Decorate your dining room table for the start of summer with this playful table runner pattern. Featured on this month’s cover, this summer table runner pattern includes a fun rainbow and cloud design and is finished at 13 1/2” wide and 39” long with matching binding. This summer quilting project is designed for intermediate quilters and can even be made into a wall hanging if desired. Make a splash at your next family get together with this charming summer quilting pattern.
Skill Level: Intermediate
Finished Dimensions: 13 1/2” wide by 39” long
Seam Allowances: 1/4”
Materials:
- Background (Sky) fabric: Yard cut
- Rainbow Fabrics A, B, and C: one fat quarter or 1/4 yard cut
- Cloud fabric: one fat quarter or 1/4 yard cut
- 2 1/2″ wide binding fabric: 1/2 yard
- Quilt batting: Approx. 16” by 42”
- Backing fabric: 1/2 yard
- PDF Templates – These are located at the bottom of this page. Please see printing instructions below.
PRINTING INSTRUCTIONS:
Note: To download the templates, click on the pattern download button at the bottom of the page. We recommend opening your pattern download using Adobe Acrobat.
Cutting Instructions:
- Background fabric:
- Cut 4 – Exterior Rainbow Arc Template
- Cut 4 – Interior Rainbow Arc Template
- Cut 4 – Cloud A Arc Template
- Cut 2 – Cloud B Arc Template
- Cut 2 – 7″ by 13 1/2” rectangles
- Rainbow Fabrics:
- Cut 4 – Rainbow A Arc Template
- Cut 4 – Rainbow B Arc Template
- Cut 4 – Rainbow C Arc Template
- Cloud fabric:
- Cut 2 – Cloud A Template
- Cut 4 – Cloud B Template
- Cut 2 – 3 1/2″ by 13 1/2″ rectangles
CUTTING THE TEMPLATES:
- Prepare and cut all fabric pieces as instructed above using the measurements and templates provided (Note: These are located at the bottom of this page).
- Rainbow pieces will have a left and right side. To get left and right sides, cut the template both right side up, and right side down, or fold the fabric RST and cut two layers.
Sewing Instructions:
PIECING THE BLOCKS:
Rainbow Block Assembly:
- From the Rainbow Templates, match ends with RST and and use a hot iron to press all arc seams.
- Place the Rainbow Arc A RST with the Rainbow Interior Arc and pin both together at the center fold mark.
- Working from the center to one edge, sew Rainbow Arc A and Rainbow Interior Arc together. Ease the strip gently through the curves, arcing the fabrics together as you work out from the center.
- Rotate the rainbow pieces and sew the other side from the center out.
- Press the seam to the dark side between each arc to lessen the warping of rows.
- Working from the center to one edge, sew the remaining Rainbow Arcs A-C to the preceding arc.
- Finish by attaching the Exterior Rainbow Arc to Rainbow Arc A-C pieces to complete one Rainbow block unit.
- Repeat Steps 1-7 above to complete the opposite side Rainbow block unit. Note each arc will hang off the edge of the preceding arc.
- Trim each half rainbow block unit to 7” square.
- Place both halves of the rainbow block unit RST and sew 1/4” center seam to join into the full Rainbow Block.
- Repeat to make two Rainbow Block units. Set aside.
Cloud Block Assembly:
- From the Cloud Templates, bring the right and left outside curve edges together to fold and use a hot iron to crease all arcs of fabric to make a center fold.
- Place the Cloud A RST with the Cloud A Arc and pin both together at the center fold marks.
- Working from the center to one edge, sew Cloud A and Cloud A Arc together. Ease the exterior arc gently through the curves. See Figure 1 above.
- Rotate the cloud pieces and sew the other side from the center out to complete one Cloud A block unit.
- Repeat Steps 1-4 to make a second Cloud A block unit.
- Press the seam to the dark side of each arc to flatten and trim Cloud A blocks to 4” high by 4 1/2” wide.
- Repeat Steps 1-4 above using Cloud B and Cloud B Arc templates.
- Trim Cloud B block unit to 4” high by 5 1/2” wide.
- Place one Cloud A block unit RST with the Cloud B block unit and sew 1/4” center seam to join.
- Open up the Cloud A and B unit and, with RST, add the additional Cloud A block unit with a 1/4” seam to the opposite side. Open all and press the seams flat.
- Attach 3 1/2″ by 13 1/2” rectangle to the straight cloud bottom edge of the assembled cloud blocks to complete the unit.
- Repeat to make two Cloud Blocks. Set Aside.
ASSEMBLING THE RUNNER:
- To the background top of the Cloud unit block, sew RST with the 7″ by 13 1/2” background rectangle.
- Repeat for the remaining Cloud Block unit. Press seams flat.
- Join both Cloud Block units RST, rotating the block units to have the solid background rectangle alongside the cloud. Use the central seam as a guide when pinning to line up the blocks.
- Finally, attach a Rainbow Block unit to the short ends of the central Cloud units with the arch touching the Cloud unit. Sew RST, then open and press seams flat.
- Repeat Step 4 on the opposite end to complete the runner top. See Figure 6 above.
QUILTING AND FINISHING:
- Cut a strip of batting and backing approximately 2-3″ wider and longer on all sides than your finished quilt top.
- Assemble the quilt sandwich for the quilt by laying out the backing (right side down), batting in the center and quilt on top, right side up. Baste and quilt as desired and trim edges. The cover quilt has been quilted in a grid pattern following the seam lines of the piecing.
- Prepare the binding by cutting 2 1/2″ by WOF strips and attaching all strips together at a 45 degree diagonal angle. Press strips wrong sides together in half lengthwise along the entire length of the binding to complete.
- For the Wall Hanging, insert a loop of fabric across the top length of the block or two pockets of fabric in each corner for hanging.
- Attach binding to the quilt sandwich by lining up all raw edges, and mitering the corners as you go.
- To miter corners, sew into the corner stopping a 1/4″ from the end, backstitch, and remove the quilt from the sewing machine.
- With the quilt laying flat, fold the binding up and away from the quilt, making the binding straight with the unsewn side.
- Fold the binding down to the sewn side, leaving a diagonal fold on the underside of the binding and pin fold in place. See Figure 7 above
- Place the quilt back into the sewing machine and sew down the fold and continue on sewing binding.
- Make a miter at each corner, adjusting the amount of fold as necessary.
- Join the ends of the binding together where they meet and attach to the quilt sandwich.
- Press and fold the binding over to the opposite side of the quilt to finish. Tuck the mitered corner flat, pinning it into place as necessary.
- Finish the binding with your preferred method, either by hand stitching in place or by machine stitching.
