Make This: Patchwork & Hexagons Table Runner Tutorial

A couple of years ago at our first Quilt Market, we got a bunch of mini charm packs from Moda’s booth.  I wanted to use these cute little 2.5″ square stackers from the Posy line for hexagons, since they are the perfect size for that.  On the way to the Farm Chicks show last summer, I spent the drive making a bunch of my hexagons using the English paper piecing method.

I used two mini charm packs to make 84 hexagons, and then I realized that I didn’t know where to go from there.  Hand sewing is not my favorite, nor my strong suit, so there was absolutely no way I was going to sew the hexagons all together by hand.  Since I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with them, I let it sit on my shelf for a while.

After discovering the Modern Hexies tutorial from Modern Handcraft, I was once again inspired to get this done, although with my own spin on it.  We still had two mini charm packs left, so I thought a patchwork background for the hexagons would be perfect.  The finished size of the table runner ended up at 14″ x 24″.  After all this talk, are you ready for the actual tutorial?  Here we go!

For this table runner, you will need the following supplies:

• (168) 2.5″ squares.  For us this was 4 mini charm packs, each with 42 pieces.
• 3/4″ hexagon paper pieces
• Permanent fabric glue.  I used Aleene’s Fabric Fusion.
• Matching thread for quilting
• 1/4 yard or a fat quarter for binding
• 1/2 yard backing fabric
• Batting
  

For the hexagons, I used my Silhouette craft cutter to cut the 3/4″ hexagons paper pieces from cardstock.  I also used our Accuquilt to cut 1″ hexagons that fit perfectly onto the paper pieces.  Both of these things were awesome for making the tedious parts go faster.  

Use half (84) of the 2.5″ squares for hexagons, and the other half for the patchwork.  I tried to use a good variety of colors and prints for both the squares and hexagons.  Once all your hexagons have been stitched onto the paper pieces, press them really well, and then remove the paper pieces.

Lay out your squares for patchwork in a 7 x 12 configuration.

Now start piecing the patchwork!  

I did each column of seven together, then pieced those into sections, and then joined those.

Once the patchwork is ready, lay out all of the hexagons.  Try to make it look as random as possible.

When you are ready to move on, it’s time to grab your fabric glue.  Put a piece of paper behind your patchwork, because some of the glue will seep through.

On the back side of the hexagons, put glue all around the edges.

Repeat with all the hexagons.  You will want to make sure these are glued down pretty well.  Let the glue dry before moving on.

Layer your top, batting, and backing.  Trim the back and batting to leave a border of a couple inches all the way around the table runner top.

Pin all the layers together with safety pins all over the table runner.

Pick a matching thread for quilting.  I went with lavender, since it worked well with my color palette and also tends to disappear well among other colors.

Using a walking foot, quilt in straight lines going through the centers of the hexagons.

Once all the quilting is done, take a minute to admire!

For the binding, I was able to use a fat quarter to get enough 2.25″ strips to go around the table runner.  I was able to muster the courage to hand sew the binding, so maybe someday I will be brave enough to hand piece hexagons.

And there you have it, a lovely little centerpiece for your table!  My kids enjoy looking at all the little prints and seeing what they can find.  It is a little small, so if you want to fill in a big table, you will need more mini charm packs and more patience.  This ended up the perfect size for the amount of time I was willing to spend, and I think it turned out as a great statement piece.

-Audrey