DIY Grain Sack Table Runner

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Hosting a French inspired brunch or dinner party? Top your dinner table with this DIY Grain Sack Table Runner to add some French country charm!

If any of you have been reading Kitchen Concoctions for any amount of time, then you know that I love planning and hosting get togthers. In fact, originally when I went to culinary school I wanted to open my own event planning/catering company since I love entertain and hosting dinner parties that much!

After culinary school, I did go into catering and worked several years for a couple of large restaurants helping run their catering and banquet events. Even though I enjoyed running events and executing catered dinner parties, I wanted to do my own thing. So slowly I started hosting more of my own parties for friends and family, planning all the details, creating a delicious spread of food and fussing over the décor, and I loved every minute of it more than ever.

Because I LOVE to entertain and host dinner parties, I’ll think up any excuse to throw a party from a cheesy themed party to an elegant dinner party or causal brunch. In fact, I’ve even been able to put all that experience, from hosting personal events and that cooperate catering, to use and now have a few regular clients that I am hired to plan, coordinate and cook for their special events and dinner parties a few times a year.

Since I have been hosting dinner parties for a long time, I have lots of experience and I am pretty good at thinking on my feet and can get by, without the guests knowing, when something unexpected happens like I run out of an ingredient or dinner is not quite ready on time.

However, one thing that took awhile to figure out, was how to keep my tablecloths, table runners, napkins and place mats clean when hosting a party. After an event, whether a small dinner party with just a few friends or a large client event with over a hundred people, all of my table linens, that I carefully took the time to iron and use to create the perfect tablescape, would end up getting ruined because of food and drinks stains. I finally discovered Scotchgard™ Fabric & Upholstery Protector on a shopping run to Target to get other dinner party supplies, and now those stained and ruined table runners are a thing of the past! Not only does Scotchgard™ Fabric & Upholstery Protector repel liquids and blocks stains, it’s invisible so I can use it not only on my favorite decorative table runners, but other fabrics like my couch, curtains and throw pillows.

Stock up on Scotchgard™ Fabric & Upholstery Protector at Target using this dollar off coupon!

For my most recent dinner party, I decided to host a French inspired brunch for some visiting out of town guests. I have been obsessed with French cuisine since before culinary school, and so I was thrilled to put my party planning skills to use to throw a charming and rustic French country inspired brunch. I looked high and low for some French inspired décor and table linens and decided I wanted a grain sack table runner to add a simple French country look.

Since I couldn’t find an affordable grain sack table runner to buy, I decided to get crafty and make my own. Check out my step by step tutorial below on how to make a DIY grain sack table runner of your own, which was the perfect back drop for a French inspired brunch filled with croissants, French pressed coffee, fresh cream, homemade lemon curd and jam, fresh fruit and or course, a bouquet of wildflowers!

DIY Grain Sack Table Runner
By Heather H. of Kitchen Concoctions: www.kitchen-concoctions.com

Supplies:
Canvas drop cloth
Scissors
Tape measure
Iron on hem tape
Ironing board
Iron
Painters tape
Icing smoother or credit/library card
Newspaper
Paper towels
Fabric or acrylic paint (in rusty/country barn red, cobalt blue, or other desired “rustic” color)
Paper plate
Paint brush
Scotchgard™ Fabric & Upholstery Protector

Directions:
1. Cut canvas drop cloth to be approximately 1.5 feet wide to the length of your table plus an additional 8 inches long (so that the table runner hangs over the edge of the table at least 4 inches on both sides). Make sure to cut the drop cloth so that one side and the top and bottom are already hemmed.

2. Iron cut fabric to get wrinkles out.

3. Flip fabric over so that the un-hemmed side of the fabric is facing up on the ironing board. Working in sections, cut the hemming tape to be approximately 1-foot long. Place hemming tape on the edge of the backside of the fabric, leaving approximately ½ to 1 inch of fabric on the right side of the hemming tape.

4. Fold the fabric over the hemming tape and press the hot iron over the fabric (making sure the iron does not come into contact with the hemming tape) for 3-4 minutes to secure. Note: You do not want to move the iron around, but simply press and hold so that the tape secures the fabric.

5. Repeat hemming process all the way down the raw cut side of the fabric.

6. Once fabric is hemmed, place several layers of newspaper down on your work area. Place drop cloth on top of newspaper. Using the painters tape and a ruler, tape off thin and/or thick stripes going down both sides or the center of your fabric. Use the icing smoother or credit/library card to press down the painters tape so that no paint bleeds through. Note: Depending on how thick and far apart your stripes are, you may need to tape and paint the thinner stripes first and then once that area drys, go back and tape off and paint the thicker stripe. Also, depending on the size of your work area, you may need to work in 2 or 3 sections to get the entire table runner painted.

7. Pour a generous amount of paint onto a paper plate. Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of water into the paint on the paper plate. This helps the paint go on smoother and give it that rustic/faded look. Using long brush strokes, paint the exposed fabric between the two pieces of tape. Note: If there are some places that the paint doesn’t go on as thick or if it bleeds some, that’s ok, a true grain sack is going to have a rustic/weathered look.

8. Once paint is fully dried, remove tape and repeat painting process, if needed (see note above).

9. Once entire table runner is painted and dried, shake Scotchgard™ Fabric & Upholstery Protector can well.

10. Hold Scotchgard™ Fabric Protector can upright approximately 6-inches from fabric surface. Spray entire table runner with a light coat of Scotchgard™ Fabric Protector, using a slow, sweeping motion. Allow Scotchgard™ Fabric Protector to fully dry on fabric before reapplying another light coat. (It is recommended to apply two light coats of Scotchgard™ Fabric Protector, opposed to one heavy/thick coat.)

11. Let second layer of Scotchgard™ Fabric Protector dry before using table runner.

Note: Protect surrounding non-fabric materials and hard surfaces, like wood or plastic, from overspray by covering area with other fabric or newspaper. If overspray occurs, quickly wipe up. Reapply Scotchgard™ Fabric Protector after every washing. 

Whether you are hosting a charming French inspired brunch, catering a party for hundreds or have a house full of kiddos and pets, messes and spills are all part of life! But luckily with Scotchgard™ Fabric & Upholstery Protector you’ve got invisible protection from accidental spills and stains on your favorite fabric chair cushions, throw pillows or DIY Grain Sack Table Runner! Stock up on Scotchgard™ Fabric & Upholstery Protector at Target (located with the other laundry/household cleaning products) and be sure and take advantage of the current $1.00 off any ONE Scotchgard Product via coupons.com. For more fun home decorating and spring cleaning tutorials, click here or follow Scotchgard™ on Pinterest and You Tube.