Summer Sensations Blog Hop

Welcome to my home on the internet.

I have an easy project to share that can be made from a set of 6 fat quarters. If you’re like me you pick up appealing bundles and then get home and don’t know what to do with them. Well, I came up with a set of placemats. I have no idea what the fabric I used is but I think it’s a Moda line from about 3 years ago.

I actually started off with a different project, made it, and then changed my mind. As I looked at the posts last Thursday and Friday I realized my project wasn’t summer at all. I think what I’ve got here fits much better.

My Summer Sensational Project

First, choose a focus fabric from your fat quarters. I am hoping that your fat quarter will measure 18” wide by at least 20” long. They do vary a bit, especially in the length. The cutting instructions are for the horizontal measurement to be 18”.

CUTTING:

Focus Fabric fat quarter:

From the fat quarter you have chosen as your focus fabric, cut 4 strips that measure 4.5” x 18”.

The remaining piece (grey) is scrap.

From EACH of the 5 coordinating fat quarters:

Cut 3, 2-7/8" strips. Cut these into a total of 14, 2-7/8" squares.

From 4 of the 5 coordinating fat quarters:
Cut 1, 4.5" x 8.5" rectangle.

Using the 2-7/8” squares, make half square triangle blocks with random pairs of squares.

Draw a line from corner to corner, shown by the solid line.

Sew 1/4" on either side of the drawn line, shown by the dashed lines.
Press the seam allowance towards the dark fabric.

(See the photo tutorial for making half square triangle blocks.)

Now, lay out your half square triangle blocks in a 4 x 7 grid. arrange the fabrics as random or as organized as you would like.

For Each Placemat:

Sew pairs together till you have 4 rows.
Sew rows together.
Add the 4.5" x 8.5" side piece.
Add the 4.5" x 18" piece to the long edge.

Here you can see I pressed the row allowances open because it was getting a little thick where the blocks joined.

Cut a piece of batting about 1" bigger than the placemat.
Place the backing fabric, cut 12" x 18", right side up, centered on the batting.
Place the assembled placemat, right side down, on top of the backing.
Sew all around the edges of the placemat at a quarter inch, leaving about a 4" gap to turn through.

Somewhere I learned that an easy way to mark your opening so you don't sew through it is to use 2 pins on either side to remind you.

To help make those corners turn easily, clip the point away, as shown here.

After turning the placemat, I used some long flower head pins to loosely hold it together.

I then sewed around the edge at a scant 1/4". Check the opening for turning and make sure it has been sewn closed.

Here is a photo of the finished placemat after quilting and washing. I love the way it came out! So 6 fat quarters made 4 placemats. I added 2/3 yard of Kona Cotton Ivory for the backings.

Thank you so much for visiting me today. Please take a look at my ongoing Block of the Week program based on Ruby Short McKim’s classic book, 101 Patchwork Patterns here: http://www.seacoastquilter.net/p/101-patchwork-patterns.html.

There are 2 other bloggers participating in today’s hop – please visit and enter the rafflecopter drawing after leaving a comment. We love feedback!

TeaTme Creations and I Can Quilt 2

And our organizer and cheerleader, Marian, at

Seams To Be Sew.

Here is the Rafflecopter to enter the drawing:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks so much for visiting.
Mary