Do you have a host of Halloween goblins headed your way? Roll out this fast and easy table runner and spread out all your goodies in style. The simple Patchwork design is made up of 40 squares, which makes a colorful grid of stripes, dots, bats and spiders. It’s a little bit spooky and a little bit kooky. HA! Now you have the Addams Family theme stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

Our project is based on using a ‘charm pack.’ This is a bundle of pre-cut squares from within one coordinating fabric collection. It’s a great way to go when you have something that calls for patchworking. You save time with the pre-cut squares and the bundles are very inexpensive. One of our favorite online outlets for charm packs is Fat quarter Shop.

Sewing Tools You Need

• Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome MyStyle 100)

Fabric and Other Supplies

• 40 5″ x 5″ fabric squares: we used Sanae’s Spooktacular charm pack
• ½ yard 45″ wide black Lining fabric: we found a plain black cotton in the remnant bin
• 4 yards extra-wide black double-fold Bias tape
• All-purpose Thread in black
• Scissors or Rotary cutter and mat
• Straight Pins
• Iron and ironing board

Getting Started

1. Place 40 squares in your desired order on large flat surface to form a four-square x ten-square Patchwork rectangle.
   
   NOTE: If you are using a charm pack, the squares you will get are random, so you may or may not be able to exactly duplicate our pattern. Simply mix and match to create a pleasing design, alternating darks and lights, patterns and solids, bolds and petites.
   
2. From the black Lining fabric, cut one rectangle 16″ wide x 40″ long.

At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

1. Collect the four squares you want in your first row. Pin the first two squares, right sides together, along one side.
2. Sew together, using a ½” Seam. Iron Seam flat.
   
3. Take the third square in your sequence and pin it, right sides together, to the completed two-square piece.
4. Sew together, using a ½” Seam. Iron Seam flat.
5. Finally, take the fourth square in your first row sequence and pin it, right sides together to the completed three-square piece.
6. Sew together, using a ½” Seam. Iron Seam flat. You now have one four-square row.
   
7. Continue in this same manner until you have ten equal four-square rows.
8. Pin one four-square row to its neighboring four-square row. Be very careful to match your seams so you end up with nice square corners.
9. Sew together, using a ½” Seam.
   
10. Continue in this same manner, adding one new four-square row each time, until you form the completed four-square x ten-square Patchwork. Remember, at each Seam, pin and stitch carefully to keep your seams aligned so your final intersecting corners will be exact. Iron seams flat.
11. Trim ½” from both outer edges of the Patchwork. Since you were oh-so-careful, all your corners should come together at perfect points.
    
12. Place your completed Patchwork panel on top black Lining fabric, WRONG sides together, matching raw edges all the way around.
13. Pin FLAT. Start by placing Pins in the middle, smoothing any ripples and working toward the ends.
    NOTE: This step is quite important because the better you smooth and pin, the flatter your finished project will lay. There is nothing more disappointing than a ripply table runner. Except maybe not getting asked to the prom; that’s pretty disappointing too .
14. Sew the Patchwork panel to the black Lining fabric around all 4 sides using a ¼” Seam.
15. Trim any excess fabric so your Lining and Patchwork are exactly flush along their raw edges.
    
16. Iron flat. The table runner is now ready for Binding.
    
17. Measure and cut Binding strips to fit each side of the Patchwork panel, making each one about 1″ inches longer on each end than the actual Patchwork measurement. So you should cut two strips that are 18″ and two strips that are 42″.
18. Apply the Bias tape in a traditional two-step process. Unfold and stitch first to the front. Then wrap the Binding over the edge and Edgestitch front to back through all layers. Make a simple 90˚ overlap at each of the four corners.
19. If you are new to Binding, check our our tutorial: Bias tape: How To Make It & Attach It.
20. Press and display.

Hints and Tips

Squaring up your fabric panels

You’re doing simple piecing and patchworking, the basic steps of quilting. Oh yes you are! As we mentioned above, having your table runner lay flat is important; another good way to check this is to make sure both your pieces are square. To learn how to do this, read our tutorial: Quilting Basics Part 1: Tools, Cutting & Piecing.

Project Design: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation: Michelle Pacheco