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Preparation & Supplies
The three main supplies you'll need for this project are ribbon, felt and iron-on adhesive. If you're not familiar, iron-on adhesive fuses fabrics and trim together. It often looks like a roll of tape with a paper backing and is found with ribbon, elastic and sewing supplies in craft and fabric stores.
Before you head to the store, measure and record the length and width of the table you plan to use your new runner on, so you know how much felt, ribbon and iron-on adhesive you need to buy. Remember to take our Ribbon Table Runner Materials List with you when you visit your local fabric or craft store and you won't miss a thing!
- Choose Your Ribbon: Collect a vibrant assortment of ribbon to match your décor style or a seasonal theme-for example, oranges, yellows and browns for fall or reds, greens and blues for winter. You can also mix solid colors with complementary patterns such as stripes and polka dots or holiday-inspired patterns.
Tip: Stick with grosgrain-style ribbon, which is a silk or rayon fabric ribbon with narrow, horizontal ribbing. It's easier to lay flat and can be ironed at a higher temperature. Satin ribbon will not stick as well when using iron-on adhesive.
Tip: Check the spools of ribbon you choose to make sure there is enough included to cover the length of the table you measured at least once, if not a couple times. This, way you won't need to splice ribbon together because it doesn't reach far enough. There is no uniform size for spools of ribbon, but the packages should include measurements in inches and yards.
Tip: If you plan to use your runner on a dining table, read Appetite for Color for help selecting hues that will make your family and friends feel comfortable and hungry!
- Friendly Help: Having friends or family around for this project makes it even easier. You can get their advice on which ribbon combinations look best and use extra sets of hands to arrange and pin the ribbon onto the felt. If your friends will be making runners themselves, be sure to have them record the measurements of their desired table beforehand.
Ribbon Runner Instructions
Step 1: Measure & Cut the Felt
After measuring the length and width of your table, cut your piece of felt down to size. You'll want the felt to reach just to the opposite ends of the table and be around 10" in width (feel free to adjust width depending on the size of your table).
Step 2: Arrange & Cut the Ribbon
Take your spools of ribbon and roll them out over top of the felt backing you just cut. Figure out how you would like to arrange the colors and patterns on the runner. Once you've created the desired combination take a step back to make sure you like the look of your runner up close and at a distance.
When you're happy with the arrangement, simply cut the ribbon down to a few inches longer than the felt on each side so it hangs over either end of the table to create a fringe effect. The amount of ribbon that hangs over the edge of the backing and table is entirely up to you.
Step 3: Attach Your Ribbon
Next, you'll begin attaching your ribbon to the felt. Roll out a piece of iron-on adhesive starting at an edge over the length of the felt with the paper backing facing up. Iron-on and then remove the paper backing. Place the first piece of ribbon over top of the adhesive with an even amount of ribbon hanging over the opposite ends of the felt.
Have a friend help you pin the ribbon on and then run your iron over top. Once the ribbon is attached to the felt, remove the pins and run the iron over one more time to be sure it's secure. Continue this process with each piece of iron-on adhesive and ribbon, using the edge of the last piece as your next starting point to cover the felt backing completely.
Tip: Follow tips on the iron-on adhesive packaging for specific iron settings and usage instructions. Not all iron-on adhesive has a paper backing.
Step 4: Finishing Touch
Once all of the ribbon has been attached to the backing, trim the ends to ensure they're all the same length. You may have a bit of fraying at the ends, especially over time. To give the finished runner a clean, polished look, apply a small amount of fray stop glue or clear nail polish to the ends of each of the ribbons and let dry.
Step 5: Make it Your Own
Your ribbon runner is now complete, but you don't have to stop here. Personalize it even more by adding additional strips of ribbon across the runner to create a crosshatch pattern or to finish off the edges. You can even spell something out in the center if you like. Just use iron-on adhesive, extra ribbon and your creativity!
Clean Up:
Swiffer® SweeperVac® gets it all, big and small, so any ribbon scraps or felt clippings that make their way to your floors are easy to pick up.
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