Everyday placemats

These place mats are the kind I use everyday. I just made these two. It takes no time at all. First of all, I had this remnant that someone gave me ages ago--I forget exactly who or when. But it is a nice, heavy cotton. This is how to do it: fold fabric right sides together and cut out 14 by 18 inch rectangle. Also cut out a 14 by 18 piece of flannel. Any old flannel will do, even part of an old nightgown. Place all three together and sew all around in a 1/2 inch seam, leaving about 4 or 5 inches open on one side for turning. Trim the corners and turn right side out. Sew the opening closed by hand or machine. Press well, then top-stitch the edges about 1/2 inch in. I added a row of machine stitching down the center, using a fancy stitch on my machine. They're done! Now you can make these as fancy as you might like: using orphan blocks; crazy or strip piecing; applique; ric-rack or lace! A holiday fabric would be fun.



As far as the baby quilt goes, I finished my free-motion quilting. I sewed on the binding today. I used to make bias binding to sew on my quilts. Lately, I cut strips 2 1/2 inches wide, sew them together, press in half, and apply. I'll have to post a photo when it's completed.



And I haven't forgotten those puffs for the puff quilt (see photo) that I mentioned earlier--I'm still working on those.