As you go through this tutorial we will show you how to make your own set of Fusible Patchwork Placemats. This will be a great opportunity for you to finally get all of your furniture and accessories to match whilst giving your home that homemade touch! This tutorial was created using The Craft Cotton Company’s Vintage Floral Fat Quarters.
What you will need:
Sewing machine
Large sheet of paper or grease proof paper
Tape measure
Pencil
Cutting board
Scissors or rotary cutter
Ruler
An iron
Bosal Fusible Placemats (sold in packs of 4)
The Craft Cotton Company Vintage Floral fat quarter set (2 fat quarter sets to cover all 4 placemats)
First, draw your pattern:
Draw around the placemat on the paper and draw a line down and across the middle (at 20.3cm and 15.75cm). On the first half of the template, slit the half into 3 equal sections (6.75cm) and draw 2 lines straight down. On the second half of the template, split the half into two (10.15cm) and draw a line straight down. Cut these pieces out.
Next, cut out your fabric:
Draw around the template on the wrong-side of the fabric, making sure the fabric pattern is facing the right way. Cut out your fabric leaving a 1cm seam allowance.
Sew your fabric together to make the front:
We started by sewing the top row together and then the bottom row together. We then joined these two piece together. Sew along the seam allowances, making sure all of the seams fall in the same direction.
Draw out the back and attach both sides:
Choose the fabric that you want for the back. Draw around the placemat on the wrong-side of the fabric. Cut out the fabric leaving a 1cm allowance.
Iron both the front and the back pieces to get out any creases. Place the front piece onto the placemat, making sure there is an equal over hang around the edge, iron onto the placemat until the fabric bonds with the fusible fibres. Repeat the same for the back piece on the reverse side of the place mat. Leave the placemat to cool and set.
Trim the fabric to the edge of the placemat.
Next, making the binding:
To make the binding, use the largest part of fabric (the diagonal part). Measure the circumference of the placemat and add on an extra 10cm to ensure your binding is more than long enough. On the wrong-side of the fabric draw out the binding in two strips to be joined together (each 5cm wide), starting from one corner and drawing diagonally across the fabric at a 45° angle to create your bias binding.
Sew the two pieces of binding together as shown and trim the excess fabric, press the seams open.
Fold the top and bottom part of the strip of binding by 1cm and iron to create a crease. Then, fold the whole binding in half and iron to create another crease. You should now have 3 creases.
Place the wrong-side of the binding to the back of the placemat and match the raw edge of the fabric to the edge of the placemat. Sew around the binding on the first 1cm fold, leaving 2cm unstitched at the beginning so that you can join the binding ends together.
Joining the binding:
When you have stitched around your binding, turn the beginning of your binding back by 1cm.
Overlap the ends by 1cm and then trim the excess. Stitch along the join making sure your fold marks on both pieces match up.
Finally, top stitch your binding:
Pull the binding over the edge of the placemat so that the fabric’s right-side is facing up, and the centre fold runs flush with the edge of the placemat.
With the front of the placemat facing you, tuck the remaining edge underneath and top stitch neatly around the edge of the binding making sure your first stitch is fully covered, this should catch on the other side of your binding too create a neat finish.
© By Raeven Erin and Victoria Louise for The Craft Cotton Company 2015