“Strip Tease” Table Runner Finished Size: 17″ x 34 1/2″

Items Needed:

• 5/8 yard Focus Fabric
• 1/4 yard Bleached (white) muslin
• 1/4 yard Unbleached (ecru) muslin
• FOUR (4) Dark Blue 2 1/2″ squares
• FOUR (4) Medium Blue 2 1/2″ squares

Quilt Therapy Instructions:

• Cutting:
  • Focus Fabric:  Cut NINE (9) 2 1/2″ x 16 1/2″ strips
  • Bleached (white) muslin:  Cut FOUR (4) 2 1/2″ x 20″ strips
  • Unbleached (ecru) muslin:  Cut FOUR (4) 2 1/2″ x 20″ strips
  • Focus Fabric:  Cut TWO (2) 2″ x WOF strips for Binding
  • Backing Fabric:  Your choice of fabric color – 18″ x 37″
  • Quilt Batting:  18″ x 37″
• Sew the Dark Blue 2 1/2″ squares to both ends of the Bleached (white) muslin.
• Sew the Medium Blue Blue 2 1/2″ squares to both ends of the Unbleached (ecru) muslin.
• Lay out all of your strips.  The Focus Fabric strips are the anchors for this table runner, they belong on both ends of the table runner as well as in-between the tonal strips.
• Use your own creativity to decide where your Blue 2 1/2″ squares should be placed – remember the tonal aspect so be sure your placement is one Bleached (white) muslin strip set and then one Unbleached (ecru) muslin strip set.  From there, the placement is completely up to you.  Once you decide where you want each Bleached (white) muslin/Dark Blue strip and each Unbleached (ecru) muslin strip, cut the excess fabric from the strip.  The final length of the strip needs to equal 16 1/2″.  NOTE:  I left my tonal/blue strips just a bit longer than required so I could square everything up after sewing the table runner top together.
• Now it is time to sew your strips together.  Begin with sewing one Focus Fabric strip to one of your tonal/blue strips.  The biggest thing you need to worry about, when sewing your strips together, is to always sew your strips in opposite directions.  This will make sure your strips remain straight without a curve in the finished product.  One good way to remember which direction you sewed your strips in is to place a pin at the end of each set of fabric strips, indicating which direction you started sewing from.  Press the strips in the direction of the Focus Fabric:

• After sewing the first group of single strips into double strips, now it’s time to sew the double strips together (remember to sew from the opposite direction as the first seams were sewn):

• All of the strips of fabric strips should now be sewn together.  Be sure to place the extra Focus Fabric strip to the end of your table runner on whichever tonal strip you is at the end.
• Square up your table runner.  Make sure the fabric on both sides are the same length.

• Table runner top all sewn, squared up and pressed:

• Sew the binding strips together.  There will be at least 1/2 of a strip of Focus Fabric left from the cutting requirements above.  That is needed for the binding so cut the width down to 2″.  Then sew the two full and one partial 2″ binding strips together:

• Make your quilt sandwich with the table runner top, batting & backing.  Pin into place to secure all three layers.

• Quilt as desired:

• Final step is to square up your table runner so that the batting & backing are the same size as the table runner top and then add your binding.  This table runner’s binding is 1/4″ on the front, whip-stitched on the back.  Enjoy!