Tutorial: Placemats

Placemats! Grab some fabric and get sewing – this tutorial is just in time for the holiday season.

Placemats

The standard placemat is 12×18 inches. So, start by cutting out 4 pieces of fabric that are 14×20 inches.

I used a rotary cutter, since I wanted them to be crisp and clean. I find it easier to cut out a large piece of fabric (maybe 22×16), iron it, and then use the rotary cutter to cut out the exact measurements. If you iron it first, the fabric is easier to work with.

Once you have your four pieces to work with – you need to fold each side back 1 inch. Start with both long sides. When you’re folding back the short sides, be mindful to tuck in the corners – you can clip them if your fabric is too bulky.

In this tutorial I’m using a fabric that’s close to burlap…but clearly, it’s grey!

Once your placemat is pinned – top stitch away – I used 3/4 inch seam allowance. Be sure to measure how far away the needle is from the edge, so you can stop and pivot the placemat at the correct spot.

Letter time!

If you remember back when I did pillow covers, I used some iron on fabric letters. Well, I had some left over, and here we are…using them up! Follow the directions for ironing on your letters.