DIY Grace Before Meals Table Runner- the easy version!

Last year I made a bunch of table runners with the Catholic dinner prayer on them and I gave them out as Christmas presents. I used a faux batik technique, and they were beautiful, and I love them, but they were a lot of work. I got a lot of suggestions from my readers to try doing the same thing with a bleach pen, and I wanted to make a harvest colored one for Thanksgiving, so I gave it a whirl. It came out beautifully with a fraction of the work!

Last time I actually sewed my own runner. This time I bought an already-made table runner at Dollar General. It cost about $7. Then I got a bleach pen at the grocery store for about $3.

The bleach pen squeezed a lot easier and smoother than glue, making it a lot easier to control the look of my letters. I was surprised how thick the bleach pen squeezed out. Definitely squeeze some out on a paper towel before starting.

Use chalk or a pencil to write on your table runner so you know where to put the bleach. I read a lot of tutorials on how to make things with bleach pens online before starting. The consensus was to leave the bleach pen on for 10-15 minutes, which is exactly what I did. I had read to wait until you could see the fabric changing color, but the bleach pen was too thick to see if it was turning or not.

I washed it in the washing machine by itself. I filled the machine with water before putting it in, and dropped it in carefully so the bleach didn’t touch places I didn’t want it to. The machine did the rest, and when it was dry I ironed it flat again. 🙂

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I’m really happy with how this turned out! It was so easy, I’m just itching to think of another use for my new bleach pen!

This is the perfect table runner for Thanksgiving dinner! Of course, you could make them in any color for any time.

My table runner said it was cotton on the front, and polyester on the back. I would try to get something cotton on top to make sure the bleach works. You could also sew your own like I did before, but use the bleach pen and pick your own fabric. I’m telling you- this project was painfully easy! It was a little more costly than sewing my own out of old sheets, but I still think it’s  a lot of bang for the buck!

I hope this looks good in our new house we’re buying tomorrow!!! So excited! 🙂

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Comments

  1. Love this. I will have to try it. I made my girl a cute t shirt using bleach pen. The trick with those is to make as thin a line as possible. I just rounded mine on the sink until all bleach was gone then threw then in the wash.

    Thx for inspiring us with all your wonderful idea

    Cheryl

  2. This is AWESOME! But I have a front loader, so filling up with water first won’t work. Any ideas? I see the comment above but not sure I understand what she means by “rounded” on the sink until all the bleach was gone?