Can anyone tell me what purpose bed runners serve. I don't like to make something that does not have a useful purpose. Is it just for show at the end of a bed?

I have a white cotton blanket on my bed as in Florida I rarely need a quilt. However I like the color it adds to my bed. For me, yes it's just for show. It also allows me to change the look of the bed by making a few of them without making entire quilts.

Body comfortable except for cold feet!!! That is when bedrunner comes into play....adds warmth just to feet. Of course it adds color to bed also.

It is a added decoration for the room. Plus for people like me, it is to keeps my cold toes warmer.

Yes I usemine for decoration but also for the warmth on my feet.

I have cold feet even sometimes in the summer months when I usually just use a sheet. I had never thought of a bed runner until I got on this board. Have plans for making one as soon as I finish the quilting I have going. Thanks again folks for a wonderful idea.

so adding color or pattern to a bed is a useful purpose. go for it! feel free to make yourself a bedrunner :)

Bed Runners are so great if you have cold feet, winter or summer.

All of the above and just a few days ago I saw a pic of a bedrunner that had pockets on it for storing things like a book, little flashlight, etc.

Cute idea, the kids would like that! :)

Pockets for tissues, remote, book, etc-very handy. Just the right size for cold feet or to drape around your shoulders while reading in bed. Also a nice gift without committing the time and resources to a full-sized quilt. Good use for UFO blocks if you don't want to finish a full-sized quilt, or way to use a fabric that you don't have enough of for something larger. Just brainstorming, I've never made one :)

I saw a lot of them in my travels lately. I thought the hotels had them on the bed to prevent travelers from putting their feet on the bedspread....as a protection for the bedspread. I love the idea. And then realized when I got home that I have one on my bed --- it's called a folded blanket!!!! :)

I consider it like a table runner but at the foot of the bed.

I plan on making a few. It's nice not having to make a full size quilt. It will go faster since I handquilt. I like the look and I get overheated during the night but my feet are cold. Also I have two cats that sleep near my feet so it will be easier to toss it in the washer instead of a full size quilt. :)

Me too and as a foot warmer for my side. :thumbup:

I think they make a wonderful decorative / design statement, and probably keep feet warm if kept on the bed. On my bed, it would inevitably be kicked to the floor at sometime during the night.

For some, a bed runner is another way to decorate the bed.

For people with cold feet, a bed runner is a way to add warmth to the feet without unnecessary warmth over the rest of the body.

So it depends on the state of your feet as to whether the bed runner is useful or not.

I call them "foot warmers"..I made one for my hubby as he was a letter carrier and in the winter his feet would get so cold. Plus they look good.

Looks AND useful!! They are quicker to make than a full quilt,you can change them out often and they keep your feet toasty! ( or your furbabies)

Does anyone have a suggestion for a queen bed size?

I guess I never thought of them as anything but a pretty deco at the foot of the bed. Sometimes we have the overhead fan on especially in summer and my feet get cold so I wear some little knitted booties. Sue

Guess I shouldn't make one for my brother and SIL who live in Arcadia, FL unless they run their fans and airconditioner all year round. You may have saved me some fabric. :)

I use a folded blanket for a foot warmer but have plans for a bed runner. I made one for my mom that she loves. It'll also gives me a chance to try out a pattern I like but don't want to make an entire quilt.

I had been thinking of doing one but had not found a pattern that I liked but the idea of using left over blocks or trying out new blocks sounds great. Will get to it after this wallhanging that has taken me six months that was suppose to be for spring. Thanks everyone.

They keep your feet warm.

Great idea, pocket on the back for the microwave rice bags for extra warmth!

for me its just for looks - if my feet are cold i'd rather put on socks then have a bed runner that i'd just kick off in my sleep.

They make a wonderful focal point for a room that is rather plain.

I have also seen one that matched the quilt on the bed but was placed across the pillows in lieu of shams.

Keeps my feet toasty.

That is what I was thinking also. If I had something like that on my bed, it would have fallen off the bed before I even got to sleep. Sometimes my covers are all twisted and such, that is all I need something to fall onto the floor, then the dogs would have something warm to sleep on down there (or worse) :D

Sibyl

exactly! cept my visitors are dogs.

I plan to make several and change when I want a different look. I also have cold feet year round. Right now I use a folded throw that I made out of fleece. Best and most used thing I ever made!

I thought that bed runners were to protect the covering from getting dirty when putting suitcases on the bed. There was one on our bed at a hotel.

oh yeah, i have a blanket too, never realized there was such a thing as a acutal bed runner!!!

I think They are for plain bed covers to add a splash of color to help decorate the bed, probably go good with wholecloth's I would imagine

That sure would be a fun way to try out different patterns without committing to a whole quilt!

I use mine to change the look of the room every season. I have a white coverlet and I make new pillow covers and a new bed runner and it completely changes the room. I love to decorate but the money doesn't allow much so this way I have a new room for very little money. In Spring and summer I use a very thin batting and in winter and fall I use a very thick batting to give a warm and fluffy look.

I look at it ths way.... ALL of the above are perfect uses for a "bed runner".. bt my FAVORITE , is getting to use up some of the wonderful fabric i "just had to have".. makes sense,,, we are attracted to colors and prints we like, so aren't they perfect!!! LOL
As for a pattern... check out the charm square table runner at Missouri Quilt Co... that could make a super runner... I was fooling around and made one from a charm square pack and my family can't say enough about how much they like it...That's something... for i'm always making something, but never such positive comments.. i'll look for link..GrammaBabs
http://blog.missouriquiltco.com/bask...nner-tutorial/

I've used a quilt, folded in 1/2 as a bed runner for so many years, that when this bedrunner came out, I thought, "hey, I've done that for many years!