Ask Madelyn: What Size Should a Table Runner Be?

I’ve decided to embark on weaving a table runner for my niece. Her dining table is 77" long. What are the typical sizes recommended? Also, what cotton yarn do you suggest for table runners?
Thank you,
Ellen

Hi Ellen!

I thought this was a really interesting question. My guess is that weavers put most of their thought into the color, pattern, and yarn they’ll use and don’t spend much time thinking about the exact measurements of their runners; at least I haven’t.

Truly, most of my table runners have really been woven because I wanted to try a particular weave structure or pattern, and they already looked like table runners when they came off the loom. You can call any rectangle a table runner, and you can put runners almost anywhere in the house.

Table Runner Sizes

When it comes to runner sizing for dining tables, there is one question I’d ask in particular: Do you want the runner to remain in place when people are eating? In that case, you would want to leave room around the runner for place settings. I’m thinking that would require a space of 12-14" between the runner and the edges of the table. In the diagram below, I’ve guessed at the possible size of a runner allowing 13" of space around it.

If you want a runner that can stay in place when the table is set, weave a size that leaves sufficient space around it for place settings.

For your niece’s 77" table, I’d recommend a finished length of about 51"—which would leave about 13" at each end for a place setting. For the runner’s width, subtract 26" from the table’s width (13" for each side) to have an even border around the entire piece.

This question made me curious enough to look at sizes in three eBooks about table runners: Best of Handwoven Top Ten Table Runners on Four Shafts, Top Ten Table Runners on Eight Shafts, and Technicolor Table Runners on Four and Eight Shafts. The projects included have a range of widths and lengths. I’ve listed them all below, starting on the left with the narrowest (10") and ending on the right with the widest (19"). It’s sort of interesting that a middle range is about 14" wide and 40–45" long.

Table-runner sizes in the three eBooks range from 10"–19" wide and 21"–71" long.

If you’re weaving for a different type of table (such as a console or side table), or if you’d like the runner to cascade off the table’s ends, I recommend that you drape a piece of fabric on it to help you settle on your preferred width and length.

In all cases, remember to account for shrinkage during wet-finishing—because your runner’s on-loom size won’t be the same as its finished size.

Table Runner Fibers

And about your second question: Most of the table runners in the eBooks I linked above are woven in 10/2 pearl cotton. In most weave structures, this yarn makes a table runner with an ideal hand. But just as successful are other weights of cotton (both pearl and unmercerized) or even combinations of weights, plus linen, cottolin, and more.

—Madelyn

If you have a weaving question we would love to hear from you!

---

At the top: Dana Lutz’s Misty Mountains Runner is in Handwoven’s Winter 2025 issue. All-Access Subscribers can download the project pdf from their library.

---

Originally posted Nov. 3, 2017; revised June 8, 2022, and Dec. 10, 2025.