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
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″.
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
I thought this would be a great idea for someone who buys lots of greeting cards in advance of birthdays or special holidays. You could have up to three month’s worth of cards in easy reach – one month to a pocket. It would also be great for those who make their own cards, or even for scrapbooking enthusiasts as a place to stash photos until everything is ready to create that new page in the book.
The quilting pins helped to stablize the fabric while I was cutting the pattern pieces. Since the pieces for the purse were all rectangular, I decided to use my rotary cutter, and the flat pins worked great for that – the ruler lay over the fabric nicely and my pattern pieces came out perfectly.
Need another idea? How’s this? Here is a jacket and skirt that have been embellished with yo-yos and pearls. It gives a whole new look to this outfit. The skirt and top were made using McCalls Pattern #5542. Hancock Fabrics Demonstrator Carol Prettyman made the outfit and added the embellishment. Heart yo-yos have been used to accent the bottom of the jacket and down the front . Hearts have also been added to each of the sleeves. And if you look carefully at the close-up picture, you’ll see that circle yo-yos dangle from the hem of the jacket to add a little extra movement. Using fabrics that matched and coordinated with the skirt pulls this entire outfit together. The pearls add just that little touch of flash that we all like to see in our clothing from time to time.
Sheila Reinke 