Valentine's Day is coming!



Quite possibly one of my favorite, quick home decoration projects of all time!  I tell ya, every season, every holiday, I'm covered!  

For those holidays where you want to do something, without doing too much, this is it! Simple.  Easy. Straight lines. A placemat holder and cutlery holder - that's all I will see around my house this upcoming holiday.  I am still recuperating from de-Christmasing the entire house and yard! I mean, I just finished it a week ago.  Not kidding. : ) 

Add a little shape to the placemats if you want something other than a plain rectangle.  It's easy! Play around with it.  In my video, I show you an easy way to get an oval shape to your placemat.  You can do it with any circular household product you have. Keep in mind, if you choose to alter the size of the measurements given here, that the size of your mat will differ,  like this:

 



With that in mind, let's get you creating a nice, cozy space with simplicity.... get started!  The measurements are below.  


Watch my video to get you through the project, then maybe you can sew up some fabric coasters to match. 




Measurements for these projects are as follows:


Placemats:


Cut (2) outer fabrics for - 13 x 19 
Cut (2) interface fabrics - 12.5 X 18.5 (I used Pelon 809 you can use apparel Interface or this.)
Finished placemat will be 12 x 18.  Adjust the measurements to a size you'd like.


Cutlery Holder:


Cut (2) fabrics - 16" L X 5" W
Use optional trimmings to finish the holder
It is good to make placemats in sets. You can sew as little as 2.  One always needs company on the table!  


Get to sewing. : )  


Need directions for sewing the placemats without seeing the video?

1. Cut fabrics to size indicated above.

2. Adhere the interface to wrong side of the outer fabric. If using Pellon 809, or lightweight apparel interface, to be ironed, iron it on to both wrong sides.

3. Place the right sides of the fabrics together and pin in several places around the fabrics to hold in place.

4. Use 1/4" seam allowance and sew around all four sides leaving a 4" opening at the bottom of the last side.

5. Turn right side out. Use a chop stick to poke the corners out.

6. Flatten and iron. Be sure to push the seams out if needed.

7. Top stitch around the edges using a 1/8" seam allowances. That's it!

Easy peasy!



Nikki WO