How To Make A Denim Table Runner The Easy Way

Inside: A tutorial for an easy denim table runner decorated with a stencilled pattern.

A great way to add colour, texture and interest to your dining or kitchen table is with a runner. As indigo blue is my favourite colour, I made an upcycled denim table runner for my dining table.

The runner is excellent great against the table’s dark wood and protects it from spills and candle wax from candles. To add interest to the denim table runner, I stencilled it.

Using a Moroccan Stencil

The last time I stencilled denim to make my denim fish pillows, I used bleach. Although this worked well this time, I used acrylic paint.

A few years ago, I made some doily stencilled pillows with acrylic paint, and they still look just as good as when I first made them. I’ve also stencilled jeans before with my fun denim draught excluders.

I found the Moroccan stencil in my craft stash. Making a stunning painted wood pallet garden was the last time I used it. Loving the Moroccan and Boho look, I knew the stencil would be perfect for this DIY denim table runner.

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What You Need To Make A Denim Table Runner

What denim to use?

An old pair of jeans, or more precisely, both legs from a couple of old jeans. This is also a great way to repurpose un-donatable clothes.

However, this denim table runner was long enough for a coffee table. I recommend using another pair of jeans leg or two for a longer runner for a bigger table.

Top Tip: Only use straight-legged, flared, or boot-cut jeans for this denim upcycle. The legs of skinny jeans probably won’t be wide enough.

Don’t throw out the remaining unused denim from the jeans; there are loads of no-sew denim projects you can make from the scraps and some excellent jean pocket upcycles.

What else do you need?

• Moroccan stencil – the one I used was 12″ squared. I love the Moroccan tile look, and this stencil is a square of 9 different Moroccan tiles.
• White acrylic paint
• Fabric paint medium
• Foam brushes
• One A3-sized foam board or similar
• Rotary cutter and board plus a metal ruler
• Thumbtacks or pins
• Vinegar

How To Make A Denim Table Runner

Step 1: The first thing to do is to cut the legs off the pair of jeans. Cut them at the top, as near to the crotch as possible. As mentioned above, if you want a longer table runner, I recommend using more than one pair of jeans.

Leave the hems on the jeans, as these will be the ends of the denim table runner.

Step 2: Using scissors, cut open the jeans legs by cutting down the inside seam. The opened-up denim leg should be a few inches wider than the stencil.

Step 3: Pin and stitch the top of both denim legs’ right sides together. Allow for a 1cm seam. This can either be done on the machine or by hand.

This is your denim table runner; if it is not long enough for your requirements, it is time to sew another leg or two.

However, the chances are, the runner will not be the same width all the way along. Jean’s legs tend to be wider at the top and rarely straight.

To even out the runner, lay it on a cutting mat. Then lay the stencil on top, allowing for a 3-5 cm margin along each edge. Next, using a rotary cutter and metal ruler, cut the edges of the jeans so that they are the same length all the way along.

Step 4: Now, it’s time to stencil the denim fabric. I pin both to a foam board to stop the stencil and the denim from moving whilst painting. Place the stencil in the middle of the runner and right up to the bottom hem.

Top tip: If you don’t want to make holes in the stencil, use a combination of masking tape and pins.

Step 5: Mix the fabric medium with the acrylic paint according to the instructions on the bottle. This is usually a 50/50 mixture. The fabric medium turns the paint into fabric paint that can be washed.

Top Tip: If you don’t have fabric medium, don’t worry; you can still seal the paint at the end with vinegar and iron. This will give it some protection from washing.

Stencil using a foam brush and a dabbing motion. This will stop the paint from seeping under the stencil.

Finishing Touches

Step 6: After finishing the stencil, carefully lift it off the denim table runner. Then, when the paint is touch dry, move the stencil along the runner into the next position and repeat the painting.

Carry on repeating this step until the whole length of the table runner is painted.

Step 7: Once the painting has finished and dried, spray the painted table runner with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water. Then place a tea towel on top of the paint and iron it.

This will not only set the fabric paint more into the fabric but also soften it.

Step 8: Finish off the denim table runner by either sewing a hem along the long edges or going for a more Boho look and fraying the edges.

I opted for the latter by fraying the edges much like I used to make denim tassels and denim feathers. As you can see, I’m a big fan of the Boho look.

Conclusion and Other Denim Upcycles

I love how the denim table runner turned out; the Moroccan stencil made it. The way the white paint sits unevenly on the indigo denim fabric makes the runner look like it has been Shibori dyed.

This means that it goes well with some Shibori planters I made. Next, I want to make some denim table mats using the same stencil to match. I have also made a patchwork denim fabric fruit bowl, which will look fabulous with this table runner.

For other stencilled painted denim ideas, check out these Japanese-style Koinobori windsocks.

Check out these painted jeans pockets for more tips on painting denim.

The upcycled denim also matches the denim patchwork chairs in my dining room and the denim hexagon placemats and mug rug I made. I think the Shibori indigo planters I made would look great on it too.

Repurposed tea towels would also make a great table runner.

Check out these DIY denim pot holders and other denim kitchen upcycles.