The Whist Club comes with a choice of plain white or ivory jacquard linens. Because I'm too cheap to pay for an upgrade, I decided to add some color with DIY table runners. I hope to be able to recover some of my costs by selling them after the wedding, and it gave me a chance to bring my Asian theme into the room.

My subtitle refers to a basic "mistake" I made on this project. Instead of making 1 table runner from end-to-end and seeing how I liked it, I cut all of the runners at the  same time. Once I realized that I wished they were longer after I tapered the ends, it was too late to correct my mistake on the other runners. Truly, I don't think anyone but me will notice the runners  are a little short, but I still wish I could have corrected it. I have plenty of fabric left over so it seems such a waste. 

Approximate Cost (Time and Money)

  • $10/yd for fabric
  • $8 StitchWitchery
  • 4 hrs labor

Materials

  • Chinese brocade (I bought from eBay seller A1 Silk Dress Fabric)
  • StitchWitchery (20 yds made 4 table runners for me)
  • Scissors
  • Chalk
  • Ruler/Tape Measure

DIY Instructions for Runners (72" Tables)

  1. Figure out how much fabric you need. I rounded up and allowed 3 yd for 2 table runners so I needed 12 yds for 8 table runners.
  2. Determine how long a drop you want on the runner. Craig and I decided on 6" on either end so the end would not be pulled by guests' legs, but we wish we had done longer (see Tips below).
  3. Cut one length of material to length (72+12=84 inches)
  4. Fold material in half lengthwise and iron a crease the length of the material. My fabric was 36" wide so this creates a crease at 18".
  5. Cut the fabric lengthwise to create 2 strips of fabric, each 18" X 84".
  6. Create the tapered end.
    1. Fold each end of each runner in half and lightly press to create a center line.
    2. Measure from the cut end the distance that will give you the desired angle. You should pick a length that is shorter than the overall drop or the table runner will begin narrow on the table. Mark the desired distance on the selvage edge (rather than the center fold). I  used 4".
    3. Draw a line with chalk from the selvage to the fold edge with the line ending at the cut edge of the fold.
    4.  Cut the triangles off to angle the table runner.
  7. With the right side down against the ironing board, turn under 5/8 around the entire perimeter. I didn't bother mitering the corners.
  8. After the fold is marked, then lay down the Stitch Witchery in the fold.
  9. Iron the turned down brocade after with a light tack to begin the iron-on hem. Unroll a little more StitchWitchery in the fold.
  10. Continue ironing the hem down across the entire perimeter of the table runner. 

Tips

  1. Keep the StitchWitchery on the roll and only unroll about 4-6" at a time. If you unroll more, the heat of the iron may fuse it together even if you do not actually press it.
  2. Keep the ironing board free of stray StitchWitchery--this stuff is like cobwebs and just floats everywhere. It is hard to see and very easy to accidently "glue" the front of the table runner to the ironing board if you are not careful.
  3. Ignore the StitchWitchery manufacturer's instructions about keeping the iron set on "wool". I used rayon/polyester so I wouldn't damage the brocade, and the bond was fine.
  4. I used both regular and extra stich witchery from my bonus pack. The "extra" weight resulted in a little nicer edge (less curling) but was harder to use. Oddly, the "extra" weight was more flimsy before it was ironed and more prone to be activated accidently by stray steam. 
  5. Clean your iron periodically between table runners so any stray Stitch Witchery that stuck to the bottom of the iron is removed.
  6. Consider making a longer "drop" than 6". Craig and I did not consider that once the ends were tapered, the brocade would not drape as well over the edge of the table. We wish we had used a 10-12" drop instead.