💎DIY Scrap Fabric Patchwork Placemats | Charming Little Village Sewing Ideas, by HandyMumLin on YouTube. 6 min 12 s.
- Video length
- 6 min 12 s
- Time to do it
- 2 hours
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Sort your fabric scraps by colour. Put small prints and solids in separate piles so the houses, roofs, trees and flowers each read clearly against the background.
Cut the background cotton to 13 x 18 in (33 x 46 cm), or the size your table needs. Press it flat with a warm iron.
Lay the background on your work surface and arrange the scraps on top. Place house shapes along the lower half, then add trees and flowers above them.
Cut house bodies as small squares and rectangles, around 1.5 to 2.5 in wide. Cut roof triangles slightly wider than each house so they overhang the walls.
Fuse a piece of fusible web to the back of each scrap following the packet instructions, usually a few seconds with a medium iron. Peel off the paper backing.
Trim each fused piece to its final shape with sharp scissors, then press it onto the background where you planned it. Hold the iron still for about 10 seconds.
Stitch around every house, roof and tree to hold the edges down. Use a small blanket stitch or a straight machine stitch, keeping the needle close to the edge.
Add the details by hand with embroidery floss. Work a lazy daisy stitch for each flower petal, a French knot for the centre and a few straight stitches for window panes and doors.
Layer the finished top over batting and a backing fabric, all cut to the same size. Pin or clip through all three layers, starting in the middle and working outwards.
Quilt a few lines across the placemat to hold the layers together, then bind the raw edges with a 2 in strip of fabric or sew a simple turned edge. Press the finished mat.
Tips and common mistakes
Always cut away from your body with a rotary cutter and keep the blade closed when you set it down.
Press fusible web with a dry iron, not steam, or the glue will not stick properly.
Keep your stitching small and even so the raw fabric edges do not fray after washing.
Test the finished placemat with a warm iron before washing, and wash it on a gentle cycle.
Questions
Do I need a sewing machine?
No. You can fuse the shapes and hand stitch the edges with a blanket stitch. A machine just makes the outline stitching faster.
Will the edges fray after washing?
Fusible web holds the shapes flat, and the stitched outline keeps the edges secure. Wash on a gentle cycle and air dry to be safe.
What size should the placemat be?
A common size is about 13 x 18 in (33 x 46 cm). Measure your own table setting and add a little extra for the seam or binding.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
