Basting + Quilting the Merry Midnight Table Runner

Welcome back to the Merry Midnight Quilt-Along!

You’ve done a fantastic job piecing your Merry Midnight quilt blocks, and I’ve been loving seeing all the different versions popping up on the ‘gram and in our private Facebook group 😊

With your blocks pieced, now comes the fun of finalizing your layout and turning all that pretty patchwork into an actual quilted project.

This week, we’re focusing on layout, basting, and quilting.

And, as always, there’s no need to rush. These are the steps where I especially like to slow things down and enjoy watching all that earlier work come together.

The Merry Midnight Quilt Block Pattern is available for instant digital download here.

Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you choose to shop through them, at no extra cost to you. I only share fabrics and tools I genuinely love and would happily use myself.

Finalizing the Merry Midnight Layout

Once my Merry Midnight blocks were pieced, the first thing I did was throw them up on my design wall.

Learn how to make your own quilt design wall here.

I always love this stage.

Having the blocks up on the wall gives me a chance to physically step back and just see how everything is coming together.

It’s a quiet little moment to contemplate how the colours are playing off one another, whether certain fabrics are feeling too concentrated in one area, and if switching a couple of blocks around might create better flow.

Sometimes I move things around endlessly.

Other times, the first layout just works.

Thankfully, I eventually reached that magical point where I thought, yup, that’s the one.

And before I had a chance to change my mind – ha! – I didn’t waste any time piecing the blocks together into my table runner.

Note – if you’re making a table runner, I cut (4) 2.5″ WOF strips to add a border around the perimeter of my pieced table runner.

Thinking About the Quilting

Once my table runner top was complete, it went straight back onto the design wall.

This time, I wasn’t thinking about the patchwork layout. I was thinking about quilting direction.

I usually like to have at least a general idea of where I want to go with the machine quilting before I dive into basting.

It gives me a chance to think about:

• whether I want the quilting to emphasize or contrast the patchwork design
• what shapes I want to introduce
• which direction the quilting lines will travel
• whether I need to mark anything before I start stitching

If my plan involves plotting lines, having an idea ahead of time also means I can take advantage of the project being laid out flat on the floor during the basting stage.

That saves me from wrestling with it later 😉

Pin Basting the Merry Midnight Table Runner

With my quilting direction in mind, it was time to get this cutie basted.

I’m still a fan of pin basting, and a small project like a table runner makes this step feel especially manageable.

The bonus?

This is the perfect opportunity to use up batting remnants that might be kicking around your sewing room.

That’s exactly what I did here.

I’m still loving the batting-storage solution I came up with when I brought in my Quilt Cabinet. Having those remnants organized by size makes it so much easier to quickly see whether I already have something that will work before cutting into a fresh piece of batting.

Hurrah for using what we have!

If pin basting is new to you, you can follow along with my how to baste a quilt tutorial from the Shattered Star Quilt-Along.

And if your fingers could use a little help closing all those safety pins, my Kwik Klip basting tool continues to be one of those nifty notions that makes the job easier.

Thankfully, a table runner doesn’t take nearly as long as a full quilt to baste.

One podcast episode was enough to see me through this particular basting session 😊

Choosing the Quilting Design

As I mentioned, I already had an idea of the direction I wanted to take the machine quilting.

Originally, I was thinking diamonds.

But once I had my Merry Midnight Table Runner basted and in front of me, I changed my mind – ha!

Instead, I decided to keep things super simple with straight-line machine quilting.

I started with lines spaced 1″ apart across the runner. I loved how clean and understated they looked, but once those were stitched, I found myself wanting just a little more quilty texture.

So back to the machine I went 😉

I added another line halfway between each of the original quilting lines, bringing the final spacing down to ½”.

And I love where it landed!

It’s funny how sometimes adding more quilting actually makes the quilting itself fade further into the background.

Because I kept the quilting design consistent and used thread that blends beautifully with my background fabric, those closely spaced lines create loads of texture without competing with the Merry Midnight patchwork.

If anything, I feel like all that lovely quilting helps bring the pieced motif even more to the forefront.

Which was exactly what I wanted 😊

This also turned out to be such a wonderfully meditative quilting session.

Straight-line quilting doesn’t require a lot of complicated decision-making once you get into the rhythm, so I settled in, put on a new-to-me album I’d been wanting to explore, and just stitched.

Good quilty times!

If you’re planning to mark straight quilting lines on your own project, you can find my favourite quilt-marking tools here.

And remember, your Merry Midnight quilting doesn’t need to look like mine!

Straight lines with wider spacing, gentle waves, simple echo quilting, or another favourite quilting motif would all work beautifully.

Choose something that feels manageable, complements your patchwork, and — most importantly — feels fun to stitch.

Machine Quilting the Table Runner

For the quilting, I opted for 40wt Aurifil Thread in this gorgeous turquoise colour.

It matches my background fabric beautifully, which helps keep the focus on the colourful patchwork and the motifs created by the Merry Midnight design while still adding that extra layer of quilty texture.

And you know how much I love quilty texture 😉

Even though this is a smaller project, the quilting still took me several sewing sessions to complete.

That’s one step I try especially hard not to rush.

I’ve learned over the years that slowing down while machine quilting almost always leads to better results for me.

Better stitch control.

Better body position.

And usually a more enjoyable quilting experience overall.

If you’d like a few extra pointers before you get started, I’ve shared my Top 10 Tips for Machine Quilting on a Domestic Sewing Machine.

Then put on a favourite podcast, audiobook, or playlist and give yourself permission to take your time.

One Step Closer to a Finished Merry Midnight Project!

And just like that, we’re down to one final step before this Merry Midnight table runner is officially finished.

Binding!

I’ll be sharing all those final quilty details in next week’s blog post.

In the meantime, good luck with your basting and quilting.

Whether you’re quilting a single placemat, a pillow, your own table runner, or tackling a much larger Merry Midnight project, don’t feel like you need to get it all done in one sitting.

Take your time, enjoy the stitching, and watch that pile of fabric you’ve been working with these past few weeks turn into something you can actually use and enjoy 😊

Happy quilting!

xo,

Shannon

P.S. Want more quilting inspiration? Join Studio Notes for behind-the-scenes projects, creative encouragement, helpful tutorials, and early access to new patterns and courses. I’d love to have you there.

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