Pinspiration: Burlap Lace Table Runner DIY

And my Pinspiration continues... This time it's burlap & lace table runners. I'm not one for solids. I'm loud and colorful. I need a print to depict my energy and edge. What's not more edgy than burlap? And classic like lace? Put the two together to get a feminine soft touch, to break about the rugged exterior.

I seriously don't understand why I keep playing with burlap when I know I'm allergic. Oh yeah, I know why... I love the look. This should fall under the "beauty is pain" category. Yet another burlap item. I made these for my friends' bridal shower a few weeks ago.

A center piece doesn't always fill a table for me. I need a contrast and it's easiest to add with a printed table cloth or a runner. When looking at runners online, I realized it was going to get costly. I fell in love with many on etsy, but this was one of my favorites. Scalloped lace did it for me.

etsy inspiration

So after seeing this and thinking buying 4 runners was too expensive, I decided to make my own.

Supplies:

• Ashland Burlap Runner (found at Michaels for $16.99 - on sale for $10.99)*
•  Red Heart Boutique Sassy Lace (found at Joann for $9.99 - on sale for $6.99)*
• Aleene's Fabric Fusion (can be found at either Michaels or Joanns for $6.99 - on sale for $5.99)*
• Pins
• Rotary cutter (could also use a scissor, but I preferred this)

Each burlap runner was 5 yards, so I decided to cut it in half. I used two of the Ashland Runners to make 4 runners total. Each runner came out to be 7.5ft or 90" long. The tables we were to have were no more than 6 ft long. We figured this length for the runners would be fine for the tables, with the ends slightly running over but not too much.

First off, let me tell you how hard it was to find lace that wasn't going to cost me an arm and leg. After searching through the aisles and not finding what I wanted, I almost walked out of the store buying yards of lace fabric that I would have had to measure and cut. I had almost given up hope when, on my thrid trip to Joann's, I found a brand new product display in the middle of the aisles. Have mercy! It was packs of lace trim! You should have seen the excitement on my face. Thinking of cutting yards of lace fabric or buying yards of lace was not in my budget, money nor time wise. These were exactly what I had envisioned and it was perfectly priced. Not knowing how much lace would be needed at the time, I bought two of these Sassy Laces but only went through about half of one pack. BEST FIND!

And then it began. I cut my runners in half, laid down the lace where the end would be in the center and started pinning away. Once I was done with one side, I aligned the lace on the other side and continued to pin. My alignment wasn't 100% perfect but it was the best that I could get it to be in the late hour.

I had no time nor patience to whip out needle and thread  or the sewing machine I still have yet to learn to use so I relied on Fabric Fusion. Never having worked with it before, I was a bit skeptical, but found these to be lifesavers in the end. I laid out the runners and lace on the floor for space and placed my ever-s0-useful tarp underneath it to not get glue on the floor. Warning, the glue is pretty strong and it glues heavily on to your hands. There's no way out of that especially since you'll be patting the lace down on to the burlap. Instead of being peeved by it, it felt like a free paraffin treatment on my hands as I peeled the glue off in the end.The glue needs to be let out to dry for 4 hours, but I let them dry overnight as I was doing these practically around midnight anyway.

The runners turned out great and looked amazing on the tables at the Bridal Shower. Many compliments were received. They all asked where I bought these and were pleasantly surprised to hear that I made them. I think they were the perfect contrast to the tables.

Now, the shower is over and I have 4 wonderful runners at home and only one dining table at home. What would have cost over $110 with tax and shipping from etsy, just cost me $40 with tax and a few hours. It probably took me 2 hours total to make the 4 runners. I think it was worth the time and effort to end up paying a third of the cost.

I simply love it!
What do you think?

*if the items aren't sale, these stores always have at least a 40% coupon available online and on their app everyday