Hey everyone! Today we're making a set of four placemats, and I'll show you how one warm auburn cotton can make everyday dinners feel a little more finished.
Here we go.
Meet the fabric
This is the Auburn Glisten 43"/44" Cotton Fabric Per Yard from Northcott.
It's cotton quilting fabric. The width is 43"/44". That's a touch narrower than some quilting cottons, so we plan our cuts to fit it.
It was designed by Patrick Lose. It's made by Northcott.
The colors listed for this one are auburn and red.
So picture a warm, rusty red-brown. Cozy, not bright. Rich, not loud.
That matters at the table. A warm, steady color like this works with plain white dishes and wood tables. Just like that, the table looks pulled together.
The project: a set of four placemats
We're making four placemats. Each one finishes at 12" by 18". That's a good, standard size. It holds a dinner plate, silverware, and a glass with room to spare.
Why does this fabric suit them? Quilting cotton is smooth and stable. It presses flat, and flat is exactly what you want here. A placemat that curls at the corners will fight you at every meal.
Cotton is also easy to wash. Spills happen. Crumbs happen. You want something you can clean and lay right back down.
Now, a little honesty from me. My first placemat came out wavy on one side. I had stretched the fabric while I sewed. Let the machine feed it, folks, and your edges will stay straight.
Materials
- 1 1/2 yards of Auburn Glisten — that covers the fronts and backs of all four placemats, with room to square up your cuts
- Low-loft cotton batting or fusible fleece, enough for four pieces cut 12" by 18"
- Thread in a warm auburn or rust to blend
- Rotary cutter, ruler, and mat, or good fabric scissors
- Pins or clips, a marking tool, and an iron — pressing is half this project
Brief steps
One. Cut eight fabric rectangles, each 13" wide by 19" tall. Four will be fronts, and four will be backs. That gives you a 1/2" seam allowance on every side.
Two. Cut four batting pieces, each 12" by 18". They match the finished size, so they stay out of your seams and keep the edges from getting bulky.
Three. Lay one back piece right side down. Center a batting piece on it. Lay one front piece on top, right side up. Smooth everything flat from the center out.
Four. Pin or clip all the way around. Leave a 4" opening along one long edge for turning. Mark that opening clearly. I have sewn all the way around before. More than once. The seam ripper and I are old friends.
Five. Sew around all four sides with a 1/2" seam allowance and a 2.5 mm stitch length. Use a size 80/12 needle — that's about 10 stitches per inch. Go slow at the corners. Pivot with the needle down, and you'll get a neat, square turn.
Six. Trim the corners at a diagonal, close to the stitching but not through it. Turn each placemat right side out through the opening. Push the corners out gently with a chopstick. Slow down there, or you'll poke straight through. Ask me how I know.
Seven. Press the placemat flat, tucking the opening edges in line with the seam. Topstitch around all four edges, about 1/8" from the edge. That one pass closes the opening and gives you a clean, finished frame. Repeat for the other three. Alrighty — you have a set of four.
Practical tips
Prewash if you plan to wash them later. Cotton can shrink a little. You'd rather meet that shrinkage before the placemat is finished, not after.
Want quilting on yours? You have options. A simple stitch in the ditch around the inside of your topstitching is clean and easy. A few straight lines across the middle add texture. Or leave it plain and let the color do the work. Completely up to you. I like one or two straight lines, myself. We're not reinventing the wheel here.
It doesn't have to be perfect. If one corner is a tiny bit softer than the others, that's fine. You're your own worst critic here. Set the table, sit down, and enjoy it. Take your time, it's not a race.
If I can do this, y'all can do it. Make a set for your own table first. Super duper easy, and folks really do use them.
Thanks so much for sewing along with me today. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Auburn Glisten 43"/44" Cotton Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
