A Festive Table Runner with Gingerbread Kisses

Hello Makers! Sara from Rose Hill Quilts here. Is it too soon to start singing Christmas songs? I’m firmly in the Christmas in July spirit over here in the studio, and this table runner is bringing all the festive feels to the sewing room already!

I had so much fun playing with the Gingerbread Kisses collection by Riley Blake Designs. It’s so sweet (pun fully intended). Gingerbread houses, candy canes, tiny trees… it’s got that perfect balance of whimsy and cosiness, and I knew it needed to live on our dining table for the holidays.

For this project, I made four present blocks, each one a little gift box of cheer. They’re simple to piece and easy to customise depending on the size of your table. This isn’t a formal pattern, so take these dimensions as a starting point and then tweak to fit your own space!

Block dimensions

Here’s how I built mine:

• Each present box is made of two pieces of a feature fabric from the collection, measuring 8″ x 4″ finished, with a strip of red in the middle at 8″ x 2″ finished.
• The bows on top are made from flying geese blocks—I did mine at 5″ x 2.5″ finished because I wanted those big, bold bows to stand out.
• And speaking of bows… I loved the deep red polka dot print so much that I made it the star of the show for all the ribbon sections. It’s such a rich, festive red and ties everything together beautifully (quite literally!).

Once the blocks were done, I added a bit of sashing to give each present some breathing room. I finished it with a scrappy border featuring the whole collection to finish it off. It made it exactly the right size for our table, and added just the right amount of playful colour.

For the batting, I used some leftover pieces of eco-friendly Vlieseline Soy Wadding. I love small projects like this for using up wadding scraps. It’s such a satisfying way to keep things sustainable (and tidy up the sewing cupboard while you’re at it).

To finish, I longarm quilted it with a swirly star pattern that gives the whole runner a magical, twinkly texture. It’s subtle but festive, and brings the whole project to life.

This runner is such a quick, joyful make. You could have it done in a weekend and be ready to deck the halls (or the dining room) months ahead of schedule. Or, like me, you can just lean fully into Xmas in July and enjoy the excuse to sew something festive now.

Wishing you happy stitching and early holiday magic!

Sara at Rose Hill Quilts