November 19 2020 – Lindsey Neill
My last Christmas project of the year is a table runner using my Travel Trailer and Village Tree Block patterns 🌲💕
[My previous Christmas projects can be viewed HERE]
This table runner finishes 12 1/2" x 72 3/4", but you can easily customize the length of your runner by adding or removing tree blocks. For the same size runner I made you will need 5/8 yard of background fabric, 1 yard for backing, and 3/8 yard for binding. Disclaimer: The fabric requirements above do not include fabric needed for each block. That information can be found on the Trailer and Village Tree pattern covers.
Before I share how to construct the runner I wanted to share some tips for piecing your trailer and tree blocks!
VILLAGE TREE BLOCK TIPS:
A nice thing about the Village Tree Block is it can either be paper pieced or traditionally pieced with templates. I decided to go the paper piecing route because 1) Cutting from templates isn't my favorite and 2) I was recently sent a care package from Brewer that included a Nifty Notions LED Light Pad and Cutting Mat, along with a rotary cutter, ruler, and bundle of solids, and I was dying to try it out.
Having a good light source while paper piecing is crucial so I was anxious to see how this light pad measured up! What I loved about the light pad right off the bat is how sleek it looked. It's ultra thin, has a touch sensor for the light, and is powered with a USB cable. Oh, and the cutting mat that's included with the light pad is clear so you have the option to cut directly on the light pad. So cool! I was sold immediately!
[If you're new to paper piecing, I have a tutorial for the Village Tree pattern saved to my Instagram Highlights you can view HERE!]
I'm happy to report the light pad will be my go-to light source while paper piecing. Will come in handy for appliquè projects too! I can easily set it up next to my sewing machine without it taking up too much valuable work space and I found that the light is bright enough that I had better accuracy while positioning my fabric too.
You'll notice that some of the trees are snow-capped in my runner. This is completely optional, but if you want snow-capped trees too, all you have to do is draw a line 2 1/4" from the top of the paper piecing pattern through the top of the triangle section/Section 4 (as pictured above). After you paper piece Section 4 of the pattern, you'll then paper piece the snow-capped portion. Continue with Sections 5 and 6 as usual! Super easy!
TRAVEL TRAILER BLOCK TIPS:
I only really have one tip for this block and that is GLUE! This block involves sewing tiny pieces together and personally I find using Elmer's glue instead of pins makes for a much more enjoyable piecing experience. If you want more info about this method check out my YouTube video all about it HERE!
ASSEMBLING THE RUNNER:
For the runner you'll need 8 tree blocks and 1 trailer block (again, super easy to customize this and make more or less blocks!).
There are (8) 2 1/2" x 9 1/2" vertical sashing pieces between each of the blocks and a 3" x 5 1/2" piece either sewn above or below each tree block. The left and right border pieces are 3 1/2" x 9 1/2" and the top and bottom border pieces are 2" x 72 3/4". Layout of how those pieces are sewn together is illustrated below!
Something else I haven't mentioned yet is how stash-friendly this project is. My runner is made entirely from fabric I already had on hand 🙌
Thank you so much to Brewer for sending me this fun care package! And I gotta point out how amazing the snowflake quilting Knot & Thread did on the runner! I love it so much! Thanks, Kaitlyn!
Hope you all enjoyed today's post ❤ Please tag me on social media if you make a Christmas Camper runner too!
❤ Lindsey
1 comment
Where is this pattern? Love it!