These beautiful placemats are perfect for your big National Embroidery Month family dinner. The seed packet print is ‘fussy cut’ to take advantage of the cool striped pattern, then paired with wonderful botanical embroidery designs from Westminster Fibers new collection of embroidery design CDs digitized to coordinate with fabrics from some of the industry’s leading fabric designers. We choose two designs from the Anna Maria Horner CD.

These beautiful placemats are perfect for your big National Embroidery Month family dinner. The seed packet print is ‘fussy cut’ to take advantage of the cool striped pattern, then paired with wonderful botanical embroidery designs from Westminster Fibers new collection of embroidery design CDs digitized to coordinate with fabrics from some of the industry’s leading fabric designers. We choose two designs from the Anna Maria Horner CD.

Sometimes we find a fabric and immediately MUST come up with a project to use it. This was one of those times. The print is called Teatime Florals Two Rouge Flower Power by Lakehouse Dry Goods. It’s matched with a great natural muslin by Moda. Both fabrics are available online from FatQuarterShop, which was kind enough to provide us with the fabric for this project. We also send thanks to Westminster Fibers for the Designer Embroidery CDs.

We layered out placemats with craft fleece for stability and to make sure the mat is dense enough to handle a warm plate without leaving a mark on your table. It’s like a thin batting. You can find craft fleece at most craft and fabric stores, and online at Hancock Fabrics among others.

Sewing Tools You Need

• Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome DC4030)
• Any Embroidery Machine (we recommend the Janome MC350E)

Fabric and Other Supplies

Yardage is for TWO placemats

• Fabric for placemat panels: ½ yard of 44-45″ fabric, this includes the extra fabric required for ‘ fussing cutting‘ the stripes: we used Lakehouse Dry Goods’ Teatime Florals Two in Rouge Flower Power Stripe
• Fabric for embroidered panels and placemat backing: ½ yard of 44-45″ cream decorator fabric: we used Moda’s Natural Muslin
• ½ yd craft fleece
• Embroidery design CD or other files: we used “Dahlia” and “Branching Out” both from Anna Maria Horner’s Garden Stroll from Westminster Fibers
• All purpose thread to match fabric
• 30 wt topstitching thread
• Tear-away stabilizer
• Embroidery thread in colors to coordinate with fabric, and as suggested by embroidery design
• Bobbin thread
• Acrylic ruler
• Rotary cutter and cutting mat
• Scissors
• Fabric marker
• Pins
• Iron and ironing board

Getting Started

1. Use the acrylic ruler, cutting mat and rotary cutter to ‘fussy cut’ two 15″ x 13″ rectangles from the seed packet print fabric. Use the photo below for placement of the stripes to help you get the exact look we created.
   
2. From the cream decorator fabric, cut two 8″ x 15″ rectangles for the embroidered panels and two 20″ x 15″ rectangles for the placemat backing.
3. From the craft fleece, cut two 20″ x 15″ rectangles.

At Your Sewing & Embroidery Machines & Ironing Board

1. Mark the center of each 8″ x 15″ panel for embroidery.
2. Hoop the 8″ x 15″ rectangle with two layers of cut away stabilizer. Make sure your mark is centered in the hoop.
   
3. Follow your embroidery machine’s steps to import a design from a CD and stitch it out as normal, using thread colors to coordinate with your selected fabrics.
4. Trim away excess stabilizer, and press embroidery from the wrong side of the fabric.
5. Repeat for the second placemat. You could use the same embroidery on all your placemats, or like we did, choose coordinating designs.
   
6. Pin the embroidered panel to the placemat top, right sides together.
   
7. Stitch together, using a ½” seam allowance. Press the seam toward the print fabric.
8. Make a placemat sandwich of the following layers: your completed panel, right side up, the rectangle of craft fleece, the rectangle of muslin, right side down.
   
9. Matching all your raw edges. Pin in place, leaving a 3″ opening along one side for turning.
10. Stitch around the entire outside edge, using a ½” seam allowance, leaving just that 3″ opening.
11. Clip the corners diagonally, and turn the placemat right sides out. Press, folding in the edges of the opening ½” so they are flush with the sewn seam.
12. Re-thread your machine with contrasting topstitching thread.
13. Topstitch the entire perimeter of the placemat, using the edge of the presser foot as a guide. In other words, run the edge of your presser foot right along the edge of the fabric; this will keep your line of topstitching straight and even with the edge. The topstitching will also close the 3″ opening.
14. Repeat for each placemat.
    
    Front Placemat 1

    
    Front Placemat 2

    
    Back of Placemats

Project Design: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation: Michele Mishler