PLEASE DONATE. I recently had 2 surgeries, do not have health insurance and live on Social Security. I will be delighted to share with you if you will appreciate how much time and knowledge this takes. Thank you. Linda
Check out my other blog http://teacupmilliner.blogspot.com/
Only use these tablemats when the kids arrive home from school. Make it a ritual that allows them to feel that after school home coming is very special.
Many young children love the idea of going back to school, but some new to going to school may feel anxious. This project isn't for a child to take to school, it is for when the child returns home after a day at school. There's nothing like that warm feeling when you walk in the door and something awaits you that makes you feel safe and special. That's what this project is all about. A special placemat for each child to sit at the bar or table in the kitchen and have a glass of milk and a chocolate chip cookie.
How to make the placemat pattern.
I could have given you an easy oblong pattern to work with, but the idea of this blog is to take you to a higher level of expertise, without getting too difficult. So I am going to teach you how to make an oval placemat pattern.
At fabric stores they sell something called tracing fabric. Different companies make it under different names, but the people who work in these store will know what you are talking about. It's relatively inexpensive and I use it all the time to design my patterns. It already has marks showing 1" squares which saves a lot of work.
You will need a piece 12" by 18". Now you will curve one corner only. I used a pencil and over 5" in height I sketched out a curve until I was happy. It doesn't have to be absolutely perfect. Cut off the corner.
Fold the placemat in half lengthways and pin. Then cut off the opposite corner to match.
Now fold the placemat in half, pin and cut the other two corners. Now they will all match.
Mark your pattern piece in pencil to remember what it is for and also put on it that you will need 2 piece of fabric and 1 piece of batting. When not in use store your pattern in a small Ziploc bag.
For the backing of my placemats I chose a really fun fabric I had in my collection. I often buy fabrics on clearance and this was one of them. Teddy bears wearing bright clothing are enjoying foods of many kinds. I liked the bright clothing because I could make the plain colored side in more than one color if I chose to make more placemats.
Cut one piece in a solid color fabric.
Cut one piece in a patterned fabric.
Cut one piece in a thin batting.
Make a batting sandwich. One piece of fabric on each side. Place pins not too close to the edge and some in the middle.
The next two photos are for sewing machine users. If you have an over locker, serge all around this sandwich now.
Sewing machine users. Set your sewing machine for a long running stitch as if you were going to do gathers. This way the machine will not bunch up through the 3 thicknesses.
Set you machine for Zigzag now and run around the outside edge.
All machines.
How much trim will you need? Fold your pattern into 4 as shown above and measure around the 1/4 of the edge. Mine came to 13" so I multiplied it by 4 and that is 52". Therefore you will need 1 yard and 16" for each placemat.
Types of trims for edge.
At the bottom of this blog you will see a placemat I made with bias tape edging. I have manual bias tape makers from many years of sewing, although these days they have a bias tape making machine which as yet I don't own. You can buy bias tape and will need a wide one if you want to finish your placemat that way. However, you must be a proficient sewer to do a good job and for the sake of those who have a way to go, I used a wide rickrack instead. Whatever trim you choose, it has to curve, and many do not. Rickrack will.
This close up shows you that I used a normal straight stitch to sew the rickrack on. When you finish, use fray check available at fabric stores, to stop the ends of the rickrack unraveling when washing.
You can buy a spray product made to waterproof fabric for outdoors and because these are made for small and young children it would be a good idea to spray them both sides before using. There are many brands available ranging in a wide variety of prices, but you don't need an expensive one. It would be worth the effort so that you won't have to worry about spilled milk.
Now make some for your home or holiday entertainment.
Now you know how to make placemats, you can make a set in any color you like. I used a solid color on one side and a patterned fabric on the other. I made some biased tape to match the backing fabric. I had some fabric that had English hunting horse and riders on, so I
appliquéd one on the solid colored side once I finished.
You can see the under side and the under fabric matches the biased tape I made.
Here you can see how I made matching napkins. All you need to do is cut a 16" square of tracing fabric for your pattern. If you have an over locker, set it for rolled hemming. If not, make a small hem and sew with your sewing machine.
For graphs, glues and stuff I use, check out this blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment