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