Charmeuse & Lace Table Runners

Charmeuse is a lovely fabric that combines a terrific drape with an iridescent satin sheen. It can be bit tricky to work with, however, so I'd classify this as an intermediate project. Follow the tutorial to make your own charmeuse table runners for weddings, home decor or gifting!

My pretty neighbor and bride-to-be, Amber, picked out this particular fabric, color and lace. She has fabulous taste.

Supplies listed are enough to make six 72" x 8" table runners. If you'd like to make just one runner, you'll need the same length of fabric but only 1 1/2 yards of lace and a 10 yard package of Wash Away tape.

Two and 1/2 yards of fabric is actually longer than you'll probably need but you'll want the extra length in case the person cutting your fabric off the bolt doesn't cut straight. I lost six inches of fabric while evening out the ends!

You may notice that I'm not using any pins in this tutorial. I found the wonder tape & ironing was enough to keep the fabric in place. If you must use pins, use super-fine silk pins. This will help keep the fabric from snagging.

In my experience, the fabric has a usable width (after selvages are cut off) of 56 inches.

I am listing brand-specific supplies but this is not a sponsored post. I am not affiliated with any of the listed brands.

You will need:

2 1/2 yards charmeuse. The fabric in the tutorial is Coral polyester charmeuse from the David Tutera line at JoAnn Fabrics.
Coordinating thread. Coats & Clark's Flamingo thread is a 98% color match for the above fabric. Medium coral will also work - it's just a shade lighter than the fabric.
Dritz Wash Away Wonder Tape. 1/4 inch by 25 yards. You may need part of another package (a 10 yard package), depending on how close you place your tape.
13 1/2 yards lace
Cutting mat, acrylic ruler and rotary cutter and/or fabric scissors
Scissors - NOT a fabric/sewing scissors!
Lint roller
Iron (set on a LOW heat setting) & Ironing Board
Sewing machine & 1/4 inch foot or walking foot

1. Get your cutting materials ready. If you do not have a wide acrylic ruler, find something that's heavy, long and smooth to hold the fabric in place. A painted wood plank would work. Iron your fabric on a LOW heat setting.

2. Place the selvage edge against the edge of the cutting mat. Carefully place your wide ruler on top of the fabric 1/2 inch away from where the selvage starts fringing. This fabric squirms like a living thing! Check to make sure that everything is still lined up correctly. Cut with your rotary blade.

3. Move the fabric up and keep cutting away the selvage. I do not recommend folding the length of fabric and cutting through multiple layers. The fabric is too slippery! The odds of uneven cutting are too great!

4. See the fraying threads? Carefully pull these off in order to create a straight edge.

5. Pulling the threads will create a mini fringe. Carefully cut away the mini fringe.

6. Use a lint roller to pick up all the loose threads. Be sure NOT to touch the fabric length with the lint roller or threads will stick to the roller and you'll end up having to trim the fringe again!

7. The nice thing about this fabric? It's slightly sheer. You can see the lines of the cutting mat through the material.

Place the cut edge of the fabric at the edge of the ruled cutting area. Again, this fabric is super tricky and slippery. You may need to push slightly in small areas in order to get the fabric to line up correctly. Take your time. Be patient. Try not to swear when the whole thing slides off the mat and onto the floor ...

Now that your fabric is nicely lined up, CAREFULLY place your acrylic ruler at exactly the 9 1/4 inches wide notch. The nine inch mark will work just as well :-). Check to make sure that the fabric hasn't shifted. Cut the fabric.

8. Repeat steps five and six on the edge you just cut. Iron the length of fabric

9. Get out your wonder tape. Wonder tape is sticky on both sides but one side has a peel away backing. At the store you will see quilting tape right next to the wonder tape. It will be cheaper. Do not buy the quilting tape! Quilting tape is not made to be sewn through. It will gum up your needle and you'll end up having to go back to the store to buy wonder tape. And possibly a new pack of needles.

Find a household scissors, not your sewing scissors. This scissors is going to be used to cut the wonder tape and will get sticky.

10. Place the edge of the tape along the edge of the WRONG side (the matte, non-iridescent side) of the fabric. Roll down the side about a foot. Cut the tape. Leave a couple inches between each section of tape.

11. Smooth down the tape with your fingers. Remove the tape backing from the first section.

12. We're going to use the inner side of the tape as our fabric fold line. Fold the taped fabric over. Repeat with the remaining tape.

13. Fold the hem over again. Iron (again, on low heat).

14. Attach your 1/4 inch foot or walking foot to the machine. Set the stitch length to 4.0

15. Sew down the edge. Make sure the needle is catching the hem - don't let the needle and/or fabric wander!

16. Sewing tip: Hold the hem closed with a finger from your right hand. Use your left hand to keep the fabric straight while you're sewing.

17. Repeat steps 9 through 16 on the other edge of the fabric. Iron the hems. See how the top hem is all wavy and horrible? and how the bottom looks a ton nicer? That's the difference between ironing and not ironing.

18. Cut off each end of the runner until the runner is 78 inches in length. Cut a length of 78 inch lace.

19. Center a small piece of wonder tape the width of your lace on the RIGHT side of the runner. Remove the backing and place the lace on top of the tape.

20. Flip the runner over and place length of tape along the bottom edge (on the WRONG side of the runner). Remove tape, fold over. Fold over again, just like you did with the side hems. Sew across the bottom of the runner, backstitching at each end..

I chose to not sew the lace down the length of the fabric. Static electricity will be enough to hold it in place!

Press the runner again but lift the lace and press UNDER the lace. This particular lace seemed to stretch more than the fabric whenever I tried to iron the two together.