There was a time when our family hardly ever sat down together for a relaxed meal. When I was working, I returned home at about six in the evening and then drove to two different daycares to pick up the children.* Needless to say, those evenings were hectic. I was exhausted, Robert was exhausted, the kids were exhausted, bedtime was looming and everybody was STARVING. Food had to be put on the table fast and without a lot of fuss. Thank goodness for frozen pizza.
Now, however, since I have the luxury of preparing meals in peace, we enjoy each other’s company over dinner more often. It’s one of the best improvements in our lifestyle since I quit my job. To honour the good food and good company, I dressed up our table with new placemats and napkins.**
It’s funny how such simple things can make life so much nicer. And when I say they’re simple, I’m not just referring to their ubiquity; I’m also referring to how easy they are to make. I didn’t think to take photos and turn this post into a complete tutorial, but I don’t think all those extras are necesarry for explaining how to construct these items. Think of it like learning to make one of your grandmother’s most admired cakes. You add a handful of this, a handful of that, mix and bake.
Here’s my recipe for placemats:
1. From a piece of paper (newspaper, gift wrap, freezer paper, whatever…), cut out a rectangle. It can be any size that pleases you. Just for reference, mine was 17″ X 13.5″. I just liked the look of that ratio. There’s no special reason for it.
2. Round of the corners of your pattern. You can do this by folding the rectangle in fourths and freehanding a curve with your scissors, or, if you’re more particular, you can use the edge of a plate to draw a curved corner and cut along that line. Whatever works for you!
3. Wash and dry your fabrics. Or not.
4. Cut out the fronts, backs and lightweight batting using this template as a guide. I think I had about a yard of each material and made four placemats.
5. Make your quilt sandwich and baste together using the method you prefer. The basting spray found in many fabric shops works great for small pieces like this.
6. Quilt as desired. I free-handed some swirling lines, but you could also stitch parallel lines for a nice effect.
7. Bind as desired. I used the quick and dirty method and bought a few packages of pre-made binding. Homemade binding could make these extra special.
Here’s my Recipe for Napkins:
1. Cut out 18-inch squares or whatever size you like. If I had had more fabric, I might have made mine about 20-21 inches square.
2. Hem. I used the method described in this Purl Bee tutorial, including the zig-zag stitching, which I really like.
Enjoy your creations!
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* My hat goes off to working mothers everywhere.
** I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to color correct these photos. The light in our dining room is not a traditional tungsten light. It really makes everything a ghastly yellow. Anyway, I’m sorry about the poor-quality photos here.
