Hey everyone! Today we're making a fresh set of placemats, and I'll show you how one batik can dress up your table without a lot of fuss.
Here we go.
Meet the fabric
This is the Anthology BA-7143 45" wide fabric per yard from Fabric Fanatics.
It's a batik. It's 45" wide. And it's sold by the yard here at Linda's.
The listing keeps it simple. Anthology is the name in the title, and BA-7143 is its number. It does not list specific colors, so I won't guess at them. For this project, the type and the width are what matter most.
Batiks are a really really good pick for table projects. They press crisp and flat. They hide everyday crumbs and little spills in the pattern. And that layered batik look gives you interest in every placemat, even with the simplest cut.
Completely up to you how you use it, of course. Make all four the same for a calm table. Or turn each one a quarter turn as you quilt it, so the light shifts a little from seat to seat.
The project: a set of four placemats
We're making four placemats that each finish about 12" by 18".
That is a good size, folks. Room for a dinner plate, silverware, and a glass, without the placemats fighting each other in the middle of the table.
Why does this fabric suit it? A placemat lives right up close. Folks see it and touch it at every meal. A batik stands up to daily use, quilts up with beautiful texture, and needs no fussy piecing to look finished.
Materials
- 1 yard of Anthology BA-7143 for the placemat fronts
- 1 yard of backing fabric, or a second yard of BA-7143 if you want them reversible
- Batting cut into 4 pieces, each about 13" by 19"
- 1/4 yard for binding, or leftover strips cut at 2 1/2" wide
- Thread that blends with your fabric
- Rotary cutter, ruler, and mat
- Pins or clips, and a walking foot if you have one
One yard at 45" wide gives you room for all four fronts, with scraps left over for mug rugs.
Brief steps
One. Press your fabric first. Use a hot, dry iron. Batiks press crisp, and that makes cutting so much easier. Measure twice, then cut once.
Two. Cut four fronts at 12 1/2" by 18 1/2". Cut four backs the same size. Lay a back face down, batting on top, then a front face up. Smooth from the middle out, and pin about every 4" so nothing shifts.
Three. Quilt each placemat simply. I like stitch in the ditch around the edge first, then echo lines about 1" apart across the top. Use an 80/12 needle and a stitch length of about 2.5. Go slow at the thick spots where you cross seams. Slow down there or the needle can snap. That's your warning moment, folks.
Four. Trim each placemat to a clean 12 1/2" by 18 1/2", squaring the corners as you go. Check all four against each other so your set stacks neat.
Five. Bind with double-fold binding cut at 2 1/2" wide. Sew it on with a 1/4" seam allowance, miter the corners, and tie off your ends clean. Just like that, you have a finished placemat. Repeat three more times and your set is done.
Practical tips
Test your quilting on a scrap sandwich first. Ten minutes of testing saves you an hour with a seam ripper. We're not reinventing the wheel here.
Want options? You have them. Meander freehand for a soft look. Use ruler work for crisp, straight lines. Or keep it to stitch in the ditch plus one echo line if you want them done fast. My preference is the echo quilting, but it is completely up to you.
I have bound a corner too tight and made it pucker before. Oh my goodness, yes I have. Clip it loose, ease that corner back flat, and sew it again a little slower. The fix is part of the making.
And here's the permission beat, because I mean it every time. It does not have to be perfect. A quilting line that wanders a hair still looks handmade and loved. You're your own worst critic, folks, and nobody at your table is measuring your placemats. Take your time. It's not a race. If I can do this, y'all can do it.
Alrighty. Thanks so much for sewing along with me today. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Anthology BA-7143 45" wide fabric per yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
