Happy Fall Y'all! I'm pulling out my Fall decor this week and I thought it would be fun to show you how I made my Maple Leaf Table runner. It's a fun way to get some fall quilting in without have make a whole quilt.

I'm sure you have seen the Maple Leaf Quilt blocks floating around the internet. Diary of a Quilter has a great tutorial for how to make one with details on making multiple sizes too. I decided to sew mine up in the 12" finished block size. I had originally planned on making a quilt but I ran out of steam. Sometimes I don't have the attention span for something big, so a small quilting project like a table runner is perfect for me. I documented my process so you can make one too if you want to. Just in time to decorate for Fall!

Maple Leaf Table Runner Finished dimensions

This tutorial makes a table runner that measures about 15" x 41 1/2"

Supplies You'll Need:

• 3 different colors of quilting cotton for leaves (less than 1/4 yd of each)
• 3 colors for the background (less than 1/4 yd of each) (these can all be the same. About 1 1/2 FQs total)
• 1/4 yard sashing fabric
• 1/2 yard backing fabric
• 1/2 yard cotton batting
• 1/4 yard binding fabric

Cutting Dimensions:

Cut the following from the Leaf fabric for each block:

• 3 squares 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" (9 altogether)
• 2 squares 5" x 5" (6 altogether)
• 1 strip 2" x 7" (3 altogether)

Cut the following from the Background fabric for each block:

• 1 square 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" (3 altogether)
• 3 squares 5" x 5" (9 altogether)

From the Sashing fabric cut:

• 4 strips 2" x 12 1/2"
• 2 strips 2" x 42"

From the Backing fabric cut:

• 1 rectangle about 18" x 44" This should be a little bigger than the sewn top all the way around

From the Binding fabric cut:

• 2 1/2" x Width of fabric strips to totaling about 120" in length (six strips if using a fat quarter. 3 strips if using yardage)

From the Batting cut:

• 1 rectangle about 18" x 44" This should be a little bigger than the sewn top all the way around

Maple Leaf Table Runner Sewing Instructions

Make the Maple Leaf block

1. Use two 5" leaf color squares and two 5" background color squares to create 4 Half Square Triangle (HST) blocks.

• Pair a leaf square and a background square with right sides together.
• Draw a line on the back of the lighter square, using a pencil.
• Stitch a scant 1/4" away from the line on each side.
• Cut along the drawn line
• Open the block and press the seam to the darker fabric side.
• Trim the HST block down to 4 1/2" square

2. Create the Maple Leaf block Stem Square

• Take one 5" background color square and cut it in half from corner to corner to form 2 triangles.
• Take the 2" x 7" leaf fabric strip and place it along the diagonal edge of one triangle with right sides together.
• Stitch with a scant 1/4" seam allowance. press the seam to the darker fabric.
• Take the 2nd triangle piece and sew it to the other side of the stem strip. Press the seam to the darker fabric.
• Trim the stem block to 4 1/2" square.

3. Lay out the squares to form a Maple Leaf block according to the pattern below.

4. Piece the squares together into sets and then strips. Then sew the strips together. Use a scant 1/4" for all seam allowances.

5. Repeat to make 2 more Maple Leaf blocks (3 altogether)

Sew the Table Runner Top

6. Arrange the Maple Leaf blocks so that the leaves are alternating in the direction they are pointing as desired. Leave space between them for the sashing.

7. Place the four 2" x 12 1/2" sashing strips between each leaf block and on the outside edges to make one long rectangle. Sew these pieces together to make one long strip.

8. Sew the two long 2" x 42" strips to the long sides of the rectangle to finish the Modern Maple Table Runner top. Press well.

Quilt the Modern Maple Table Runner

9. Make the table runner into a "quilt sandwich" to prepare for quilting.

• Lay the backing fabric on the table with the right side down. Spray with basting spray.
• Lay the batting on top of the backing fabric. Spray with basting spray.
• Lay the Modern Maple Table Runner top on top of the batting.
• Smooth out the table runner top, then flip it over to smooth out the backing fabric.

10. Quilt the Modern Maple Leaf Table Runner as desired. I stitched in the ditch (right on the seam line) along the square grid of each leaf and then stitched at a diagonal in the across the maple leaves using the HST seams as a guide. I also quilted around the table runner in the sashing. The quilting lines are about 1/2 inch apart.

11. After quilting, trim the Quilt Sandwich so that all the layers are flush with the quilt top. You can use scissors here but it's fastest if you use your rotary cutter, ruler, and mat. Sew with a zig zag stitch around all the edges of the quilt.

Prepare and Sew on the Binding

12. Join the binding strips together to make a continuous strip of fabric. You'll need about 120" in length total. I cut my binding width to 2 1/2". If you need a refresher on how to sew on a binding check out my tutorial for all the details.

Once the Binding is on you are done! Set it on your table to enjoy for the fall season!

Happy Fall Y'all!