Easy Quilted Table Runner Pattern for Beginners (Any Table Length)

Easy table runner: 51 four-inch squares in mixed colors, 3 across and 17 long, with a navy border — The 72-inch runner: 17 rows of three 4-inch squares and a 2-inch border.

Pick your length first

Measure the table top end to end. A runner that hangs over the ends by about 6 inches on each side looks deliberate; one that stops about 6 inches short of each end leaves room for place settings at the head and foot. Either way, the runner length is 4 inches for every row of squares plus 4 inches for the borders.

Runner	Drapes over a table of	Sits on a table of	Rows of 3	Squares	Border strips	Binding strips	Backing
16 × 36 in	–	48 in	8	24	3	3	24 × 44 in (1⅜ yd)
16 × 48 in	–	60 in	11	33	4	4	24 × 56 in (1⅝ yd)
16 × 60 in	48 in	72 in	14	42	4	5	24 × 68 in (2 yd)
16 × 72 in (this pattern)	60 in	84 in	17	51	5	5	24 × 80 in (2⅜ yd)
16 × 84 in	72 in	96 in	20	60	5	6	24 × 92 in (2⅝ yd)
16 × 96 in	84 in	–	23	69	6	7	24 × 104 in (3 yd)
16 × 108 in	96 in	–	26	78	7	7	24 × 116 in (3⅜ yd)

Border and binding strips are 2½ inches wide, cut across the width of the fabric. The backing yardage is for one piece cut along the length, so there's no seam. For a round or square table, a runner of 36 or 48 inches laid corner to corner often looks better than a long one.

Fabric for the 72-inch runner

Fabric	Used for	Amount
Assorted prints	Fifty-one 4½-in squares	4 fat quarters, or 1 yd of one print, or scraps
Navy (or any dark)	Border and binding	¾ yd
Backing	One 24 × 80-in piece	2⅜ yd
Batting	Middle layer	24 × 80 in

A fat quarter (about 18 × 21 inches) gives sixteen 4½-inch squares, so four of them give 64 and you can leave out the ones you like least. From yardage, each 4½-inch strip gives eight squares; seven strips cover 51.

For the other lengths: count one fat quarter per 16 squares, and figure the navy as the border strips plus the binding strips, each 2½ inches. For example, the 96-inch runner needs 6 + 7 = 13 strips, or 32½ inches of fabric: buy 1 yard.

Cutting

Prints: fifty-one 4½-inch squares.
Navy: ten 2½-inch strips across the width. Five are for the border and five for the binding.
Backing: one piece 24 × 80 inches.

Cut the squares with a rotary cutter and ruler, not scissors. Stacking up to four layers of fabric and cutting them together is fine as long as the blade is sharp; a dull blade drags the bottom layer out of square. If you're new to the tools, quilting supplies for beginners covers what to buy.

Lay out and sew

Lay all 51 squares out in three columns of 17, on the floor or a bed. Move squares around until no two of the same print touch. A photo on your phone shows clumps of one color better than standing over it.
Sew the squares into 17 short rows of three. Chain-piece them: feed one pair after another through the machine without cutting the thread, then add the third square to each pair the same way.
Press the seams in odd-numbered rows to the left and even-numbered rows to the right. The seams then lie in opposite directions when you join the rows, and the corners match.
Join the rows in pairs, then pairs of pairs, then the groups. Short joins keep the long piece from twisting under the needle. The center measures 12½ × 68½ inches.

A consistent ¼-inch seam is the whole trick on this runner: if each seam is 1/32 inch too wide, the 16 seams along the length shorten it by a full inch. Our quarter-inch seam guide shows how to check yours with three scraps.

Add the border

Join five navy strips end to end with straight seams and press the seams open.
Measure the runner down the middle. Cut two border pieces that length (68½ inches if your seams were exact) and sew them to the long sides. Press toward the border.
Measure across the middle, borders included (16½ inches), cut two pieces and sew them to the ends.

Quilt and bind

Layer the backing right side down, then the batting, then the top right side up. Smooth each layer and baste with safety pins about every 4 inches. A runner is a good place to practice basting before a bed quilt.
Quilt diagonal lines through the squares, corner to corner, in both directions to make a grid of Xs. The corners of the squares are your marking, so you don't need to draw anything. A walking foot keeps the layers from shifting.
Trim the batting and backing even with the top, squaring the corners with a large ruler.
Join the five binding strips with diagonal seams, fold in half lengthwise and bind. The runner needs 186 inches (the perimeter plus 10). See how to bind a quilt.

Make it seasonal

The same layout changes completely with the prints. Reds and greens make a Christmas runner in an evening (pair it with the Christmas quilt ideas for gifts). Oranges, golds and browns with a black border suit fall. For a striped look, sew 4½-inch strips together lengthwise and crosscut them into rows of three instead of cutting single squares; that's faster and gives a regular color repeat.

If you want something with a bit more piecing, try the stars and stripes runner or the Christmas star runner. Placemats to match: quilted placemats.

More free patterns: see them all. This pattern is free for personal and charity use; please don't sell the pattern itself.

Free pattern: easy quilted table runner in any length