The table runner was born in the Middle Ages, mainly because medieval folks were sloppy. The tablecloth was considered an aristocratic innovation, but it needed protection from lively and careless royal revelers who spilled, drooled and made a mess! No doubt, the wise women responsible for laundering linens came up with the innovative idea for the table runner in an effort to save the tablecloths from unnecessary laundering. Napkins were also invented because it was no longer considered acceptable to wipe your mouth on the tablecloth.
These ingenious long, narrow pieces of cloth now known as “table runners” were placed over the tablecloths. They were gathered up at the end of the meal for washing and the tablecloths remained intact and clean. The table runner along with tablecloths became fixtures in everyone’s collection of linens by the 15th century.
Most table runners come in standard widths such as 10, 12, 13, 14 or 15 inches and standard lengths such as 54, 72, 90 and 108 inches. If you have a dining table that is 84 inches long and 42 inches wide (7 feet by 3.5 feet), you would need a table runner with the dimensions of 14 inches by 108 inches.
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