Painted "Grain Sack" Table Runner

 

When I saw these painted roman shades at Dear Lillie I knew I wanted to make some for our bedroom.  But before I spent the time (and money) making the shades, I wanted to try out the paint technique first.  So I decided to make a table runner for the entryway table in our living room with some leftover drop cloth I had.  Let me show you how... it is so easy!  (I followed this great tutorial.)

SUPPLY LIST:

Drop cloth

Acrylic paint

Foam brush

Tape measure

Pins

Painter's Tape

Begin by cutting your drop cloth fabric to desired measurements (don't forget to about about 1 1/2" to all sides to allow for hemming).  Then pin where you want your stripes.  I wanted my main stripe to be approximately 2" wide, so I measured half the width of my runner, and pinned 1 1/2" on each side of the middle.  (Pin to pin is 3".)  I did this on each end of the runner. 

Using painter's tape, tape from the center of one pin to the center of the other on the opposite end.  (You can see that I held down the drop cloth with the leaf from our table to keep the fabric from moving while I did this.) Be sure the tape is firmly adhered to the fabric.

Now you'll do the same thing for the two small stripes on each side of the wide stripe in the middle.  I wanted these two small stripes to be 1/2" wide, so I pinned 1" from the edge of the tape. 

Once you have everything taped, you are ready to paint! I purchased this acrylic paint at Wal-Mart for $1 and I used a cheap foam brush I already had on hand.  Paint using up and down strokes until all areas between the tape are covered.

 Now let the paint dry.  It will dry very quickly!  

 While I was waiting for the paint to dry, I snapped pictures of this little girl giving her daddy some love before bedtime.  (smile)

Remove the tape and breathe a huge sigh of relief that the painter's tape worked so well!

Prepare to hem the sides of the runner by folding the raw edge onto the wrong side of the fabric.  Now fold it over again, iron and pin in place.

I didn't take a picture of this step, but I wanted my corners to be hemmed at a point, so I messed with the fabric until the corners met in the middle and pinned.  (You can tell from the picture above I am such a novice when it comes to sewing!)

Sew all sides and your runner is finished!

I love how this simple runner turned out.  I will be attempting to make the roman shades sometime using this same technique, so stay tuned.  (smile)

Have a wonderful weekend!