Easy borders add pizzazz to a table runner

It’s amazing what fun easy borders can do to add extra pizzazz to our creative projects. Yesterday, we had such a fun time creating a summer tote bag with boxed corners and fun multi-purpose prints and solids. Today, we’re going to continue to work with this fun fabric from Northcott’s Urban Elementz collection and bring back one of our fun projects from April. Remember the landscape table runner that we created with those fabulous polka dots? It’s such an adorable table runner just as it is, but wait to see what an easy border is going to do to this project.

When we made this table runner, we used an assortment of fabrics that gave a kind of modern pull on a traditional concept. The blue sky, the green grass with the polka dot flowers. Well, I felt that even though the table runner was looking great as it is, I wanted to add a little more pizzazz to this one with a fun easy border.

For my border, I’m auditioning a couple of different fabrics. I could very well use the multi-purpose stripe print that we used yesterday for our summer tote bag, or any of the other prints from this collection. After all, the Urban Elementz Collection from Northcott fabrics does have quite a few wonderful prints that blend well within each of the projects that we’ve made so far.

It would be so easy to fussy cut a fun border in the above stripe print to add to our table runner.

If I were to use the stripe fabric, it’s very easy for me to decide on any width of strip to cut for the border, and simply cut strips through the running length of my fabric to get the length of border I need for my table runner. I think that given the style of this table runner, the little cars and scooters would be adorable as a border around this fun landscape project.

But, there’s also another print that I love very much which has beautiful leaves. That’s the one that I’m going to use for my main border on my table runner. We haven’t used this fabric yet in one of our projects, and I really can’t wait to see the effect that’s going to give our landscape table runner. I believe that using this one as the main border will kind of marry the colors used in the table runner base and appliques.

Before I worked with the leaf border, I decided to cut a smaller inner border in the solid black. I decided to add the narrow black inner border because I find that the narrow border is going to complement the details in the main part of my table runner. The narrow black border will also complement the outer border in the leaf print.

That little separation between the runner and the border gives the project a more together look. I just added the black inner border to my table runner; let’s see how it looks so far. I cut black strips 1½” wide for the inner border; just enough to frame the table runner before adding the larger border.

For my outer borders in the leaf print, I cut 3″ border strips. First I cut for the longer sides of my table runner, followed by the two narrow strips for the shorter ends. While I attach the borders, I press all of the seams towards the borders.

And there you go, what do you think?

I think I’ll use the green dot print as the backing for this adorable table runner, and use solid black for the binding. This one is going to be a definite display piece for my patio dining.

I’m in love with the colors, the prints, and the overall look of this collection. The easy borders were fun and quick to make, and finished off the table runner nicely. I can’t wait to create another project using these fabulous fabrics.

Be sure to check in tomorrow, because I have something really exciting to share with you – this collection also introduces prefused applique packages from Northcott’s Urban Elementz fabric collection. Now, how wonderful is that. We’re going to have some fun with those tomorrow.

Happy Stitching!