How To Make a Jack-O-Lantern Table Runner: For your Halloween Decorating and Crafing Pleasure.

With some preparation, this table runner can be a quick project. It is great to do by hand during your favorite TV show (or during the October Session of General Conference). It can also be done by machine as an easy project for a beginner to sewing and for practice with straight and curved lines. Kids love to help with suggestion to the face expressions of the jack-o-lanterns. Enjoy!
Materials and Tools


Materials
-Orange and black felt:
-Synthetic felt (Sold by the yard or sold in sheets 9” by 12”) .10 cents a sheet
-Or wool felt 1 yard of each back and orange (in makes no difference if you are sewing my machine or hand which felt you chose. Wool felt will last longer, synthetic is easier to find and cost less.)
-Black thread or black embroidery thread for hand sewing

Tools
-Tape measure
-Pumpkin outline (you create the jack-o-lantern face)
-Pins
-Scissors
-Sewing machine or sewing needle for hand sewing

Step 1 Determine the length of table runner you want to make. Measure your table and purchase felt accordingly.

Step 2 Design your jack-o-lantern face. The template is helpful for the size of pumpkin. On the template sheet draw your pumpkin face. When designing the face don’t make spaces too big like a mouth to wide open it will not lay well. Also remember you will be sewing around the shapes you may want to keep them simple. Kids will love to help decide the facial expression of the pumpkins.Step 3 Cut the template leaving ¼ inch edge around the shapes. Remember not to use your fabric scissors to cut paper.Step 4 Pin the cut out template to the black felt and cut the black felt. After cutting the felt remove pins and template.
Step 5 Cut the boarder around the pumpkin template off leaving an exact pumpkin ¼ inch smaller. Step 6 Pin the cut out to the orange felt and cut out template and cut the orange felt.Step 7 Pint the orange felt on top of the black felt. Remember to pin all around the edge and around the mouth.


Step 8 Begin sewing! Hand sew a running stitch with black thread on the orange pumpkin 1/8th inch from the edge the orange felt. Or sew by machine on a long stitch setting or zigzag around the pumpkin and openings on the face. Remember this is a Halloween craft, you stitches may not be perfect its all right it looks scary. If you are not satisfied with a length use your seam ripper and start over, or go over the stitch a second time and create 2 lines over lapping each other.

Step 9 Continue to sew around each pumpkin, the number of pumpkins will differ according to the length you want. I have 8 pumpkins after all pumpkins have been sewn together lay them out and decide how you want them to look. Mine are in a pattern from long to short, facing right, to facing left, and smiley face, to scary face.

Step 10 After you decide how you want them laid out attach then by first pinning then sewing overlapping a few inches of each pumpkin. Next display it accross your table and enjoy your finished project.