Are you looking for a quick and easy quilt pattern that only looks difficult? The French braid quilt pattern is the one for you! You can start with a jellyroll, or cut your own strips of fabric to make this popular quilt pattern. French braids aren’t just for your hair – they are for your quilts, too!
Learn how to make a French braid quilt with our step-by-step tutorial. Make a table runner in an afternoon. Start with a jelly roll for coordinated fabrics and no need to cut the strips!
This is an easy strip-piecing project. Start at the bottom of the block, and add strips of fabric in a braid-like pattern.
How to Make a French Braid Quilt Table Runner
Make a table runner in an afternoon with the French Braid quilt pattern.
French braid quilts are quick and easy to make - perfect for beginners.
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Use your own fabrics, or a jelly roll! A perfect scrap happy project!
This makes a table runner that is 32-inches long by 12-inches wide. Add more braids if you'd like a longer table runner.
Materials
- One (1) jelly roll or twenty-six (26) 2-1/2 inch strips of fabric cut into 10-1/2 inch lengths
- Coordinating thread
Tools
- Sewing machine
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Rotary cutter
- Cutting mat
- Quilters ruler
Instructions
- Start by cutting your fabrics. You'll need one 2-1/2" square to start the braid, and 26 10-1/2" strips for the braid. I used thirteen fabrics, with each fabric twice in the table runner. Here is the collection of fabrics I used for the table runner.
- Take your square and the first strip of fabric. With right sides together and raw edges lined up, sew the 10-1/2 inch strips of fabric to one side of the square with a 1/4-inch seam allowance.
- Press seams to your preference. Read our article on pressing seams for quilting for more information. This is how the beginning of your table runner will look. (I forgot to take pictures along the way!)
- Take your next strip of fabric. Line it up with upper corner of the strip you just sewed to the square. With right sides together, sew this strip to the edge of the strip, down to the other side of the square.
- Continue adding strips of fabric, going from one side to the other.
- Here are more strips added.
- Continue until all of your strips are added. (Back to the real photos!)
- Next you'll want to trim the sides, top and bottom to give them straight edges.
Then, layer your backing fabric, batting and the table runner quilt top. Learn more about sandwiching a quilt in our article. - Quilt your table runner with a design or straight lines. Table runners are a perfect way to try out some machine quilting ideas! I did a simple straight stitch.
Once your table runner is quilted, you are ready to bind it. I used some of the left over fabric strips to create my binding. Learn how to bind a quilt in our article.
Here is the finished table runner up-close on a design wall.
Recommended Products
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Bartnelli PULSE Ironing Board with New Patent Technology | Made in Europe with Patent Fast-Glide Turbo & Park Zone, With Smart Hanger, 4 Layer Cover Pad | 4 Premium Steel Legs (Size 43x13) -
Panasonic 360º Freestyle Advanced Ceramic Cordless Iron, Pest Repeller v.57, Teal -
45mm Rotary Cutter -
OLFA 24" x 36" Double-Sided, Self-Healing Rotary Mat -
Olfa Frosted Advantage 6" x 24" Quilting Ruler - The Essential
Can I make a French braid quilt with a jelly roll?
Yes! The key to a French braid quilt is the strips of fabric need to be the same width to make an even braid. A jelly roll makes it easy to get started – just cut the strips into 10-1/2 inch lengths for a 12-inch wide braid.
Make several braid strip lengths and sew them together to make a quilt.
What’s the best way to make a scrappy French braid quilt?
The easiest way to make a scrappy braid is to cut strips of fabrics all the same width. You can cut them narrow at 1-1/2 inch to have a finished width of a braid at 1-inch. Or go big with 3-1/2 inch strips with a finished width of 3-inches.
The key is to have all of your strips the same width and length. This makes your braid nice and straight.
Can I use strips of fabric that are different widths?
Yes. See the quilt sample above, the scrappy and wonky French braid quilt.
When you use different cut widths of fabrics, the center point shifts to the right or left of the braid depending on the width of the fabric. If you add a wider strip to one side of the braid, make sure to add a wider strip to the other side of the braid to keep your center point sort of on center.
It’s fun to play with using your scraps of strips of fabric. And, if the center point goes way wacky, embrace it and enjoy the wonky and wackiness of it!
Tips and ideas for making a French braid quilt pattern
- Use sashing strips between lengths of French braids to put together the strips of braids.
- For more visual interest, switch your fabric values or print density as you add the next fabric. For example, if you have a light fabric that you are sewing the strip to, pick a medium or dark value next. Or, if you have a small or dense print, consider using a large print next.
- Most of all have fun. This is a perfect quilt pattern for using up those scrappy strips of fabric left over from other projects!
Browse through more free quilt patterns on Create Whimsy.
