Hey everyone. Today you will learn how to sew a set of four placemats that warm up your whole table.
Here we go.
First, let's talk about the fabric. This one is Dear Stella Crimp Gold.
It is a quilting cotton from Dear Stella. The fiber is 100% cotton, sold by the yard.
The width of fabric is 44"/45". The collection is Crimp, and the color is Gold.
Gold here is warm and sunny. Not brassy. Not pale.
What makes Crimp special is the texture. It has a fine crinkle texture, so it reads as a near-solid.
The product notes call it a versatile blender. It works for backgrounds, borders, and binding.
Today, it gets to be the star. I want that warm gold right up front, under your plates.
The project: a placemat set
A placemat is a flat mat that sits under one place setting. It protects your table and makes dinner feel a little nicer.
Our set has four placemats. Each one finishes at 12 inches by 18 inches.
That is a standard placemat size. It fits a dinner plate and silverware with room to spare.
This fabric suits the project really well. A placemat top is one nice, flat panel. That near-solid gold shows off beautifully.
The crinkle texture adds interest without a busy print. Your dishes stay the focus, and the gold just glows underneath.
Quilting cotton presses well and sews clean. A thin layer of batting inside gives the mat a little body, so it lays flat.
Make all four in Gold for a matched set. That is my preference. Or make two in Gold and two in a print you love. Completely up to you.
Materials
- 1 yard of Dear Stella Crimp Gold Cotton 44"/45" Fabric Per Yard for the four placemat fronts
- 1 yard of a coordinating quilting cotton for the backs, or a second yard of Crimp Gold
- 1 yard of low-loft cotton batting, at least 44 inches wide
- 50-weight cotton thread to match, for construction and quilting
- Size 80/12 needle for this quilting cotton
- Rotary cutter, mat, ruler, pins or clips, iron, and your sewing machine
Brief steps
First, press your fabric lightly. Do not press all the life out of that crinkle. A gentle press to remove fold lines is plenty.
For the fronts, cut four rectangles at 12 1/2 inches by 18 1/2 inches. That gives you a 1/4-inch seam allowance all around.
Cut four backs the same size. Then cut four batting pieces the same size too.
Layer one placemat like a sandwich. Backing right side down, batting on top, then the gold front right side up.
Smooth it flat with your hands. Pin or use clips around the edges so nothing shifts.
Quilt it simply. Straight lines about 2 inches apart work great. Use a stitch length of about 3.0 mm, roughly 8 to 9 stitches per inch.
Start in the middle and sew out to the edges. That keeps little wrinkles from traveling ahead of your presser foot.
Trim each mat to exactly 12 1/2 inches by 18 1/2 inches after quilting. Quilting can shrink things just a touch.
Now bind the edges. Cut 2 1/2-inch binding strips and join them into one long strip.
You will need about 66 inches of binding per placemat. That is roughly 264 inches total for all four.
Sew the binding on with a 1/4-inch seam. Miter the corners, then fold it to the back and stitch it down. Stitch in the ditch on the front catches it nice and clean.
Practical tips
Slow down at the corners. A placemat corner is small, so pivot with your needle down. Turn, then keep going. Just like that.
If a line of quilting wobbles a little, leave it. These are placemats, not a judged show quilt. It does not have to be perfect.
You are your own worst critic here. Nobody at dinner is measuring your lines. They are reaching for the mashed potatoes.
Take your time, it's not a race. Four placemats are four chances to practice. The fourth one will be your best, and that is completely normal.
For washing, cotton placemats go right in the wash with your kitchen linens. That crinkle hides little wrinkles, which is a real gift.
Alrighty. Press your set, set your table, and enjoy how that warm gold makes everything look good. Super duper easy, and really really pretty.
Thanks for sewing along with me, folks. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Dear Stella Crimp Gold Cotton 44"/45" Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
