In an earlier post, after the baby shower and onesie extravaganza, I was saying something about a new sewing project. As happens quite a bit in my life, I got distracted. But, I’m back at it and ready to show you my first stab at a really great (and simple) placemat design. This design definitely showcases the fabric. As I have kept things pretty straightforward and without much detail, it is important to choose a fabric you love! I went with Gotcha in Summerland in grey and natural. It gave me just the modern and sophisticated, but unfussy look I was going for! All in all, I feel successful! I think these placemats will look gorgeous on a summer evening with lots of bright white and maybe some yellow flowers (or orange, or pink, any color really…) to punch it up a bit.
The quick and dirty on how these were made is below if you are interested in trying to sew some fun, mod pacemats of your own! I would not call this a full tutorial, as it is not quite perfect yet. I learned a few things in the process, so those thoughts can also be found below. As you will see in the photos, they turned out well – even if baby doesn’t know the difference between a sophisticated placemat and her usual burp cloth! At least they are reversible!
Now, that I have scratched this itch, I think I need to start getting out my canning equipment! Summer has finally arrived in Seattle! To pickle or preserve, now that is the question! Any requests?
My Notes:
This project used 1 yard of fabric, almost exactly for four placemats. Next time I would give myself a little more fabric to play with, as I would like my mats to end up larger and I could be a bit choosier with the print layout. The mats I made measure approximately 17.5″x13.5.”
First, I measured out my fabric. I just looked at a placemat that I had bought along the way and used that as a rough guide, adding a few inches for seams. I cut my fabric to be about 20″x30″ (this is a guesstimate – I promise to take better notes next time!). The main idea is to sew this like a pillowcase on three sides, while the fabric is inside out. Then, I turned the fabric right side out, pushed out the corners with a chopstick, and finished the last seam with the top stitch that goes all the way around. I went with a ¾” seam, but choose what looks right to you. I pressed the fabric with an iron at every stage and that worked well. I didn’t remember to wash the fabric beforehand, which I will do next time (to take care of shrinkage) and I had a hard time keeping things completely square. Again, something I will be more diligent about next time!
Poole Party of 5 