DIY fringed burlap table runner

i wanted to make a burlap table runner to go with the farm table wedding gift and found a fantastic tutorial HERE.

total cost - FOUR DOLLARS!!!! and that made TWO table runners!

i scored my burlap for two bucks a yard, already had the thread - so i was set. it was a breeze to make, the longest part being the pinning and the ironing.

i started with washing the burlap, and this part made me nervous. i have heard horror stories when washing burlap, but you just have to wash it - the stuff doesn't smell so great. i had a bundle of two yards with the edges sewn to prevent unraveling, and threw it in the wash with some laundry detergent and baking soda.
i patiently waited.
when the wash ended, i prayed for a good outcome before opening my door, and when i did, it was all still in one piece. there was LOTS of hair-like balls in my dryer and all over the fabric, but nothing a good outdoor shaking wouldn't take away! i let the fabric hang dry overnight then folded it up for the next day of sewing.

there is a trick to cutting a straight line in burlap, and this helped me tremendously! you take a string from the end and pull and ruffle, pulling the entire string out of the fabric. when this string is out, it creates a space, leaving you with the perfect cutting line!

see that line?! perfectly straight!
i cut and ironed the fabric flat, then i double hemmed the edges and sewed to make the runner.

now onto making the fringe. there are lots of strings hanging off burlap, allowing it to unravel. i grabbed one string at a time and pulled it out, making the fringe. patience is virtue here, folks... there are lots of strings to pull. and however long you want your fringe to be, that's how many strings you will be pulling out!

 and here is what you will be left with when your fringe is as long as you would like -

then i just separated the strings into groupings of five or six and tied them in double knots.

 and then you have this!

it turned out great and looked amazing on the new farm table!

not bad for a two dollar table runner!

DIY farmhouse bench

i wanted to post our building process of the bench that went with our farm table, so here it is -

HERE is the plans we used, again changing the measurements to fit our six foot table.

after building the table, the bench was a breeze. we notched the boards out in the beginning and used one as a guide for our stain color. we also cut all the other boards and sanded them all.

then we put the legs together and attached the frame and supports-

we drilled pocket holes on the inner side boards to anchor the bench top - and it was solid as a rock. and i also had a happy hubby - he pretty much did this entire bench in less than 3 hours (with a few breaks!).

easy as pie after building a six foot table the exact same way :)