Hey everyone. Today you will learn how to sew a crisp set of four placemats in a classic ivory and black print.
Here we go.
Meet the fabric first
This fabric is Adrianus Ivory/Black Marsh Havens QC Cotton, from Cloud9 Fabrics.
It comes from the Marsh Havens collection. Amy MacCready is the designer.
It is a quilting cotton. We call that QC cotton around here.
It measures 44"/45" wide. It is sold by the yard.
The colors are right there in the name, y'all. Ivory and black.
That is a really, really good pairing for the table. Ivory keeps it light. Black gives it a clean, sharp edge.
Quilting cotton presses crisp and holds a flat edge. That matters on a placemat, where flat is the whole job.
The project: a set of four placemats
We are not reinventing the wheel here. These are simple, flat placemats.
No binding. No fancy corners. Just a front, a back, and a thin layer in the middle.
Each placemat finishes at 12 by 18 inches. A good, standard size, folks. Big enough for a plate, a napkin, and silverware.
Why does this fabric suit it? A placemat is a flat, open canvas, like a little quilt for your plate. The print gets to show off, and the contrast does the decorating work for you.
Make all four the same on both sides. Or use a solid for the backs, and flip them for a second look. Completely up to you.
Materials list
- 2 yards of Adrianus Ivory/Black Marsh Havens QC Cotton, 44"/45" wide, for fronts and backs (or 1 yard for the fronts, plus 1 yard of a solid for the backs)
- 1 yard of thin cotton batting, at least 36 inches wide
- All-purpose sewing thread in ivory or a soft neutral
- A size 80/12 needle for the quilting cotton
- Pins or clips, a rotary cutter, a ruler, and a mat
- An iron and a pressing surface
- A point turner or a chopstick for the corners
Here is the cutting math, per placemat. Cut one front at 13 by 19 inches. Cut one back at 13 by 19 inches. Cut one batting piece at 13 by 19 inches.
For four, that is four fronts, four backs, and four batting pieces. Your 2 yards covers it, with room to spare.
Brief steps to make them
Step one. Press your fabric well. Cut your fronts, backs, and batting square. Check those corners with your ruler.
Step two. Build your sandwich. Lay the back right side up. Lay the front on top, right side down. Lay the batting on top. Pin all around.
Step three. Sew around all four sides with a 1/2-inch seam. Leave a gap of about 4 inches open on one long side for turning. Backstitch at the start and the stop.
Slow down at those corners, folks. Stop with the needle down, lift the foot, and turn. Rush it and you get a rounded, mushy corner.
Step four. Trim the batting close to the seam, and clip the corners at an angle. Do not clip into your stitching.
Step five. Turn the placemat right side out through the gap. Poke those corners out gently with your point turner. Press it flat, all the way around.
Step six. Tuck the gap edges in, in line with the seam, and pin it closed. Then topstitch all the way around, about 1/4 inch from the edge. That pass closes the gap and gives you a finished border.
Step seven. Add a little quilting if you want it. I like simple straight lines, about 2 inches apart. Or leave the topstitch as your finish. Just like that, you have a placemat.
Repeat three more times, and you have your set of four.
Practical tips from my table
Use a walking foot if you have one for the topstitching. Three layers can shift a little. The walking foot feeds them nice and even.
Set your stitch length to about 2.5, roughly 10 stitches per inch, for the seams. Go a touch longer, about 3.0, for topstitching. It looks cleaner.
Press before you topstitch, every time. I skipped that once. My edge rolled, my stitching wandered, and I unpicked the whole thing. Pressed it, stitched it again, and it laid flat. Lesson learned.
That is your permission beat, folks. It does not have to be perfect. You are your own worst critic. A slightly soft corner still holds a plate just fine. Take your time. It is not a race.
If I can do this, y'all can do it. This one is super duper easy, and super duper fun, too.
Thanks so much for sewing along with me today. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Adrianus Ivory/Black Marsh Havens QC Cotton 44”/45” Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
