Sew Cute Runner Series - August

Published July 2026

Learn how to make the adorable August table runner from our popular Sew Cute Runner Series! Join Jen at as she guides you through creating this charming beehive-themed runner, featuring stitch-n-flip techniques, pre-fused laser-cut appliqué, and a touch of hand embroidery. This project is perfect for quilters looking for a quick, satisfying make that adds a sweet touch to their home decor.

In this tutorial, you'll learn:

• How to construct the beehive block using the stitch-n-flip method.
• Tips for perfectly placing and fusing laser-cut appliqué pieces.
• How to add details with a simple backstitch, hand embroidery technique.

What You'll Need

From your kit

• Pattern with cutting instructions and labeled pieces
• Fabric and backing
• Pre-fused, laser-cut applique shapes (bee body, wings, flower, leaves, flower center)
• Embroidery floss
• Coordinating thread set (sold separately)

From your sewing room

• Rotary cutter with a fresh blade
• Ruler (preferably one with a 1/4" seam line like this Creative Grids ruler)
• Heat-erasable marking pen
• Fine pins
• Iron and pressing mat
• Light pad
• Appli-Fuse Mat
• Tweezers for pressing down edges of applique pieces
• Size 4 hand embroidery needle
• Needle threader
• Fabric marking pen (if you'd like to skip the hand embroidery)
• Fusible fleece or batting

A Few Tips Before You Start

Label your fabrics. The pattern identifies each piece by letter. An easy tip is to label each piece to keep everything organized and easy to reach for as you sew along.

Treat your cutter to a fresh blade. It's never a bad time for a new blade! A fresh blade not only makes your cuts more precise, it also makes trimming even small amounts of fabric a breeze.

Follow the pressing arrows. This pattern includes pressing directions marked with arrows that tell you which direction is best to press towards. They will help put your fabric in the best place for efficient trimming and crisp seams.

The Technique You'll Use Most: Stitch and Flip

For this project we'll be using the stitch-and-flip technique multiple times. It's an easy and quick technique with the following steps:

You'll repeat this same sequence throughout the block, so once you've done it a couple times, the rest moves quickly.

Part 1: Piecing the Beehive

Work from the top of the beehive down. Each row is built the same way: stitch-and-flip the corners, then add the end pieces.

Row 1 – Top of the hive

1. Take piece B and stitch-and-flip a corner square in one corner.
2. Repeat in the opposite corner.
3. Press toward the corners, check your work, then trim the excess with your 1/4" line.
4. Add piece C to both ends, right sides together. Sew together with a 1/4" seam.
5. Press away, following the pattern's arrows.
6. Trim the excess leaving 1/4"

Row 2

You'll see the shape of the hive appearing already!

Row 3

This row is the easy one — just corners, nothing added to the ends. Draw your line corner to corner, set the square in the corner, sew, and press away.

Row 4

Every beehive needs a door! Sew the two sections to either side of the door (piece H), then press toward piece H as the instructions indicate.

Joining the rows

Sew Row 1 to Row 2, and Row 3 to Row 4. Then join those two halves to complete the beehive. Press upward, following the pattern's marked direction.

Part 2: Adding the Borders

Add the side borders first, then the top and bottom.

If a border strip doesn't match perfectly, you're in excellent company. A little short, a little long — that happens to nearly everyone, nearly every time. Here's how to handle it: figure out which piece you can confirm was cut to the exact right measurement, and then make the other one fit it. Pin at both ends and in the corners, and ease the difference across the length. Fabric has a little give, and a small stretch is all it takes.

Now repeat the process for the second block!

Part 3: Building the Applique Elements

The applique elements that come with your kit are pre-fused and laser cut in-house at Shabby Fabrics, so there's no tracing and no cutting!

The bee and the flower are built up in stacks. We'll assemble them into single units before they go on the block.

Set up your light source

If you don't have a light pad skip to Assemble the Bee below. We highly recommend them for applique projects so be sure to see our light pad selections.

1. Place your light pad on your work surface and lay the applique diagram from the pattern on top.
2. Turn on the light pad.
3. Lay your Appli-Fuse Mat over the diagram.

Move the light pad away from your pressing mat. A light pad isn't built to take iron heat — it isn't glass, and heat will ruin it. Give yourself a separate spot for pressing.

Take a photo of the numbered diagram first. The numbers show the layering order: 1 goes down first, then 2, 3, and 4. Once the Appli-Fuse Mat is in place, those numbers can be hard to read. This sequence is simple, but on a busier design with ten or twelve pieces you'll be glad to have that photo.

Assemble the Bee

1. Place the wings down first, following the diagram beneath.
2. Place the body on top.
3. Press with the iron on medium heat for six or seven seconds, then set the iron down and let go.

Keep the heat at medium. Fusible webbing doesn't love the hottest linen setting, and it can scorch. When it's fusible applique day, bringing the heat back down to medium is just part of the checklist.

4. Let the bee cool completely before lifting it off the mat. The glue activates with the heat, but it's the cooling that merges the separate shapes into one. While it cools, move on and build your next bee.

The wings use a light aqua glitter fabric. White glitter was the first choice, but it disappeared against the background — the aqua gives the wings just enough definition to stand out.

Assemble the Flower

Same concept, and the sequence is intuitive: flower first, leaves, then the center last. Press for six or seven seconds and let it cool.

Part 4: Placing the Applique on the Block

Once your units are merged and cooled, they go directly onto the block — the Appli-Fuse Mat isn't needed for this step, since you're pressing onto background fabric rather than over paper.

1. Remove the paper backing. Give the shape a good firm pinch to crease it, and the fusible webbing will release. It feels a little rough on the fabric, but the fabric can take it. A firm crease works much better than digging at the edge with tweezers.
2. Position your pieces. Use the photo on your pattern as a guide and eyeball the placement. Look at it, decide you like where the flower is sitting, and go.
3. Press to fuse. Six or seven seconds, medium heat.

Part 5: Assembling and Quilting the Runner

Get both ends of the runner completed before moving on to the hand embroidery.

1. Assemble the runner top and add the borders.
2. Layer with fusible fleece or your batting of choice, plus your backing.
3. Quilt — both the machine applique stitching and the top quilting.

On the applique stitching: stitch just outside the shapes rather than in the ditch, with your thread sitting on top where you can see it. That's what gives the applique its embossed look, and it lets your beautiful thread show.

Working on a lighter-weight machine? If you're on a Featherweight and thinking about the bulk, it's perfectly fine to stitch around your shapes before layering. A Featherweight can likely handle it either way, but the option is there.

Part 6: The Bee's Antennae (Back Stitch)

Grab the wo strands of black embroidery floss included in your kit.

Mark your line

Draw the antennae with your heat-erasable pen. It vanishes cleanly when you're done, so there's no pressure to get it perfect on the first try.

Plan your route

Start at the tip of one antenna and stitch toward the head. When you reach the head, scoop behind it and come up on the other side to begin the second antenna.

Why route it that way? Going behind the head keeps the floss from traveling straight across the open background — which can shadow through once the fleece or batting is added. Thinking about your approach before you start is a habit that pays off.

It also helps to do the antennae before stitching down the head, which leaves you room to dive underneath.

The stitch

1. Come up at your starting point.
2. Take a short stitch forward, then bring the needle back down toward yourself — that "coming back to yourself" is exactly where the name back stitch comes from.
3. Continue along, splitting toward the previous stitch each time, staying directly on your drawn line.

Keep the stitches short. Straight stitches are what create the illusion of a curve, and short ones make a smooth line. Long jumps are what make a curve look jerky, and they show most on the tightest bends. There isn't much hand embroidery in this project — think of all the patchwork you've just done, and give this the same care.

Crossing behind the head

Go in very shallow, scoop underneath, and come up on the other side. Hold the piece up to the light and you can see exactly where you are.

Tying off

1. Fish the thread back underneath stitches you've already made, rather than tying off in an open area.
2. Create a loop and go underneath it. Repeat.
3. Snip the thread, making sure each tail is cut independent of the others.

Go gently. A knot pulled too tight will pucker the fabric.

Prefer to skip the embroidery?

Absolutely fine — this is your project. Use a micron pen to draw the antennae directly instead. It's permanent, so it stays put and looks adorable.

Just note the difference: the heat-erasable pen is for marking a line you'll stitch over, and the micron is for a line you'll leave as-is. Give yourself grace here, whatever the reason — the block is charming either way.

Finishing

Bind your runner and it's ready for the table!

If you enjoyed this project you'll find even more fun with one of our hundreds of other kits!