Reversible Placemats
The fabrics for this project were provided to me by Paintbrush Studio Fabrics.
I recently became a tester for Paintbrush Studio Fabrics through their Let’s Get Sew-cial application process. This is my first project I’ve made for them, and I have had so much fun. They have been so encouraging and easy to work with, and quickly provided me with the fabric I needed for this project. If you think this would be something you would enjoy, you can find more information and the application here.
So I’ve been on a bit of a kick lately with placemats. During the summer months, we have dinner on our deck as often as we can. I’ve enjoyed making placemats to make our table look fun and inviting.
When I saw the Food Truck fabric line from Paintbrush Studio Fabrics, I immediately wanted to make reversible placemats. The fabrics are so fun and festive, and I wanted to let each design have all the attention. You can go here to see the fabrics in the line.
Here are my four placemats.
A peek at them on my table.
On the flip side.
So, how about a quick tutorial? They are so fast and easy.
Step 1 – The Template
The template is easy to make. You’ll need a piece of paper, a compass (if you have), ruler, scissors, and blue painter’s tape.
Decide on the size of your placemat. I made mine 15″ diameter, and half of 15″ is 7-1/2″. If you make a different size, you’ll need to divide your diameter in half for this next step. To draw the template, I first anchored the paper with the tape. Using the ruler, I made a mark 7-1/2″ to the right of the bottom left corner of the paper. I made an additional mark 7-1/2″ up from the bottom left corner on the left side of the paper. You can see the registration marks in the photo below.
Then, using a compass, draw an arc between the two registration points. If you are like me and can’t find your compass, you can use the old method of string and pencil. It’s not quite as accurate, but done carefully it will do in an pinch. Cut your template on the curved line.
Now you are ready to begin making the placemats. For each placemat, you’ll need three fat quarters of coordinating fabric; one for the front, one for the back, and one for the binding. You’ll also need one 18″ square piece of batting for each placemat. I used Hobbs 80/20.
Step 2 – Cutting the Circle
For this step, take one of the fat quarters and fold it in fourths. I folded mine up from the bottom, then folded it again left to right.
Place the template on the fabric, lining up the corner of the template with the bottom left corner of the folded fabric. Pin.
Cut along the curved line of the template. Remove the pins and template, open it up, and you should have a circle.
Step 3 – Quilting
Lay the fat quarter for the other side of the placemat right side down and lay the batting on top. Center the circle-cut fat quarter right side up on top to create the quilt sandwich. Use your preferred method to baste (I use spray baste).
Quilt as you desire. I chose to do straight line quilting using my walking foot, but you could have fun with this using spirals, meander, or another design. My quilting was done with Aurifil thread, using two different colors of thread, one thread matching the top fabric, and the bobbin thread matching the fabric on the underside.
Step 4 – Binding
A bias binding is needed for the placemat. Tip: To make it really simple, use packaged bias binding in a coordinating color.
I used self-made bias binding. With the remaining fat quarter, trimmed to 18″ square, I turned it on point on my cutting board, and cut it in half. I layered the two large triangles on top of each other and cut two sets of 2-1/4″ strips. Once the strips were cut, I sewed the strips together end to end, folded the strip in half and stitched it to one side of my placemat, tucking one end inside the other to close out the circle. Then I flipped it over and stitched it down.
One Last Tip
If you have some Scotchgard on hand, you could treat each side of the placemat before using them. This treatment will keep those stains at bay for a bit. You’ll have to reapply after washing.
Enjoy!
Wendy
24 Comments
Velda at the Freckled Fox Quiltery
Anything so quick to make that looks this great is definitely on my “to do” list! I have a quick curve ruler and think I will use that instead of looking for my compass. Thanks so much for this.
Riceford Streams
This is a perfect way to use these fun fabrics.
Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting
Cute, Wendy! Super cute! I love how they look on your table–both sides!
Danice G
What adorable place mats. Those fabrics are too cute. Thank you for the tutorial.
Lisa J.
This is a fun use of the food truck fabric. I’ve been waiting for a window of time to apply to make something from them as well. It may have to wait for the fall in my case as my time never seems to free up these days.
Cindy Pieters
These are adorable!
Vicki in MN
You’ll have lots of fun dinners on your deck using those cute placemats! Great tutorial too;)
Tish
These are adorable! I can see why you wanted to turn them into placemats. The pre-made bias tape is a great tip too!
Louise Hornor
I love that circular place mats are becoming your signature table style! These are so, so cute with the Food Truck fabrics. Thanks for the tutorial, too 🙂
Karen Goad
looks very fast to do and like the scotch guard tip
Diann Bottrell
How fun to become a fabric tester for PBS! It’s very tempting to go fill out their application… 🙂 That fabric is sure fun, and I love your placemats. Thanks for sharing how they were made, too, Wendy!
Molli
Oh these are just so cute and love the food truck fabric designs!
I wish I could order a set of 6! 😉
Enjoy your suppers outside! The warm temps are coming I think…🤔
It’s a beautiful sunny day up here today! It is a welcome sight as we have had rain the last three days!
Barbara
Those are super cute. I want to make some placemats for the new RV, and these might be just the ticket.
Laura M
Fun project with these fun fabrics.
Gray Barn Designs
Very nice!
Kathy
So cute! I’ve wanted to make placemats but although I love the crinkly look in my quilts after washing, not sure how the placemats will look after wash.
Needle and Foot
Adorable! I love round placemats on round tables. The rectangles just don’t look as nice. PB Studios is a great company to work with. They have supported projects and events for me in the past. I bet you will have fun making projects with their fabrics.
rl2b2017
Hi Wendy! Well, aren’t these adorable?!! You rarely see round placemats which I always thought was odd since plates are round. Perfect for eating outside or inside, these really jazz up the table. I’d always try to get that ice cream one and then hurry through the main course to get to dessert. HAHA! Yum – I wish I had a cone right now. ~smile~ Roseanne
thedarlingdogwood
These are super cute! What fantastic food fabrics! I need to make some new sandwich wraps, these fabrics would be perfect!
Kathleen McCormick
Those are too much fun! I love the simplicity and yet they are just so much fun to see on the table. Great job!
smilesfromkate
They are quite lovely, and a great way of using up leftovers pieces of favourite fabrics, I like that they are reversible too. Thank you for the great tutorial.
Andrée
Hi Wendy, those are really cute!
Sandra Walker
Good for you Wendy! You are putting your squirrels to work lol! I, too, have loved working with Paintbrush Studio. 🙂
piecefulwendy
Thanks, Sandra! These were fun squirrels, for sure!