Fat Quarter Projects: DIY Placemats

We’re so happy to have Melanie, from It Happens in a Blink, sharing these adorable fat quarter projects with us! These DIY placemats are simple enough for a sewing beginner and perfect for adding a splash of color to any table setting! Click HERE to get more DIY inspiration from Melanie and keep in touch with her on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.

I always look forward to summer entertaining. The grill is hot, the kids are squealing, and the days are full. One of my most favorite things are the little “private parties” that I have with my kids during the summer. My daughter and I will often head outdoors for a personal picnic lunch or fun tea party. I love fat quarter projects and these colorful placemats are perfect for entertaining with a group or just sharing special time with the kiddo. Made in “Mommy and Me” sizes, one placemat is designed for adult place settings, and the other is sized for kid place settings.

I am asked all the time by readers about what non-quilters can do with jelly rolls, fat quarters, and charm packs. Today’s fat quarters projects incorporates all three in a quick and easy sewing project. Below you’ll find two different designs that utilize pre-cut fabric pieces to create summery table decor.

Supplies needed to make your own placemat fat quarter projects:

• Fabric Palette Fabric Jelly Rolls: Splash Collection
• Fabric Palette Fat Quarters Quilt Bundle: Splash Colletion
• Batting, cut in a 13″ x 19″ rectangle for each place mat
• Basic sewing supplies: Sewing Machine, coordinating thread, scissors, ruler, pins

The final size for these placemat fat quarter projects are 12″ x 18″. They are the adult place setting size. For those who are not familiar with the term “jelly rolls,” jelly rolls, fat quarters, and charm packs are pre-cut fabric pieces that are already coordinated for sewing projects. Cool, right?!?! To begin, cut 30 5″ jelly roll strips. Try to cut an even number from each design in the jelly roll pack.

Now separate the strips into a “light” pile and a “dark” pile. Be advised– there will always be at least one fabric that seems like it could go in either pile. Save this one for last and and add it to the pile that needs more strips. Dividing the colors into “lights” and ” darks” is the best way to determine which strip should go where when designing the place mat.

Lay out five strips of fabric into six rows. Alternate strips from the “light” and “dark” pile. There is no exact science to this step. Simply go by what strips look best together to your eye. It will be different for everyone.

Next we will be sewing the strips that are in each row together. Begin by pinning two strips together, right sides together (the right sides are the printed sides of the fabric).

Sew them using a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Continue this with all the strips in each row until all the strips in each row are sewn together. Iron the strips flat and lay them out.

Alternate the lengths as demonstrated in the below photo.

Carefully pin the first row to the second row, right sides together. Sew using a 1/4″ seam allowance. Continue this will all the rows until they are sewn together to form the placemat top.

Pay extra attention when pinning and sewing the alternating rows– make sure that they line up with the other alternating rows.

Iron the placemat top flat. Trim the ends so that the dimensions are 12″ by 18″.

Lay out a fat quarter, printed side down. Add the batting piece, then the placemat top. Pin all the layers together. The sizes will not be the same at this point.

Now it’s time to “quilt” the top! Don’t let that term intimidate. What it really means is, “Sew all the layers together.” Sew close to the seams of each and every rectangle. Trust me, it doesn’t take as long as it seems! When stitching near the raw edge, be sure to NOT sew past the raw edge (into the batting). We will be using the batting and fat quarter to create the placemat binding, and stitching past the raw edge will make this more difficult.

When finished sewing, trim the batting to 1/4″ all the way around and the fat quarter to 1″.

Let’s finish up by binding the edges! Fold the raw edge of the fat quarter to the raw edge of the placemat top. Fold it again to cover the raw edge. Pin in place.

To fold the corners: Turn the folded edge to look like a triangle.

Then fold the opposite raw edge following the directions above (Fold the raw edge of the fat quarter to the raw edge of the placemat top. Fold it again to cover the raw edge.). Pin in place and sew close to the inner fold to complete!

Charm Pack Place Mats:

• Fabric Palette Fabric Jelly Rolls: Splash Collection
• Fabric Palette Fat Quarters Quilt Bundle: Splash Colletion
• Fabric Palette Charm Square Pack: Splash Collection
• Batting, cut in a 13″ x 19″ rectangle for each place mat
• Basic sewing supplies: Sewing Machine, coordinating thread, scissors, ruler, pins

These Charm Pack Place Mats are sized for child place settings and are approximately 12″ by 15″. The instructions to make these are pretty much identical to those above, but I’ll summarize them to make it simple. Cut (8) 5″ jelly roll strips. Pick out (8) squares from the charm pack. Lay out the charm pack squares in two rows of four and place four jelly roll strips on each side. Pin two of the jelly roll, right sides (the right sides are the printed sides of the fabric). Sew them using a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Continue this with the strips and squares until all four rows are sewn together. Iron the rows flat and lay them out, alternating the lengths as demonstrated in the photo. Carefully pin the first row to the second row, right sides together. Sew using a 1/4″ seam allowance. Continue this will all the rows until they are sewn together. Pay extra attention when pinning and sewing the alternating rows– make sure that they line up with the other alternating rows. Iron the placemat top flat. Trim the ends so that it the dimensions are 12″ by 15″. Lay out a fat quarter, printed side down. Add the batting piece, then the placemat top. Pin all the layers together.

Sew inside each rectangle and square to create a quilted look. Finish by binding the edges. Fold the raw edge of the fat quarter to the raw edge of the placemat top. Fold it again to cover the raw edge. Pin in place. Complete the corners by turning the folded edge to look like a triangle. Then fold the opposite raw edge following the directions above (Fold the raw edge of the fat quarter to the raw edge of the placemat top. Fold it again to cover the raw edge.). Pin in place and sew to complete!

Sarah {Crafts Unleashed Editor}

Sarah is the Marketing & Social Media Coordinator for ConsumerCrafts.com. She is new to the craft/DIY world and discovered a love for it after joining the company. Sarah is a dessert addict, animal lover, a bit of a perfectionist, and obsessed with trying new Pinterest recipes.