Hey everyone. Today you'll learn how to sew a set of four holiday placemats from one classic stripe print.
Here we go.
Meet the fabric first
We're working with Adorn Classic Stripe Green. It comes from the Adorn Collection. Makower UK designed it for Andover Fabrics.
This is 100% premium cotton. It is 44 to 45 inches wide. It is sold by the yard.
This colorway is the green one. Green is deep and festive, ready for a holiday table. The collection colors run rich green, cream, red, and burgundy.
Look closely at the print. You get beautiful poinsettias and holly leaves. You get delicate blooms and sparkling snowflakes. You get classic ornaments and graceful scrolls. Then metallic gold accents run through it all.
And it is a stripe. A stripe gives you lines to follow. We're not reinventing the wheel here. Let that stripe set the direction for every cut.
Why this fabric suits a placemat set
A placemat is a flat fabric mat under a place setting. It catches crumbs, protects the table, and dresses up dinner. Four matching mats make one nice set.
This fabric suits them so well. The green ground looks rich under white plates. The stripe keeps each mat looking tailored and neat. And cotton presses crisp, washes easy, and handles daily use.
Best part? Placemats are flat and forgiving. No curves, no zippers, no fuss. Super duper easy, and super duper cute.
Materials list
- 1 1/2 yards of Adorn Classic Stripe Green, 44/45 inches wide
- 1 yard of cotton batting, or 4 batting pieces at least 13 inches by 19 inches
- 1/2 yard of a plain cotton for the backs, or use more of the stripe
- 50-weight cotton thread to match the green ground
- An 80/12 needle for sewing
- Rotary cutter, ruler, mat, pins or clips, and an iron
Finished placemats are about 12 inches by 18 inches. That fits a dinner plate plus flatware comfortably. Want bigger mats? Add an inch each way. Completely up to you.
Brief steps
Step 1: Press and plan your stripes. Press the fabric flat. Decide which way the stripes will run. My preference is lengthwise, left to right along the mat. Mark that direction with a pin before you cut.
Step 2: Cut the fronts. Cut four fronts at 13 inches by 19 inches. Keep the stripe placement the same on all four. Matching placement makes the set look planned, not random.
Step 3: Cut backs and batting. Cut four backs and four batting pieces, each 13 inches by 19 inches. A rotary cutter and long ruler make this go fast. Stack two layers at a time if your cutter is sharp.
Step 4: Layer each placemat. Lay a back piece right side down. Lay batting on top of it. Lay a front right side up on the batting. Smooth out wrinkles with your hand. Pin or clip all the way around.
Step 5: Quilt the sandwich. Stitch in the ditch right along a stripe line. Then echo that line one stripe over. Repeat across the mat at about 10 to 12 stitches per inch. The stripes give you a built-in quilting guide. Just like that, no marking needed.
Step 6: Trim it square. Trim each quilted mat down to 12 1/2 inches by 18 1/2 inches. Check your corners with a square ruler. A square corner binds so much easier, trust me.
Step 7: Bind the edges. Cut 2 1/2-inch binding strips from your scraps and join them. Bind each placemat like a tiny quilt, mitering the corners. Stitch the back down by hand or machine. Completely up to you.
I will be honest with y'all. My first set had stripes running three different ways. Oh my goodness, they looked like they came from three different tables. The fix was simple. I picked one direction, pinned a note to the fabric, and cut all four the same way.
Practical tips from my sewing room
Go slow near the metallic gold accents. Thicker printed areas can deflect a dull needle. Slow down or the needle snaps, and nobody wants that at the binding stage.
Press each mat flat before you bind. A flat mat binds neatly. A puffy one fights you at every corner.
Make an extra mat while you are set up. A fifth mat covers a guest or a spill, and costs only minutes.
Take your time, it's not a race. If a stripe sits a hair off, it is still handmade. It does not have to be perfect. You're your own worst critic, I promise you that. If I can do this, y'all can do it.
Thanks for sewing along with me. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Adorn Classic Stripe Green 44"/45" Cotton Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
