How to Mark a Placemat Backing

You must mark the placemat backing when making a quilted placemat so that you know where to place your quilting stitches. Fabric markers and fabric-marking chalk are made especially for this task. They give you the visible guides you need and disappear as if they'd never been there after you finish the stitching.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Quilt marker
• Fabric-marking chalk
• Wide fabric ruler

1. Cut a solid piece of fabric the same size as the placemat to use as your placemat backing.

2. Cut a piece of batting the same size as the placemat. Batting is the thick, soft material often used in quilting to puff the quilt between the quilting stitches.

3. Sandwich the batting between the top and back pieces of the placemat. Remember to place the top of the placemat right side out and the backing right side out so that when you turn the placemat over, the right side faces you.

4. Pin all four corners to keep the three pieces of placemat fabric together. Turn the placemat over so the right side of the backing faces you.

5. Place the fabric ruler straight up and down in the middle of the placemat. Use the cross lines on the ruler to square the ruler to the fabric.

6. Draw a line on the placemat from top to bottom with either a fabric marker or fabric-marking chalk, depending on the color of the fabric.

7. Measure two inches from the first line in either direction from the first line. Draw another straight line from the top to the bottom of the placemat two inches from the first line.

8. Repeat Steps 7 and 8 until you have straight lines every two inches across the placemat.

9. Sew quilting stitches over the lines you've drawn on your fabric.

10. Rub the chalk off the placemat fabric after you've stitched over it or spritz the fabric with water to remove the marks left by the fabric marker.