Make a Handkerchief Table Runner

 Hello Readers. I love the look of vintage items and fabrics. These beautiful handkerchiefs were at a thrift store just waiting for me to snap them up. The colors and designs were just gorgeous. I liked them so much that I couldn't imagine using them for a runny nose. But what could I do with them? Let's make a colorful table runner. (Similar hankies here.)

This table runner is a bright colorful touch on this dresser in a woman's bedroom and it was so simple to put together.

I love vintage tags. This handkerchief is from the Philippines. Look at that pretty scalloped edge. 

I bought these handkerchiefs before I even knew what I wanted to do with them. I thought about what I could make with my hankies for months. They were so pretty I wanted to use them in clothing but they were so sheer, I could not figure out a way to do that without exposing myself. I decided that home decoration would be a better use. 

I had 4 handkerchiefs but that was plenty for this project. You could use 3-5 and get the same look and effect when you put them together. I ironed my hankies nice and flat and tried a few different arrangements to see what I liked. 

 

I decided that keeping the squares in a straight line would work best for my dresser. You can arrange your hankies however you like but putting your favorites in the center will make them the focus on the table or dresser you put them out on. 

 

I used white thread to sew these handkerchiefs together. All my hankies had a white background so the thread would blend in well. I put the edge of this yellow hankie on top of the red hankie, overlapping them by about 1/4 inch. I stitched along the edge of this yellow hankie to attach them to each other. I could have just spread the hankies on my dresser but I thought they would shift around and perhaps slip off the dresser over time. I wanted them attached to each other in one piece so they would stay put.

 

 I attached one hankie to another to another until they were all attached to each other in a straight line. 

 

I spread the runner on the dresser. It was long enough to hang down a little bit on the right and left sides of the dresser. That is just what I wanted. The different colors are pretty all together and I was happy with how it looked.

 

I added some white milk glass pieces that would look nice with the hankies and they were usually on this dresser anyway. 

 

I loved how the runner turned out on my dresser and it was so easy to make this fun colorful decoration. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

Make a Valentine's Day Table Runner

 Hello Readers. Valentine's Day is coming very soon. (Get your Valentine a cards ASAP before they are all gone!) Let's whip up some quick decor for this fun holiday. A table runner is cute and also doesn't need a lot of fabric. A full table cloth can require quite a bit of fabric. Let's make something simple, quick and cute.

Valentine's Day decor!

I am using some pink cotton fabric for my table runner. This is actually a piece of a light weight duvet cover. That means it is 2 layers of fabric. I turned it inside out or right sides facing each other. I planned to sew almost all the way around the outer edge of this long skinny rectangle. It will need a small opening to turn it right side out. My fabric measures approximately 70x10. You can make any size you want.

I stitched on all 4 sides and left an opening of about 4-5 inches.

It was easy to flip right side out and smooth out. We will close this opening later.

 

I wanted to decorate this table runner and an easy decoration to add would be these iron-on heart patches. They don't need any sewing, just a hot iron. Similar here. Heart for Valentine's Day is perfect.

 

I also wanted to add this red rick rack. It's just cute. And it will look great with the red hearts. (It will require some sewing.)

 

I started by arranging the little hearts at the ends of the table runner. 

 

I used my hot iron to press the hearts onto the table runner. It only took a few minutes to iron these patches on. I didn't move the iron back and forth over the patches. That would move them around. I pressed down on the patches with the hot iron to secure them to the table runner. Follow the directions on the patches in regards to the correct temperature for the iron.

 

I wanted to add the rick rack above and below the row of hearts. This will need to be sewn onto the table runner. I can't iron this on. 

 

I used matching red thread and sewed across the rick rack to attach it to the table runner. It is almost impossible to see but my opening from earlier is under the rickrack and I am sewing it closed as I sew the edge of the rick rack. I just tucked the edges of the pink fabric in and stitched back and forth over it to finish the edges.

 

I put my table runner on this table below the quilt my grandmother made years ago. It looks pretty and fun. I hope you have a great Valentine's/Galentine's/Palentine's Day. Celebrate how ever you like. Buy yourself chocolates and flowers if you want. You deserve it.