The Season of Entertaining Needs Beautiful Table Runners

I love to entertain and host dinner party's. Besides the fun of creating a menu and cooking delicious dishes, I love to set the table. You see, I have nine (yes, 9) sets of dishes and four half sets, so every table I set is different. Plus there are the tablecloth choices and the table runners.

The table runner is a terrific way to “dress up” the dining table and create visual balance with place settings. A runner can add just a touch of pattern or design to accent like a piece of art, to unify decorative elements and to make a design statement.

This summer, I enjoyed making this table runner for a wedding gift. I designed the runner to coordinate with the Lennox dinnerware on their registry.

I've made many, many runners because I love them so. Here are photos of a few table runners available on Linda Sweek Designs.

Because I love them so, it seemed appropriate to offer a table runner workshop. We’ll be making an ornament table runner at Bloom Creative Ground on Saturday, November 28 to get ready for upcoming holiday table settings.

I ran across the history of table runners. Since I’m on the topic, thought I’d share:

The table runner was born in the Middle Ages, mainly because medieval folks were sloppy. The tablecloth was considered an aristocratic innovation, but it needed protection from lively and careless royal revelers who spilled, drooled and made a mess! No doubt, the wise women responsible for laundering linens came up with the innovative idea for the table runner in an effort to save the tablecloths from unnecessary laundering. Napkins were also invented because it was no longer considered acceptable to wipe your mouth on the tablecloth.

These ingenious long, narrow pieces of cloth now known as “table runners” were placed over the tablecloths. They were gathered up at the end of the meal for washing and the tablecloths remained intact and clean. The table runner along with tablecloths became fixtures in everyone’s collection of linens by the 15th century.

I’m so glad we’ve moved past the Middle Ages and use table runners just for the beauty of the table setting! Happy entertaining.