Quilted Holiday Table Runner - All Done!!

Today is the day we finish our table runner!  Yay!  Think how wonderful your holiday table will look with this delightful table runner on top, maybe with some candles in the center quilt blocks.  So, let's get to it!  Let's finish this puppy!

We finished all the machine quilting.  I did "stitch-in-the-ditch" and also some stipple quilting in the center blocks.  I also used turquoise thread throughout the quilting process to add character to the design.  I decided not to quilt inside the big blocks that have the words "Peace" and "Joy" because I thought it would take away from the embroidery and the statement.

Trim away the excess batting and backing from the quilt.

With your remaining red & white holiday fabric, cut at least 5 long 2" strips.  They should be the width of your fabric by 2" and they do not need to be cut on the bias, although if you have enough fabric for the binding (and I didn't) to cut on the bias, you'll get better corners on your finished quilt.  Because I was running low on fabric, I just cut the strips from selvage-to-selvage in 2" strips.

Sew them all together to make one really long binding strip.  Place 2 strips, RST (right-sides-together) as shown.  With your transparent ruler, draw a diagonal line with your fabric marker and pin the 2 strips together.

Stitch across the diagonal line and then cut off the corner leaving about a 1/4" seam allowance.

Now we are going to begin to sew our binding to our beautiful quilted table runner!  Always begin your binding in the center of a side - never on a corner.  With RST, fold down the short edge of the binding by about 1/2" and line up the long edge of your binding with the edge of your quilted table runner as shown above.  Pin the binding where it begins at the folded edge.

With a 1/4" seam, stitch down the entire long edge, lining up your binding along the edge neatly. Place a pin about 1/4" from the corner and stop.  Backstitch to reinforce your stitching.  Remove the pin and now I will show you how to make a perfect corner. 

Fold your binding up so that it is a perfect 45 degree angle from the corner.

Now fold back down, keeping your angle underneath in place.  Pin the binding in place as shown, lining up the fold along the short top edge and pin into place.  Continue from the top edge with a 1/4" seam and finish sewing your binding onto your quilted table runner, completing each corner as shown in these last few steps.

Press your binding along the seam away from your unfinished edge.  Turn over and fold up about a 1/4" seam to the wrong side.  I stick pins into my folded seam to hold it in place on the ironing board and then I press it.  That's my neat little trick for pressing hems without burning my fingers.

I pinned the hem along the stitch line on the back and then I added a nice zig-zag stitch along the top seam to sew the binding into place.

And the result?  This beautiful quilted table runner!

I love it and I hope my daughter does too!  I'm excited to tell you that I am taking a little trip just before Thanksgiving.  I am flying to Arkansas to visit my daughter Kim, her dear husband, Zak, and my granddaughter, Reagan!!  For one glorious week, I get to spoil them all!!  I can't wait.  I'm like a kid again.  I used to get so excited when my Dad would come home and tell the family that he was taking us all on a vacation.  Of course, as you know, times are tough here, and my sweet baby girl surprised me with the plane tickets.  I'm as happy as a clam at high tide!  And this table runner?  It's all hers.  She and her family just moved into a new home and this is my gift to them.  I think it will look wonderful on their table this holiday, don't you?