Handmade Jane loves sewing (she's particularly fond of vintage fabric and patterns). She started her crafts blog in 2010 and has been posting weekly how tos - from Betty Draper's Fifties floral shirt to crotchet tips - ever since. However - Jane's craft expertise isn't only in fashion. Here's her guide to making your own placemats (if that doesn't impress your guests at a dinner party, what will?)
These reversible placemats are super simple to make and a great way to showcase two contrasting fabrics. Quantities given are for a set of four placemats.
YOU WILL NEED:
- 1 yard of quilting weight fabric for the top side of the placemats (I've used Mod Daisy Stripe by Josephine Kimberling)
- 1 yard of co-ordinating fabric for the backing (I've used a yellow polka dot)
- 1 yard of fusible interfacing
- Co-ordinating thread (make sure it complements both fabrics if they're different colours)
METHOD:
1. Cut out the following rectangles:
4 x 19" wide by 13" high from your main fabric
4 x 19" wide by 13" high from your backing fabric
4 x 19" wide by 13" high from your interfacing
If you're using a fabric with a directional print, make sure the print runs crossways i.e. landscape format.
2. Iron the fusible interfacing onto your main fabric rectangles.
3. For each placemat, pin the main fabric piece to the backing piece, right sides together.
4. Starting in the middle of one of the shorter sides, sew all the way around each side, stopping about 4" from where you started. I use a ½" seam allowance.
5. Trim the corners diagonally, then turn each rectangle the right way round through the gap you've just left. Stick the end of a paintbrush or similar into the corners to make sure they're nice and pointy.
6. Press, making sure the seam allowance in the turning section is pressed under too.
7. Keeping quite close to the edge (about ¼"), top stitch all the way around the sides of each placemat, including the gap you left for turning.
8. One final press and you have yourself a set of placemats!