Our Special Dates table runner {& tutorial}

A few months ago I bought some pre-cuts and yardage of the Wishes fabric collection from Sweetwater to make table runners. I thought it would be nice to have a table runner out to celebrate all of our special days and this fabric was perfect for that. I ended up making more than one but each one is personalized for that person's family.

This one was my mom's birthday gift. I made it long enough to fit on her dining room table (hers was roughly 77" long). It has all the birthdays and wedding anniversaries on it specific for her family. I used Microsoft Word and a light box to write the dates on the fabric, but you could also hand write them.

For the permanent pen, you need to use one that is specific for fabric. No Sharpie! It will bleed and won't look very neat. I used the Pentel Gel Roller for Fabric and I found it at my local Joann's. It writes a really smooth line, similar to a ball point pen. I went with the Pentel because another blogger did a wash test with a variety and this pen came out as #1.

If you would like to make your own, here's a quick tutorial. Click on any of the photos to see it larger for more details.

To make a table runner measuring roughly 14" x 64" you will need:

• 1 charm pack
• 1 yard backing
• 18" x 68" batting
• 1/2 yard binding
• Permanent fabric pen

Lay out all of your charm squares into a 14 x 3 grid and sew together. I pieced them into rows and then sewed the 3 rows together.

For the dates, I created a two column table in Microsoft Word with each column 4.5" wide (the finished size of the squares) and then typed up all the dates I wanted to include. Then I was able to pick out a font and make each date big enough to fit in the 4.5" wide space. I used the font Talking to the Moon in a size 54, with the exception of a couple of the dates where I had to make them a size 50 or 52 to fit.

Using a light box, trace your dates onto the table runner. Make sure you disperse your dates so they are along the entire length of the runner. I also changed the orientation of each date, so they weren't all facing the same direction.

For the backing, cut two 18" wide pieces and then sew together to create one long piece at 18" wide. Trim the excess to the same size as your batting. Quilt as desired. I simply stitched in the ditch so that quilting wouldn't interfere with the dates, as I'm sure more will added in the future.

For binding, cut 5 strips at 2.5" by the width of fabric. Piece together using your preferred method and bind as desired.

That's it! This is actually my favorite way to make a table runner using a charm pack. I have a few charm packs waiting to be made into table runner using this tutorial. It's a quick and easy project, perfect for gifts.

If you're on Instagram, I would like to see your Special Dates. Tag me @gracelovequilt and use the hash tag #ourspecialdatestablerunner