Last Minute Thanksgiving Table Runner

If you’re like me you start out with grand intentions for a million holiday projects and end up feeling stressed and overwhelmed. As much as I keep thinking I just need to start planning for these busy days in June, well, that’s just not going to happen! So here was my solution for an unbelievably quick and pretty Thanksgiving table runner using May Arts ribbons. Simply change the colors to fit the holiday you need it for.

Supplies
- a piece of burlap about 22” wide and slightly shorter than the length of your table
- hot glue and gun
- 2.5 yds. 372-15-32
- 2.5 yds. 372-15-33
- 2.5 yds. QN76
- 2.5 yds. EH28

- Begin by cutting your burlap down to about 22 inches wide. To cut a straight line with burlap simple snip where you want to cut and carefully pull out an entire strand of the fibers. That will create a gap in the burlap that is completely straight. Cut along the gap line. Make the burlap just slightly shorter than your table length.

- Fold the edges of the long sides over about an inch and use a sewing machine to sew a clean hem. If you do not have a sewing machine I am sure your hot glue gun would work.

- Do not hem the short ends. Simply pull out several strands of fibers to create a nice fringe.

- Cut two lengths of about 40” of each ribbon.

- This next step can be done by hand but will go infinitely faster if you use a machine. Set your stitch length to the longest possible. Leave long thread trails and sew a straight line down the middle of each ribbon:

- Take up the end of each ribbon, hold on to just the bottom strand and carefully begin to bunch the ribbon down the thread line creating a ruffle:

- Continue until you have ruffled each ribbon to about half the length… just enough to fit the width of the burlap, plus a little extra:

- Now the part where I cheated and made this project super simple!! Usually “the done thing” here is to sew a more permanent line down the center of the ruffle and then remove the basting stitch. But frankly, the entire point of this décor project was to fool people into THINKING it took me forever… not to have it actually take forever! So what did I do? I hot glued those ruffles right on there!

Make sure you put something under the burlap when you do this. I used a non-stick mat and any glue that leaked through the burlap just peeled right off.

Fold the edge of your ribbon over so you have a clean end and begin gluing. Work in small sections so the glue doesn’t get cold and you can make sure you are laying it the way you want it. When you get to the other end trim (if necessary) and fold the edge again.
- Continue gluing until you have one ruffle of each color on both ends of the table runner.

Annnnnndd…..DONE! I told you this was easy!