Project by Rebecca Cole
These beautiful place settings are not only attractive to look at and practical to use, they include quirky designs that will make your dining table unique!
Time to Make:
2-3 hrs
Skill Level:
Beginner/Intermediate
You Will Need:
· Blue floral FQ pack (can’t remember the name!)
· Front panel 46cm x 32cm
· Back panel 46cm x 32cm (leave slightly larger than these measurements)
· 8cm x 1m 65cm binding strip (stitch strips together to achieve desired length)
· Fabric pieces to make flower heads, flower centres, and flower pots.
· Fabric piece at desired size for napkin (or ready-made napkin if preferred)
· Thermolan or similar heat proof wadding 46cm x 32cm (leave slightly larger than these measurements)
· Bondaweb
· Sewing machine (with ability to drop the feed dogs, also a free motion foot)
· Blue ribbon 15mm wide
· Dark navy sewing thread
· Straight pins
· Tape measure
· Fabric scissors
· Iron
· Set of cutlery
Method
1. Cut out your fabric pieces and press. Apply bondaweb to the smaller fabric pieces and cut out your flower pots, flower heads, and flower centres. Remove the backing paper from the bondaweb.
2. Draw out an additional ‘pot’ shape and take off 1cm around the sides and base. Cut out the smaller shape and place it centrally on one of the bondaweb pots, lining up the top edge, and very carefully adhere with your iron, taking care not to touch the open sides with the iron. Turn the fabric over to the right side and, using free motion embroidery (lower your feed dogs and attach a free motion foot to your sewing machine), draw a line across the top edge 2-3 times.
3. Position the 3 ‘pot’ shapes onto the top fabric of your mat, with the backed pot to the left-hand side. Line them up off centre towards the left to leave room for the napkin on the right-hand side. Slide a set of cutlery inside the lined pot and pin down the sides. This makes sure that there is enough room in the pot for the cutlery after you have sewn it.
4. Adhere the pots in place (for the lined one thins will only be the sides and bottom edges). Then position your flower heads and centres where you would like them and adhere these also with a hot iron.
5. Cut a length of ribbon approximately 40cm long and position it horizontally across the fabric to the right of the third pot. When you are happy that the centre point of the ribbon is sitting centrally on the fabric, pin in place. Set your machine back up for regular straight stitch sewing and top stitch in place.
6. Cut 8cm strips of fabric and join them together until you have a long enough strip to go all the way around your placemat, approx. 1.65m. Press the strip in half lengthways. Starting halfway down one of the sides, line the raw edges up with the raw edge of the top fabric. Open out the strip fold and fold the corner down diagonally. Start to stitch along the edge until you have gone about 1cm further down than the bottom of the diagonal fold. Lift the needle out of the machine and raise the presser foot so that you can remove the project from the machine. Fold the strip in half again and reinsert into the machine, starting the seam from about where you stopped. Continue all the way down to the first corner.
7. When you reach the corner, stop 5mm from the end and secure with a couple of back stitches. Cut the thread and lift the project out of the machine. Turn the placemat so that the edging you have just stitched is horizontally to the left of you. Lift the strip up away from you, at right angles to the line of stitching you have just sewn, creating a diagonal edge along the corner. Fold the strip back down towards you so that it is running along the next edge of the placemat. Place the fabric back under the machine and start sewing from the top edge along this new side, securing with a couple of back stitches to start. Repeat for the following 3 corners.
8. To finish off the binding, turn the project over and fold the folded edge of the binding over the raw edges. Seam in the ditch to close. When you reach the corners, fold the strip over to form a mitred corner. Stitch in place. If you prefer, you can do this step by hand.
9. Remove the placemat from your machine and trip away any excess backing fabric and thermolan so that these layers sit just a few mm outside of the binding edge.
10. To finish, measure a length of twine at each end (I have used 15cm) and make a loop in the ends ready to be hung.
9. Once the binding is complete, use a fabric pen to draw your flower stems and leaves onto the fabric. Set your machine up for free motion sewing and use it to trace around the flower head and centre shapes, over the marked stems and leaves, and around the pots. Make sure you don’t stitch across the top edge of the far left pot.
10. If you are making your own napkins, cut out a square of fabric to the size you want your napkin to be. Press the corners in diagonally 1cm and then do a small 5mm roll hem all the way around mitring the corners. Press, roll up, and attach to your place setting with the ribbon. Your project is now complete.
To see more from Rebecca, visit her on Instagram @becky_cole_sews
Made by Rebecca Cole for The Craft Cotton Company 2021
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