Sew reversible placemats :: Vanessa Arbuthnott :: free sewing patten

How to make fabric placemats - Vanessa Arbuthnott - free sewing patterns - Craft - allaboutyou.com

Placemats create an informal table setting: as well as being useful for protecting a polished surface, they help bring colour and interest to a scrubbed bare wooden tabletop. I used two fabrics for these mats, which can be reversed: Pie in the Sky in cloud and dark cloud, and Plain Check in smoke. Simple to sew, the mats are a perfect project for beginners – just stitch two pieces of fabric together, turn right side out and slip-stitch the opening. A set of them in toning or mix-and-match patterns would make a lovely gift.

You will need

● main fabric (see below quantity)
● contrast fabric (see right for quantity)
● matching sewing thread

Estimating quantity

● Decide on the size of your placemat and add 1cm all around for seam allowances. The placemat shown measures 29cm x 48cm.
● Allow for a front in the main fabric and a back in the contrast fabric, cut to the same size.

To make

Cut out a front and a back. With right sides together, pin the front to the back around the outer edges. Machine-stitch a 1cm seam down all four edges, leaving a 10cm opening along one short edge. Snip off the corners of the seam allowances.

Turn the placemat right side out. Press the seamed edges flat. On the edges of the opening, press 1cm to the wrong side. Slipstitch the edges of the opening together.

Thread your machine with different colours in the needle and on the bobbin, to match the two fabrics, then machine- stitch around all sides, close to the edge.

Tips:
Add decorative detail with co-ordinating ric-rac. Pin and sew it in place around the edge of one of the pieces of the placemat fabric before stitching the two parts together. Alternatively, top-stitch the ric-rac around the edges of the finished mat.

This project is taken from 'The Home-sewn Home' by Vanessa Arbuthnott with Gail Abbott (Cico Books, £16.99).