Sister Of The Divide: Spooky Skelly Kat Table Runner Tutorial Plus Bonus Binding Tutorial

You may have already made the Candy Corn Table Topper, this tutorial will teach you how to make this Halloween Table Runner.

To make this table runner you will need to pull some contrasting fabrics. For this runner I pulled these four fabrics.

Cut 3 strips of each fabric that measure 2.5" x WOF (width of fabric)

Make 3 strip sets consisting of your four fabrics. Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew your strips together and carefully press your seams to one side. It will help if you will finger press your seam open fully before you press with your iron. Take your time and make sure that seam is pressed open all the way.

To cut your 60% wedges, you can refer to the directions in the Candy Corn Table Topper or you can use the ruler of your choice.

Personally, I love the Hex N More Ruler. There are just so many things you can do with it, cutting your 60% wedges is just one!

Lay one of your pressed strip sets out on your cutting mat and lay your Hex N More ruler as shown below. Alternate your ruler, cutting from one side and then the other to cut as many wedges as you can get from your strip set. Do the same for the remaining strip sets.

What you will notice when you are finished cutting is that you have two difference types of wedges to play with! This will let you create your design.

Take a minute to lay out your table runner and play with the placement of your wedges. This was my first layout and I changed it up in the final layout. You will need six similar wedges for the center and 8 similar wedges for the ends. You will have extras which you can use to make a table topper like the Candy Corn Table Topper.

Once you have your runner laid out the way you want it you can start to sew it together. As you stitch PRESS ALL OF YOUR SEAMS OPEN.

Here is the trick to make it all come together perfectly. Stitch your runner together in two halves. See the photos below and you will understand. Stitch together the wedges of each half, if you need help matching up your seams, please refer to the directions in the Candy Corn Table Topper and the Holiday in The Pines Runner

Once you have your two sides stitched together you can make one seam down the middle, matching as you go. We will talk a little about some matching tips below. When you are lining up your seams, where the wedges will come together (there are three of these intersections on this runner), it helps to place a pin perpendicular through the point of your wedge intersection, lining it up with the opposite side. Keep that pin perpendicular and carefully place a pin close on either side. Take a PERMANENT fine point marker, a pencil or a disappearing ink pen and make a mark at the base of your perpendicular pin on the side closest to the raw edge of the seam as shown below.

You can remove your perpendicular pin now. As you stitch your seam, you have a mark on your fabric to stitch on that will help you achieve your perfect intersection. Press all seams open.

You have a perfect intersection, your runner is together and you can layer it with thin batting, (I use Hobbs 80/20) add your backing and quilt as desired. Stitching in the ditch is easy, you can echo quilt or get real fancy with your quilting, your choice. Pick a fun backing fabric and your little table runner can be reversible!

I have had lots of requests from folks about how to bind this table runner so the second part of this tutorial will be on binding.

For the binding, use 3 strips of fabric that measure 2.5" x WOF and stitch them together end to end. Here is how to stitch them together to create the least amount of bulk in your final seam.

Lay one strip right side facing up and lay the next strip across it perpendicular with the right sides facing together. Leave a little hanging over on each edge as shown below.

Place a pin in the lower right corner as shown and using a ruler draw yourself a line diagonally as shown. I used a permanent marking pen for this, you can use a pencil, chalk, a disappearing marker...your choice. Just make sure what you use will not bleed into your seam when it's washed.

Take this to your machine and stitch on the line.

Once you have stitched your seam, trim off the excess fabric to a 1/4" seam as shown below.

Take your strip to the ironing board and press open the seam you just created. This will help to eliminate bulk in your binding. I do not clip off the "rabbit ears" because I use them to make sure I don't put the seam in a corner. Trim them off later.

Add your next strip to your binding piece the same way and press the seam open. Now fold it in half along the long edge and press...take your time and match up your edge. It should look like this below when you are finished. Roughly lay your binding around your runner, look for those "rabbit ears" and make sure they don't land in a corner.

I like to use a binding tool and I will talk more about that in a bit. From the center of one side of your runner measure a 12 inch opening and mark it with a pin on each end of that 12 inches. Place your binding raw edges together with your runner and leave a 12 inch piece loose beyond your starting point. Start pinning your binding in place. Place a pin about an inch away from your first "corner" as shown below.

Just like when you are binding a square quilt, you will fold back your binding, but we will fold back squaring up to the seam on the runner as shown below.

Finger press your binding so that it lines up exactly with your runner seam as shown above. You can place a pin if you need, then fold forward again, to continue along the next side as shown below.

You will have a flap at the top and should have nothing at the bottom, see below.

Continue all the way around your runner until you get to the 12" mark you made on your starting side and pin, leaving the tail loose. We will close up that 12 inch opening using the binding tool.

Start your stitching at your first mark on the 12" opening and continue to the corner, unpin and fold your flap forward, away from your needle, as shown below, stitch up to the intersection, stopping with your needle down and back stitch off the piece as shown.

Continue by folding your flap back, under your needle as shown and stitching 1/4" along your seam. Finish your stitching at the 12" mark that you made earlier. You will have two loose strips of binding hanging off and a 12" unfinished edge on your runner.

This is the binding tool, if you don't have one, get one, it is just a wonderful easy way to get a perfect finish on all your quilts. It looks like this...

There are instructions printed right on the ruler, you cannot fail!

To use it, stitch the binding on your quilt and leave a 12" opening.

Leave a tail of binding on either side of your opening as shown below.

Fold back each strip as shown below, place the binding tool, starting on the left side as shown and pull your fabric over the top of it. There is a line right on the tool, mark your fabric on that line. (pay no attention to A and B at this point, just mark to the line.)

Rotate the tool and do the same thing on the other side, marking to the line on the tool.

Open out your left side binding and line up the point of the ruler (A) with your mark on your fabric as shown below. Make sure your ruler is level with the sides of your binding strip.

Now make your cut along the edge of the ruler with your rotary cutter. Don't get your quilted piece under the ruler when you are cutting! Twist your binding piece away from the quilted piece so you can get a clean cut without cutting the runner.

That's one side done, now rotate your ruler (not flip, rotate) line the line on the ruler with the line that you drew on your fabric. Notice we are not lining up with the point this time, we are lining up with the line on the ruler (B). Make sure the sides of the ruler are lining up with the sides of your binding and make your cut.

Stitch these two ends together to close your binding strips and then fold in half and press. Waaahooo! Look at that! Perfect!

Finish stitching that 12" opening that you left on your binding. Press from the middle of your runner out, pressing your binding away from the runner. Each corner will have a perfect little miter and as you finish turning your binding you will make the same miter on the back side. You can finish with either hand stitching or there is sufficient binding to catch with a machine stitch by stitching in the ditch right next to your binding strip.