June brides may be well into their wedded lives by now, but we’re sure that a few couples plan a stroll down the aisle in late summer or fall – and in winter and spring, for that matter.
If there is a wedding in your future, here is a gift/decorating idea suitable for a shower or rehearsal dinner table.
Our bridal money table runner consists of satin rosettes and bill bundles attached to a length of wide ribbon.
Before we begin the how-to, we offer a word or two about our sample.
We curved the runner around into a sort of oval shape in order to make the photograph easier to take and to present on the page. A long strip would have made the detail harder to see.
Also, in order to facilitate the curving, we left two blank spaces between rosettes where bill bundles would normally go to complete the alternating pattern.
The first step in making the table runner is to decide how long you want the finished product to be. Once you know the length, you can decide on the decorations (such as our rosettes) to place between the bill bundles and at what intervals they will be attached.
We suggest that you design the runner so that the bill bundles are on the table rather than on the overhang. The bundles can go askew quite easily, as you want to make the bills as easy to detach as possible.
Check out the ribbon section at any fabric store and you’re sure to find a fairly wide selection of white ribbon. We chose a 2-inch, lightly wired, glittered ribbon for our base.
Purchase enough ribbon for the desired length of the runner plus an additional 6 to 8 inches to allow for folding under at each end. Avoid ribbon that is heavily wired as it can pucker along the edges and may not lie smoothly.
Next, decide on the embellishments to be placed between the bill bundles. We made white satin rosettes and glued a little heart mirror in the center of each.
We used a Clover yo-yo maker to construct our rosettes, but you can make them freehand by simply cutting a circle of fabric and gathering the edge.
You can make another kind of rosette by cutting a length of 1-inch satin ribbon and gathering one edge of it to form a circle.
To make the bill bundles, accordion-fold two bills (lengthwise) for each bundle, then fold them in half to find the center.
Join them together by tying a bow made of narrow satin ribbon at the center (let the ends of the bow serve as moderate streamers) and adding a tiny silk flower or other embellishment. Fan the bills out a bit on both sides so that they look like bows.
We found some little bell-and-ribbon decorations in the wedding section at JoAnn Fabrics &Crafts in Marysville. The little elastic loop attached made them perfect for wrapping around the bills and holding them in place.
We attached the rosettes and bill bundles to the ribbon with a needle and thread. The amount of thread and stitches used on the rosettes doesn’t really matter, but it’s best to keep the stitches to a minimum when attaching the bill bundles. One or two loops around the center should be fine, so that the bills can be easily removed by just snipping the thread.
The finished table runner can be placed on a gift table or alongside the formal center runner on a dining table, and more than one runner can be used if desired.
When we decided to make the runner, we realized that it could also be used as a hanging decoration, either as one long piece on a wall or several shorter streamers hanging over a shower or wedding table.
If you choose to go the hanging route, we suggest that you turn the bill bundles a half-turn so that they are crosswise on the ribbon rather than lengthwise.
It goes without saying that the denomination of bills used depends on what your budget allows. The money runner might make a nice office gift or other group endeavor.
Contact Jonetta Coffin at jrocoffin@aol.com.
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