How to Sew Simple Quilted Placemats (Easy Tutorial)
Placemats are essential for almost every dining table. They protect surfaces but they can also function as decoration for holidays and events. Placemats can also be used to add some color and style to an everyday dining space. These DIY quilted placemats are a quick and easy project. This is an excellent beginner quilting project, but assumes some basic sewing and quilting knowledge, like how to use a sewing machine, sewing basics, and some fundamental quilting principles.
Handmade gifts are always thoughtful and quilted placemats would make great gifts for a housewarming. By using seasonal fabrics, they can be the perfect addition to holiday decor. Since Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, I will be making four quilted placemats for the holiday!
And don’t forget to check out my other blog post where I show you how to make matching cloth napkins!
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Video Tutorial
What is a standard placemat size?
Placemats come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, but the most common is a large rectangle measuring 12″ to 14″ wide by 18″ to 20″ long. For my dining table, 14″ x 19″ is a perfect size, so the instructions in this tutorial will be for those dimensions. However, the measurements in this placemat tutorial can be easily adjusted depending on the size of your dining table and the desired size of your placemats.
Also, the method in this tutorial can be used to create a matching or coordinating table runner. Just adjust the dimensions for a runner, which is typically the length of your table plus 12″. Ideally, your runner should hang over the edge of the table by about 6″ on either end. So if you’re dining table is 60″, your finished table runner should be approximately 72″ long.
What is the best fabric for quilted placemats?
Quilted placemats are the perfect project for fat quarters, but yardage can be used as well. A high-quality cotton fabric is ideal for quilted placemats, but if you expect your placemats to see a lot of use or would like them to be more heavy-duty, I would recommend using a canvas or duck cloth for the top of your placemat.
I would suggest using a print for the top and a coordinating solid for the back, however, if you choose two different fabrics, you can easily make these reversible placemats.
For my placemats, I will be using 4 fat quarters of high-quality quilting cotton. Since I’m making these for Valentine’s Day, I am using the fabric Baubles in white from the Just Red collection by Brigitte Heitland with solid red fabric on the back in color Lipstick from Kona cotton Solids. I am also using a coordinating fabric in the color Azalea from Kona Cotton Solids for the binding. I will be using the same fabric to make matching fabric napkins. Using a rotary cutter and cutting mat, but the pieces of fabric. I use this 3-Piece Set from Fiskars.
Should I pre-wash my fabric?
Since these placemats will be getting used and washed, I would highly suggest pre-washing your fabric to minimize any shrinking that may result from washing and drying your placemats. Washing yardage is easier than washing pre-cuts. When washing smaller cuts of fabrics, like fat quarters, some fabric can be lost with fraying.
After washing and drying your fabrics, make sure to give them a good press with a hot iron. You can mist the fabric with water or use steam to eliminate any stubborn creases.
What kind of batting do I need for quilted placemats?
Standard cotton quilt batting is excellent for this project, but wool or bamboo batting would work just as well. This is a great project for using up extra batting from other projects, so whatever you have on hand will do. However, because placemats have the potential to come in contact with hot surfaces, I would avoid using polyester or poly-blend batting since these can melt under high heat. I will be using leftover scraps of cotton quilt batting pieced together with a wide zig-zag stitch.
Tools + Supplies for Making Quilted Placemats
Fabric Requirements
Number of Placemats | Top Fabric (WOF = 42″) | Backing Fabric (WOF = 42″) | Batting (WOF = 90″) |
2 | 2 FQ or ½ Yard | 2 FQ or ½ Yard | ½ Yard |
4 | 4 FQ or 1 Yard | 4 FQ or 1 Yard | ½ Yard |
6 | 6 FQ or 1½ Yards | 6 FQ or 1½ Yards | 1 Yard |
8 | 8 FQ or 2 Yards | 8 FQ or 2 Yards | 1 Yard |
10 | 10 FQ or 2½ Yards | 10 FQ or 2½ Yards | 1½ Yards |
12 | 12 FQ or 3 Yards | 12 FQ or 3 Yards | 1½ Yards |
How to Make Quilted Placemats with Quilt Batting
Step 1: Cut The Fabric + Batting
Cut your top fabric, backing fabric, and batting slightly larger than your desired placemat size. I wanted my finished placemats to be 14″ x 19″, so I cut my fat quarters and batting down to 14.5″ x 19.5″. This will allow a little wiggle room during sewing and then the placemats will be trimmed down to the correct size before binding.
Step 2: Baste The Fabric Layers
Turn your fabric pieces and batting into a mini quilt sandwich by spray basting your layers together. Lay the backing fabric onto a flat surface, right side down. Spray the wrong side of the fabric with basting adhesive. Lay the cut piece of batting on top of the backing fabric. Smooth the batting to eliminate any wrinkles or rippling and ensure the backing fabric is completely covered. Spray more basting adhesive on the batting. Lay the top fabric on the batting right side up. Smooth again to remove any ripples.
You can also baste your placemats using curved basting pins or large safety pins, but because this is a small project, I find the basting spray to be more efficient.
Step 3: Quilt The Placemats
For these placemats, you can quilt the layers however you like — free motion quilting, straight line quilting, or even hand quilting. For my placemats, I quilted straight lines at a 45-degree angle, spaced 2″ apart. I then quilted the second set of lines (perpendicular to the first set), spaced 4″ apart, creating a fun and modern rectangle design.
For a more cohesive look, make sure to coordinate your thread with your fabrics. I used an ivory thread on the top (Aurifil 2311) and a red thread on the bottom (Aurifil 2250). This allowed the quilting to blend in with their respective fabrics.
When machine quilting, a walking foot is helpful, but not necessary. It can be used to help pull multiple layers of fabric through the machine.
Step 4: Trim The Placemats
Next, the placemats need to be trimmed down to the correct finished size. Using a rotary cutter and ruler on a cutting mat, trim the placemats down to the desired size, making sure to also square them up.
Step 5: Bind The Quilted Placemats
To finish these quilted placemats, they need binding. If you have a favorite method for binding, then I would suggest doing that. I wanted these placemats to be a quick project, so I opted to machine sew my binding onto both the front and back.
Make the Binding
I like to make my quilt binding using 2.25″ strips of fabric sewn together end-to-end. I then fold the strips of fabric in half lengthwise and press to create a seam. Next, line up the raw edge of the binding strip with the raw edges of the placemat. Using a 1/4″ seam allowance, sew the quilt binding to the front of the placemats.
How to Make Mitered Corners
Miter the corners of the binding by stopping your stitches 1/4″ from the end of the placemat. Backstitch to hold the stitches in place. Fold the binding away from you at 45 degrees and then back toward you at 90 degrees. Continue stitching along the next side, starting from the very edge and making sure to backstitch.
Connect the Binding Ends
To connect the two ends of the binding, you need to first trim the ends so they overlap. The overlap should be equal to the width of the binding. For example, I made my binding using 2.25″ strips of fabric, therefore the ends of the binding need to overlap by 2.25″.
Lay the ends together, right sides together, and at a 90-degree angle to each other. Pin in place. Next, sew a line, diagonally, from corner to corner.
Lastly, trim the excess fabric, leaving a 1/4″ seam allowance. You can press the seams open to reduce some of the bulk. Open the finished seam and continue sewing the binding to the front of the placemat. Don’t forget to backstitch at the start and finish.
Sew Binding to the Back
Next, fold the binding over to the back of the placemat, making sure the binding covers the previous row of stitching by at least 1/8″, and clip it in place. (I love these Wonder Clips from Clover).
Finish attaching the binding by once again sewing on the placemat top, stitching in the ditch beside the binding. For this, I changed my bobbin to match the binding. I used Aurifil’s Blossom Pink (2530).
Voile! You have a finished placemat!
How to Wash Quilted Placemats
For these placemats, I would suggest caring for them the same as a quilt. I would first spot treat if necessary. Machine wash on cold using a gentle cycle. I would also suggest using 1 or 2 Shout Color Catchers the first time you wash, especially if you did not pre-wash your fabrics. Tumble dry on low/delicate. You can also hang dry your placemats if you are concerned about any shrinking. If needed, you can give the placemats a good press using an iron set to high.
Want to learn how to make matching cloth napkins?
Check out this blog post to learn how to make these quick and easy cloth napkins!