strips will produce a 1/2-inch wide finished binding. If you want a wider or narrower binding, adjust the width of the strips. Refer to "Attaching Binding with Mitered Corners" in Thimbleberries Guide for Weekend Quilters for complete instructions.

Cutting Crosswise Strips
From the gold print binding fabric cut four, 2-3/4" x 44" strips on the crosswise grain.