Placemat Instructions for Friendship Trays

Here are the insturctions for the placemats:  If you are interested in turning your orphan blocks into something useful for some people in our community, follow the instructions below and bring them with you to the next meeting! 

Placemats and Napkins

These directions assume you are using a 12.5" square block for the center.  Ending size of placemat is 16.5" x 12.5" bound.  Napkin 17" x 17" hemmed.

Placemat:

Materials

16.5" x 12.5" batting & backing fabric; 12.5" block; 2.5" x 12.5" strips to match block (2); binding material 1.5" x 68"  (can be one continuous or spliced piece for mitered binding or (2) 12.5" and 18" sections for squared binding)

Steps:

1.  Sew 2 strips to 12.5" block using quarter inch seams.  Spray baste back to batting and then front to batting. 

2. Machine quilt.  (In the ditch, all-over lines or pattern...optional)  Do enough to make the sandwich secure. 

3.  Optional 1/8th " seam around edges to secure. 

4.  Fold the binding strip (s) in half and iron wrong sides together.  Sew the binding to the front....Bind according to the method desired.  If not used to doing continuous binding, follow this link:        Binding Your Project - YouTube

Then either hand stitch or machine stitch in the ditch on the front to secure the binding to the back.

Napkins:

Materials :  Cotton fabric to match placemat cut 18" x 18".

Steps:             Sew Modern: That's What She Sewed: Napkins In No Time! - YouTube

1.  Iron 1/2" around all sides, wrong sides touching.  (I use 1/4" fold because I want thinner edging.)

2.  Fold the napkin right sides together diagonally.  Mark sewing line for miter on all four corners.  The sewing line will be perpendicular to the fold line...crossing the edges of folded fabric.  Pin to secure.  (see YouTube reference.)

3.  Stitch and trim to 1/8".  Push out the mitered corner.

4.  Iron again, allowing the fold to match the mitered corner. 

5.  Top stitch on front, making sure to secure the corners.