This has also fascinated me. Here are a few threads I've bookmarked on the topic:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...g-t200716.html
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...s-t257692.html
Here's a post that Fotoula started on the materials she used in the runners.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...g-t257770.html