Make It Monday: Picnic-tastic Placemats
Written on November 23, 2009 at 3:39 pm, by Team DIY
There are a lot of ways to plan and present a Thanksgiving dinner. Looking for a twist on tradition this year? Have some friends over for a post-Thanksgiving leftovers picnic! Spread a blanket on the floor, break out your cutest picnic basket, and whip up a set of these fantastic DIY placements. Turkey sandwiches never looked so rad!
This project is just one of 101 in a brand-new book, One-Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Projects. We interviewed Patricia Hoskins, one of the book’s editors, a couple of weeks ago. Today’s project comes from Patricia’s co-editor, Rebecca Yaker. She designed it with warmer temps in mind, but we think it’s perfect for combating chilly November weather. You could even make a batch of lemonade! Enjoy! – Team DIY
Photo by John Gruen
Picnic-tastic Lunch Mats
Designed by Rebecca Yaker
Prepare to enjoy a lovely outdoor meal on these very stylish picnic-ready placemats! They’re perfectly portable — just slip your utensils right into the pocket. And don’t worry about losing your napkin on those breezy days, because there’s a handy spot for that, too!
MATERIALS
- 1 yard of 44/45″ fabric
- 1 spool of coordinating thread
Finished dimensions — each placemat is 11″ x 15″ (1 yard of fabric makes 4)
Seam allowance — 1/2″ unless otherwise specifi ed
1. MEASURE, MARK, and CUT
With right sides together, fold your fabric in half lengthwise, aligning the selvages. Measure and mark the following pattern pieces directly on the wrong side of your fabric, then cut them out:
- Placemat 22″ wide x 16″ tall (cut 4)
- Pocket 7″ wide x 4″ tall (cut 4)
- Napkin holder 2″ wide x 4″ tall (cut 4)
Note: Place “tall” dimensions along the grainline of your fabric.
2. MAKE the PLACEMATS
With right sides together, fold a placemat in half, matching short ends. Stitch around all three raw edges, leaving a 41/2″ opening along long edge for turning. Clip the corners and turn right side out. Neatly turn the raw edges at the opening to the inside; press. Topstitch around all four sides of placemat, stitching the turning opening closed as you go. Do the same for the three remaining placemats.
3. MAKE the POCKETS
On the top edge of a pocket piece, make a narrow 1/4″ double-fold hem (see page 19). Topstitch. Fold and press the napkin holders as you would to make double-fold bias tape (see page 18). Topstitch along both long edges. Position napkin holder on pocket, 2″ down from the top hemmed edge, aligning raw edges. Baste in place along sides. Press the three raw edges of the pocket (and attached napkin holder) 1/2″ to the wrong side. Place on the right side of placemat, 1″ from edge, and 1″ up from the bottom. Topstitch around bottom and side edges, leaving top open to insert utensils. Repeat these steps for remaining three placemats.
Reprinted with permission from One Yard Wonders, published by Storey Publishing, LLC., October 2009
Categories: Misc, Projects, entertaining | Tags: crafty planet, DIY placemats, DIY table decor, DIY tabletop, fabric projects, One-Yard Wonders, patricia hoskins, picnic crafts, Rebecca Yaker, sewing projects | 2 Comments
2 Responses to “Make It Monday: Picnic-tastic Placemats”
November 24, 2009 at 9:26 am, by Susan
I want the picnic basket/container thingie!
February 2, 2010 at 9:35 am, by .an italian dream « my lovely little world
[...] maybe that’s too much but hey, people can dream And this simple Picnic-tastic Placemats from team DIY will be a very good companion for our lovely family picnic, don’t you [...]