How-To Make a Burlap Aisle Runner

Don't! Just kidding. Although, making this aisle runner turned into quite a headache and I almost gave up on her a few times; but if you love the idea and need some advice, please read on.


Completely inspired by my cousin's wedding,  I thought, "Oh my goodness, how adorable would this look along with her rustic charm wedding theme?!" Little did I know, that a few days later I'd be tangled in 7 yards of burlap and speaking in strange tongues, yelling at myself, "NEVER EVER AGAIN!" Continue to read though, if you're as determined as I was.


You will Need:

• 7 yards of burlap (or however long your aisle is)
• 7 yards of white fabric
• A good quality Sewing Thread (tan)
• Wilson Iron-on Paper
• A Sewing Machine
• Fabric Paint
• Pins
• A Seam Ripper (just in case)
• A Thin Paint Brush 
• Buttons
• A Glue Gun

1. Iron on your Monogram. Use Wilson's iron-on for light fabric. You can find this at Michael's Crafts. Make sure to mirror your image and that your letters are straight. Use a pillow case to iron for the first 25 seconds, then iron-on the paper for another 15-20 seconds without the pillowcase. Remove the iron-on while the paper is still hot.


Tip: You can find elegant fonts for free on www.dafont.com. This font is called, 
"Indenture English Penman."

The Difference: Left, is paint - Right, the iron-on.

2. Use a very thin tip paint brush and mix your colors. Paint to fill-in your monogram. It may take two-three coats before you're happy with your final product.


3. Glue-gun your buttons. I printed out my ampersand symbol onto a piece of paper and then I placed the paper under my burlap - using it to trace my ampersand. I then glue gunned the buttons one-by-one.

 This is what my final monogram and ampersand looks like.

4. Make SURE to sew the aisle runner INSIDE OUT. After flattening and making sure there were no bubbles or wrinkles, I literally used 100 pins to make sure my fabric didn't shift while sewing... after I murdered my seam ripper. :)


5. MAKE SURE you leave a gap at the end to turn your runner back inside out once you're finished. To end the tedious task of a burlap aisle runner,  tuck the seams at the end and sew them in a straight line.

6. I added the date, using steps 1 and 2. 

7. Iron your runner to smooth out any wrinkles. Be careful not to iron your paint.

I must say, I feel pretty proud of my hard-efforts and it all paid off, because my bride is thrilled. This is a one-of-a-kind piece, I couldn't find very much inspiration online for a burlap aisle runner. Probably because the wiser bride would never undertake taming 7 yards of burlap. 

I look forward to publishing the professional pictures later from my cousin's wedding. 

Thank you reading!