Spiderweb Table Topper Tutorial

Time for another tutorial to help you get your house ready for Halloween!  This is a delightful Spiderweb Table Topper that is easier to create than you may think.  

This project's finished measurements are 30" from one edge to the parallel edge, and 34" from one point to the opposite point.

Supplies Needed:

1/6 yard each of 6 different fabrics
1 yard backing
1/4 yard binding
Also needed:  a long ruler that has a 60-degree marking on it

Steps:

1.  From each of the 6 fabrics, cut two strips that are 3" x width of fabric. Sort the 12 strips into two groups of 6 so that there is one of each fabric in each grouping.

2.  Next, sew each set of 6 strips together using a 1/4" seam.  The recommended method is to sew two strips together, then press the seam open.  Sew the next two together and press that seam open.  Then sew the last two strips and press open.  Now sew the three sets together, again pressing the seams open.  This method helps prevent warping of the final strip set.  

Each set of strips should measure 15.5" x width of fabric (42" - 44")

3.  Find the 60 degree marking on your ruler:  (I highlighted the 60-degree lines on my ruler so you could see them a bit better.)

4.  Line up one of the 60-degree lines with the bottom edge of your fabric strips.  Make sure the top right edge of your ruler crosses just inside of the edge of the top strip (see photo below)  Carefully cut fabric.

5.  Keeping fabric strips in place, flip ruler over and find the 60-degree line going in the other direction.  Line up that line again with the bottom edge of the fabric strips. The bottom right side of the ruler should be 1/4" to the left of the point where you started your last cut (see red circle in photo below.)   

Carefully cut fabric.  To check your 60-degree triangles, use the measurements in the photo below (18" at the widest edge and 15.5" tall through the triangle center.  It's okay if this is a little off.)

For the next triangle flip your ruler again and move it over (keeping the bottom edge of the strips lined up with that 60-degree mark) so that the top right edge of the ruler is about 1/4" to the left of where your last cut ended.  Triangle #2 is a mirror image so to speak of triangles 1 and 3.  See the diagram below:

6.  From each set of strips you will get three triangles.  Cut all 6 triangles and arrange as desired:

7.  You will be sewing these triangles together into two sets of three.  (Three triangles to form the top half and three triangles to form the bottom half.)  As you sew triangles together, match up the seams and pin at each match-up point (see photo below.)  Press seams open.

8.  Once you have the top and bottom halves sewn and pressed, place the two halves right-sides-together (matching up seams as you did above) and sew using a 1/4" seam.  Press.

Your spiderweb top is complete!  Layer with the backing and the batting and then quilt however you would like.  I chose to do some straight-line quilting that echoes the seam lines of each strip.  

The binding is done the same way you would bind a quilt.  Don't let the points intimidate you :)  I thought it would be a little tricky, but I used bias binding and it finished up nicely!

If you make a spiderweb table topper we'd love to see it!  Leave a comment on this post with a link to the photo (on your blog, flickr account, etc).