FREE Pattern – Easter Placemat

February 26, 2008October 26, 20085 Comments

Yesterday, I promised a placemat to go with your new Easter table-runner, and even better, this is my own pattern (with the exception of the appliqué in the center), so I can offer this as a free pattern to you!

You will need the following supplies to make 4 placemats –

white cotton fabric – 1 yard
colorful accent fabric – ½ yard
fabric for appliqué of your choice – depends on design chosen
small fabric squares for yo-yo embellishments
buttons
neutral fabric for backing – 1 yard
a strong, flat batting (I recommend using Warm & Natural, or Pellon Fleece) – 1 yard
coordinating seam binding – 8 yards

Pattern Image A Instructions that follow will walk you through the creation of ONE placemat, repeat as needed to complete your set.

Cut a white square 12½” x 12½”
Apply your applique to the center of the white square
Cut the accent fabric 6½” x 12½”
Sew accent fabric to left side of white square, using a ¼” seam allowance.
Sandwich together design fabric (top of placemat), batting, and backing fabric.
Using a ¼” seam allowance, sew around the placemat, trim edges, and add seam binding.
Quilt, using a simple design that will not detract from your center appliqué.
Your finished placemat will be approximately 12″ x 18″.

Image Pattern B My placemat also included some embellishements – the yo-yos that run down the seam between the accent fabric and the white fabric, as well as buttons to secure the yo-yos. I recommend adding any embellishments such as these after step 4, but before you continue on to step 5. This way all of your stitches will be inside of the quilted placemat. You will need to take care in quilting the finished product to avoid any damage to the yo-yos. The image to the left shows how the yo-yos were placed, and the approximate placement of the egg appliqué I used from the book “Quilted Holiday Accents”.

The sky is the limit with a pattern of this type, you can add multiple small appliqués, or just put in one large one as I did for my Easter placemat. The Easter Egg applique used on this sample you will find in the book “Quilted Holiday Accents” featured in the blog yesterday. Pick a copy of that book at Hancock Fabrics in the quilting department. The accent fabric down the left side could be a space to embroider the name of the person sitting at that place – turning your placemats into name cards. (What a fun way to make a guest feel special for a holiday dinner.)

You can also use your imagination when embellishing, just remember that if you want to use the placemats at the table with food, you need to keep things fairly simple. But with that in mind, imagine making special placemats up for your own little princess – using a marabou boa to trim the side of the placemat. These would make a fun party favor for the guests to take home with them as well as a great memento for your little princess of her special day.

Well, now you’ve seen the pattern, and seen a few suggestions for ways to make your own unique placemats. Below is the image of the finished piece. I think it will look great with the table-runner – don’t you?

What’s your inspiration? I’d love to see what types of ideas you can come up with for this fun pattern! Enjoy!
Sheila Reinke, Heart of Sewing
Sheila

Fuji Afternoon Quilt

February 15, 2008April 30, 20095 Comments

Recently, I’ve received several requests from people I work with for a pattern to use with the new “Fuji Afternoon” fabric collection being carried by Hancock Fabrics. In each case I have referred the person to the Springs Creative website, and most specifically to their projects link. There are some great patterns in there – I urge you to check them out if you’re a quilter looking for inspiration.

For those who haven’t yet seen the Fuji Afternoon fabrics, here is a small preview. On the left are two of the coordinate fabrics (in addition to these two there are a couple different floral prints that are coordinates – same pattern in different colors). And on the right is a grouping of three different fabrics.

Here is a closer look at the brilliant blue fabric with the portraits on it.

This blue is very striking, and is used in several pieces in the collection. The blue would make a nice focal color for a quilt – even if you were not making anything with an Asian style!
Unfortunately, I do not have a pattern for a quilt with these fabrics, but I can direct you to the free pattern that was created by the Springs fabric company to promote this striking collection. Fuji Afternoon Free Quilt Pattern (link updated 4/30/09).

I hope you all enjoy the pattern! If you have made something different with any of these fabrics, send me a link to a picture – I just may have to revisit this collection. (If I decide to use your picture, I will upload to my own file program – so as not to use up bandwidth from your site.)
Sheila Reinke, Heart of Sewing
Sheila

Quilt Block of the Month – Journey Quilt

February 14, 2008October 26, 20081 Comment

Yesterday I told you about the Journey Quilt that Hancock Fabrics has chosen for the Quilt Block of the Month program. I thought you might like to see a picture of the completed quilt. The ‘treasure’ block from yesterday’s post is the block in the upper left corner of the picture.