How to Make Kitchen Place Mats

Try making several place mats in the same design or making several different designs using the same fabrics. This will add a special touch to your kitchen.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 12 1/2" square piced block
• 2 (4" x 12 1/2") pieces of fabric for sides
• 1 (12 1/2" x 19 1/2") pice of fabric for backing
• 1 (12 1/2" x 19 1/2") piece of Pellon fleece

1. Machine stitch the 2 side rectangles to either side of the pieced block, right sides together. Press the block front and back.

2. Transfer any stencil pattern onto the front of the place mat for a quilting guideline. Pin and baste the Pellon fleece to the wrong side of the backing fabric.

3. Align the backing and the top of the place mat right sides together. Machine stitch these layers together on all sides with a 1/4" seam allowance leaving a 4" oopening on one side.

4. Be sure to leave the needle in the fabric when you pivot at the corners. Trim edges to an 1/8" seam allowance on all sides. Turn the place mat right side out through the 4" opening; close the opening with a slip stitch.

5. Hand quilt a line 1/4" inside all of the outside edges. Baste the place mat well and quilt from the center outward following the stencil pattern previously marked.

Tips & Warnings

• If your table is round or oval a rectangular place mat will hang over the edge; you may wish to cut the right angle from each corner, forming an octagonal place mat.
• Consuider tracing a knife, fork and spoon design for quilting.