Tutorial - Easy Placemat Finish

A few days ago I showed you a set of four placemat tops here. The pattern was quick, easy and fun! What more could you want? The pattern directions for finishing off the placemats suggested either binding the mats (who wants to spend time doing binding for placemats!!? Not me...) or pillowcase style where you leave an opening along one edge and turn through that opening. Yeah.... well, you know how hard it is to then close that opening and get it totally straight and smooth so it's not noticeable. I prefer to use another method and thought I'd share it with you here. I find it gives a better looking product- all edges are even, straight and smooth. It's as easy as a seam across the backing of your placemats, leaving an opening in that seam and turning the mat through it, then hand-stitching the opening closed. Who really cares if there is a seam on the back- seriously, who would even notice??
First of all I should tell you that I have trimmed down these placemats slightly to "fit" the request from Meals on Wheels - they like the mats to be about 12" by 16". The Take Four pattern will give you placemats larger than that, but the pattern  does not give an exact size, as what you get will vary depending on the size of your four fat quarters. (Yes they should all be pretty much the same size, but they're not... just sayin')




This method does requires purchasing a few more inches of fabric for the backing IF you are laying the mats lengthwise on your backing fabric. (If laying crosswise on your fabric, no worries.) I like to make this backing seam a 1/2" seam, so I cut the backing at least 1.5" longer and about 1" wider than the mat. I chose a dark green from the Moda Marble Swirls line.

Then cut it in half - crosswise, not lengthwise. Stitch a 1/2" wide seam, beginning with normal stitch length for several inches, then backstitch and switch to a basting stitch. Don't even cut your thread, just continue stitching/basting across to within a few inches of the other edge, then switch back to normal stitch length, backstitch, and finish seam at normal stitch length.












I then press this seam open - press it well so you get a good crease. Then the choice is yours whether to press to one side or leave it pressed open. The well defined crease will come in handy when hand-stitching the opening closed.






Now lay your placemat top on top of backing, right sides together, smooth out with your hands, and trim the backing to fit your placemat exactly. Leave these two right sides together, and place on top of your batting with wrong side of backing up. Your "stack" should be in this order: batting on bottom, placemat right side up and backing right side down. You can trim the batting to fit now, or trim after stitching. Pin around the edge so that nothing will shift.

Let me tell you about this new product I tried for the batting. It is called Stiff Stuff and it's made by Sew Lazy - Lazy Girls Designs. I. LOVE. IT. (If you're a local reader you can get it at our new local quilt shop- The Christmas Crab Quiltery.) The label describes  it as a "firm flexible sew-in non woven 100% polyester "interfacing" - it is PERFECT for placemats.  It is firm but not stiff and it yields a perfectly flat placemat ( no wine glass wobble! ha). It is not bulky at the edges where it is in the seam either. LOVE IT. It's my new go-to for placemats and runners from now on.

Stitch a 1/4" seam all around the placemat - no need to leave an opening along the edge. I chose to round the corners. I like the look of rounded corners, and it's easier than trying to get four perfect square corners- seems one is always too pointy! pffft! I found a small Tupperware lid in my kitchen to draw the curve at each corner. Once I have sewn all around the mat, I trim the curved corners a bit, to reduce bulk and ensure a smooth corner edge.

Now you are ready to remove the basting stitches along that backing seam. If you backstitched at each end of the regular stitching, it's easy to pick out the basting and stop when you reach the backstitching. Now reach through the opening and turn the mat right side out. Smooth out the mat and take it to your ironing board. Press carefully all around the mat's edge, being careful that the backing fabric does not show on the front. (Again- the Stiff Stuff gave a beautiful edge. No, I don't work for the company. I'm just a new fan! lol) Once your mat is well pressed, you can hand-stitch the opening closed. I use matching thread of course, and small invisible stitches. I slide the needle along inside the fold - that nice creased edge you got from pressing that seam open - then take a small stitch of the fabric below if you pressed the seam to one side. If you left the seam pressed open, you'll be sliding your needle inside both creased folds, going back and forth from one side to the other. The trick is to keep your stitches small so the seam will be fairly strong.




The final step is to quilt your mats. I just did stitch in the ditch with monofilament thread. Some choose to also topstitch around the edge, about 1/4" from edge.

I am so pleased with  this set of placemats, I sorta hate to part with them, but they will be going to Meals on Wheels for the Christmas dinners. Hopefully they will brighten the day for four clients. I'll be making another set for myself one of these days, and I'll be using this method for turning them. Easy Peasy. Merry Christmas!
If you have found this tutorial as a result of a search for "placemat finishing," please leave me a comment and let me know how you like my technique. Better still, send me a photo of your finished placemats!

Peace,
Linda

"Some people choose not to donate their services because they believe that it somehow devalues them by 'giving them away.' In truth, there is nothing that demonstrates the value of your skills more than putting them to good use for a cause you believe in." ~ Scott Allen

Tutorial for a Quick Easy Gift

I made up this little item on the weekend, from directions a quilting friend gave me a few years ago. And then I thought, I wonder if others would like a little tutorial on how to make this cute little giftie item... Can you guess what it is?






 No, it's not a Needle Book... It's a Tea Caddy- for those who carry their own tea bags. Are you a tea drinker? If so, you might like one of these to pop in your purse or totebag, or you might want to make some for a few of your tea-drinking friends. It is very quick and easy, and holds up to six teabags.

All you need (other than your sewing machine, thread, marking pencil and pins) is three pieces of fabric and one button. Choose two co-ordinating or contrasting fabrics - your choice. Cut a rectangle measuring 9.5" by 12.5" from each of the two fabrics, and one piece 5" by 1.25" from either of the two fabrics.

First, let's make the closure tab. Using the 5" x 1.25" piece, fold in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and crease well. (I press it) Open up and fold each lengthwise edge in to the center (meet that creased line). Press again, then fold in half lengthwise. Your strip should now measure just slightly more than 1/4" wide by 5" long.

Topstitch the folded edges together- your choice to just stitch one side or both.

Bring ends together and stitch across to hold.

Place the two rectangles right sides together, and stitch all the way around with a 1/4" seam, leaving an opening of several inches for turning, about 1" from corner on the longer side.

Trim the bulk at the corners - I snip off the corner at a 45° angle, then trim just a bit more from the seam allowance on each side of the corner.

Now turn it right side out, through the opening, and press edges well all around, being careful to get right out to the seam. It should measure about 9" x 12". At this point, if you haven't already, decide which fabric you want on the outside. I chose the floral batik as my "outside" and the smaller design batik for the inside.

Take each 9" edge and fold in toward the center (inside) leaving a space of  1/4" to 1/2" in the middle.  This will form the pockets.

Insert the tab in the opening, centering it along that pocket, pin. Topstitch both ends, catching the tab in the stitching, to secure. Piece now measures roughly  6" x 9".

With a marking pencil, draw two lines straight across from side to side, dividing the long pockets into three equal sections, approx. 3" wide each.

Stitch on each line, through all thicknesses, creating six pockets.

Insert teabags. I left three peeking out here, so you'd know they are there!

Fold in half lengthwise, then fold up in thirds, from end opposite the tab. Mark placement for button on outside of middle pocket. It is important that teabags are in the caddy before you mark placement for the button, as they "fill it out" and it will be too tight if you placed button when caddy was empty. (Ask me how I know that... lol  Yep, gotta move the button on the first one I did...)

It's a little tricky to sew this button on, as you only are sewing through the outside layer- not right through to the inside of caddy. The finished caddy is roughly 3" square, thickness depends on your teabags.

That's it. You're done.  This is the first Blog Tutorial I have done, so if you follow these directions to make a Tea Caddy, I'd love for you to leave a comment and let me know how you found it- all constructive criticism and suggestions welcomed!!  I should have waited for a brighter day so I could have taken all photos outside, but wanted to get it done today and Ma Nature didn't co-operate, it was a dark dreary day so all photography was done inside. Not the best. Anyway, it's a simple little item for a gift and it doesn't take long. Just what we need these days. Christmas is only 36 days away. Just sayin'....

Peace,
Linda

I cannot count my day complete, 'til needle, thread and fabric meet.