How to Make Professional Quality Placemats
Handmade placemats can give your table a finished look and can be made with fabrics to match your decor. They are easy to make and can be embellished with any decorative items such as ribbon, buttons or charms. Mind the details and your placemats will look as professional as those purchased from your local homegoods store.
Things You'll Need
- Fabric
- Interfacing
- Sewing machine
- Needle
- Thread
- Scissors
- Ruler or tape measure
- Corner tool or chopstick/knitting needle
- Embellishments of your choice
Instructions
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Determine the size of your finished placemats and add 1/2 inch to each side for a seam allowance (this will give you a 1/4-inch seam allowance on each edge). For example, if your finished place mat will be 14 1/2 by 11 inches, your fabric pieces will need to be cut to 15 by 11 1/2 inches.
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Cut your front and back fabric and interfacing to the appropriate measurement. You can use the same fabric for the front and back or you can use contrasting or complementary fabrics to give you more decor options. When choosing interfacing, it should be thick enough to allow your placemats to keep their shape.
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3
Lay the fabric with right sides together. Place the interfacing on top (the interfacing can be on the back of either the front or back fabric. Sew around the rectangle, leaving around 3 to 4 inches open. Using your scissors, carefully snip a few cuts in the seam-allowance corners.
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4
Turn the placemats right-side-out and shape the corners with your corner tool. Iron the placemats, and sew the openings closed with your needle and thread. You can now embellish your mats in any way desirable, including quilting with your sewing machine, adding buttons or ribbons or any other way you wish.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are making a patchwork placemat set or using several fabrics, sew them together first and then cut to size.
You can also use iron-on interfacing that will stick to the fabric.
Be careful when pushing out the corners, especially if using a sharp object such as a knitting needle. If you push too hard, the needle can poke through your fabric.
Make sure any embellishments are washable.
References
- Photo Credit buttermilk biscuits image by Karin Lau from Fotolia.com
