Monday, May 11, 2015

Picnic Placemat Tutorial

I was inspired by the new Kiss the Cook fabric line for Dear Stella to make a BBQ themed project to use on my patio this summer.





Picnic Placemat - Finished size 12" x 21"
1. Placemat designed, pieced & quilted by Julie Herman 
2. Aurifil 50wt thread used for piecing & quilting. 
3. Batting is Warm Blend from The Warm Company. 

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Supplies for TWO placemats:

6 assorted Fat Eighths
3/8 Yard of binding
2/3 Yard of backing
2/3 Yard of Slicker by Sew Lazy (Optional)
Spray Baste (optional)
Batting
Ruler - Hex N More, Sidekick or Super Sidekick


Directions to make ONE placemat

1. Cut a 3 1/2" x 21" strip of fabric from each Fat Eighth.


2. Sub-cut strips into 3 1/2" triangles. You can use the Hex N More, Sidekick or Super Sidekick. You need 40 triangles for each placemat.

You'll need 40 triangles for each placemat. You can choose to be scrappy or plan out your layout. If you want to follow the layout I used, cut the number of triangles from each fabric as shown below.

















2. Arrange 40 triangles as shown.

3. Sew triangles into pairs. Align notched corners when possible. If you're having trouble aligning the triangles you can cut all the tips off, as seen here.


4. Sew pairs of triangles into complete rows.


5. Sew rows together to complete the top of the placemat.

6. Cut a rectangle of backing fabric - 15" x 24"


OPTIONAL
Add "Slicker" to create a laminated fabric backing for the placemat. I like to do this for placemats because when you have kids, or messy friends, around you can flip the placemat over and cleanup is super easy on the laminated side! (Follow manufacturers directions, this is just a sample below.)

7. Cut Slicker to the same size as the backing fabric for the placemat.

8. Peel slicker off paper and place sticky side down on fabric. Avoid getting any threads or dust between the slicker and fabric.

9. It will look something like this once the Slicker as been added to the backing fabric:

10. Place the paper shiny side down on top of the slicker. Use a dry iron on medium heat and press for about 8-10 seconds in each area. You don't need to use much pressure.

11. This is the result.


12. Layer the backing fabric, batting and placemat top. If you laminated your backing fabric it is best to spray baste them to avoid making holes in the slicker. If you didn't laminate your backing fabric you can pin the 3 layers together.

13. Quit as desired. I quilted straight lines 1/4" from each seam with a walking foot.



14. Add binding. I used 2 1/4" strips. You can find my binding tutorial here.

15. Wrap binding to the back and clip in place with Wonder Clips. Hand sew the binding in place to finish the placemat.

Enjoy!

Share your placemats with us on social media using #PicnicPlacemats. We can't wait to see what you come up with for yours!



© 2015-2022 Julie R. Herman. All rights reserved. 
No part of this tutorial or pattern may be reproduced without written consent of Jaybird Quilts. Items from this pattern may not be produced for commercial resale. 
For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/

9 comments:

The Thimblemouse of Country Crossroads said...

LOVE the placemat! Thanks for the tutorial...can't wait to give this a try. Quick question...I see you handstitched the binding on the back/laminated side...was it harder to stitch thru the laminate?

Teri said...

I have had placemats in my to do list for a long time now, these are perfect!!

Anita said...

These are so cute! Thanks for the tutorial :)

Texastam said...

Great tutorial! Thanks for sharing it with us. Love the placemat and can't wait to try it.

Susan Lindquist said...

What terrific tutorial! I have a friend who is getting married in a couple weeks. I think I just found a small gift for the couple! Thanks so much!

thepiececorps said...

Luv it, thank you!

thepiececorps said...

Luv it, thank you!

Conniecrafter said...

so nice of you to share a tutorial on this, and it is so easy to follow, lovely creation!

Piran's Mom said...

My grandmother made these for my mother some 50 years ago and I haven't been able to find them - but I do have my grandmother's stash! I was hoping to find some easy-to-follow instructions so that I can recreate them to pass on to a new generation. Thank you so much!