How to Make a Placemat Table Runner

A table runner adds a small touch of decoration to a table for a dinner party or can be part of your dining room's every day decor. You can create a table runner that not only serves as decoration but also breaks down to serve as place mats in just a few minutes time to save money on a table runner as well as keep place mats handy.

Things You'll Need

• One place mat per seat at the table
• Tailor's chalk
• Ruler
• Sewing machine with buttonhole capabilities
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Lay each of the place mats out horizontally. Measure and find the middle of the right and left edge of each place mat. Make a small mark with tailor's chalk an inch in halfway down the edge.

2. Sew buttonholes running horizontally on the mat with the right end of the holes landing on the chalk mark on the right side of the mat. You will need to change the foot on your machine to a buttonhole foot utilizing the instruction manual for your particular machine.

3. Line up the center of a button over the tailor's chalk mark on the left side of each mat. Sew the button in place using your machine. Again, follow your machine's instruction manual for attaching the button.

4. Pull the thread tails from sewing on the buttons to the back of the place mat, there will be four total. Knot the threads and trim them.

5. Attach the place mats end-to-end using the buttons and buttonholes to assemble the table runner. Break the table runner down into place mats for each guest when the food is ready to be served.