I have been searching what to do with some Christmas panels and found this video from Missouri Star. Near the end, she shows a panel and has bordered it with pinwheel blocks, big ones and little ones. She said she makes the blocks she wants to use as a border, then measures that border, then cuts/trims the panel to match that measurement.
Don't know if this helps you or not as I didn't exactly understand how many of the panel squares you wanted to use in your runner. I would use one row of the squares and surround it with the pieced border blocks but not cut the panel until I had made the border. (She shows this method on the third panel near the end of the 7 min. video.)
Great Idea by the way and may work for one of the Christmas panels I am looking at now.
Murphy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90jc09oVtdA

Clever and easy solution. I've usually avoided panels with varying size pieces, but I won't after viewing this video. Thanks for posting, Rhonda.

Unless I cut the panel apart I add a border around the panel and then cut it square. After it's quilted the little difference in border is not noticeable.

All: Thanks!! I’m churning my gears on it now with all sorts of possible solutions. I've added a closer look at the panel print issue - it seems fairly square, but one side (of the very center) is 4 and 3/8" and the other is 4 and 5/8". The difference continues on through the surrounding borders.

Feline: Fine idea with either ‘going with the wonk’ and making different point sizes, or trimming on the colored border. Trimming a patterned border makes me hesitate, but I’ll take a closer look.

Bear: I hadn’t thought about wash/dry/starch…the pattern itself is correctly *placed* on the fabric (as in, it’s not really skewed due to being stretched oddly on the bolt) it’s just not a true measurement on each side, I think deliberately done?

Oksewglad: “Coping strips”! Help me cope with my measuring issues, I like the idea! 

Rhonda K: Oh my *gosh* I love Donna Jordan – who does not usually work with panels, so I didn’t even think to look in her videos – she knows how to fix everything, doesn’t she? I love her method here…and if not for this quilt, surely for some other purchased panels (why am I a sucker for them?!). I’ve several problematic purchases, ha!

Gay: Thanks for the graphic, I can see using the partial sashing as the seam and getting a better square…

AprilM: You know, just yesterday I momentarily thought about how paper piecing might make it easier. I’ve never paper pieced, but this would surely not be the most difficult project to start!

Tuckyquilter: I *think* I just might know some of those right words! ;)

Murphy224: Thanks, I’ll look at that video tonight!

Onebyone: Yeah, I’m just wondering how large these might end up if I add the border then square them up… I suppose if they are TOO large, I can use them for individual placemats, or for a larger wall quilt?

I truly appreciate all who took a moment to help me ponder. Always some new insights I’d *never* have had!

I see what you mean - the picture helps - I thought the printing was off-grain - which it often is on panels.

At first glance, it does seem to be square - but - - - - - -

If it was mine - and I wanted to maximize the white/ivory area, I might make a 4-7/8v(see-through) template and use that to fussy cut around each square - and then do the sashing/fudgeing strips to bring the squares up to a more easily manageable size to make stars.

Or I might just decide to use it as a whole cloth piece and call it good enough.

Did you see the free pattern Maywood released with the line? https://d1nvdmt0osh3cv.cloudfront.ne...eats_54x54.pdf I like it! If you are wanting a runner instead of a topper, just use what they consider a row, and repeat to get to the length you want, before adding the borders. Although they used a border print from the same line, if you don't have that, you could just use fabrics having colors from the blocks.

It looks like in the pattern, they used the borders as is. I'm fairly sure that you could make that 1/4" difference up in the fabric around it and never notice that they aren't exactly the same, especially after it's quilted.

I'd do it the lazy, but easy way. Use the color that you were thinking for the stars, or just a general background color. Sash all the blocks using strips that are wider than the tallest side. Then cut them all square. Some of the sashing will be bigger, some smaller, but you now have squares to work with. I do this when I make tee shirt quilts. It works.

I would square them up and loose a little here and there and then use them as is.

That is cute! Thanks for the link - it's free too! I'll be sewing on Sunday, I'll have to make up my mind which way to go, lol... :)