Making Placemats from Loominous Woven Fabric

After seeing Anna Maria Horner’s Loominous collection for Free Spirit Fabric during our visit to Craft South, I regretted not buying it at the store.

So I ordered one yard each of the Grape Headlines and Illuminated Graph in Metallic Plum.

It wasn’t enough…

As soon as it arrived, and I felt the material and saw how luxurious it was – I wanted more.

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I immediately went online and ordered two more yards each of four of the amazing prints. Unlike many quilting cottons, because Loominous is yarn dyed, it’s just as beautiful on the back as it is on the front.

It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do with this hoard-worthy fabric.

Originally, I purchased the yardage with the intentions of making something for a friend of mine as a gift. Purple is one of her favorite colors, and the prints aren’t overly feminine – making it a great option for home décor.

As you can see, I made four placemats. No pattern was used, and they were fairly simple to sew.

I cut two pieces of Pellon Flex-Foam each measuring 20 X 29 inches, and two pieces the same size out of the Headlines fabric. Then I pinned the fabric pieces to the Flex-Foam, quilted intermittent straight lines, and then cut four pieces 13.5 X 18 inches. You should be able to get two placemats out of each quilted section.

Next, I cut four rectangles from the Illuminated Graph all measuring 15.5 X 20 inches.

Using  a small ruler, I marked a small dot with a water soluble purple marker on the inside of each corner one inch in. (You can find this point by measuring out a one-inch square at each corner.

Those dots were my guide on where to place the quilted pieces – leaving a one-inch border on each side.

To create the finished “binding” – I folded each side inward, then in again to enclose the raw edges. (Tutorial on how to create perfect mitered corners)

During this project, I tried two different methods of securing the edges – glue basting and Clover Wonder Clips. Strangely, I actually preferred the Wonder Clips in this instance. That’s surprising because I usually think glue basting gives a better end result.

This was my second time using Pellon Flex-Foam, and it was extremely easy to sew with. I also believe this material will hold its shape over time. Fusible fleece would have also worked well, especially if you want a thinner placemat.

Not sure how much sewing time I’ll be able to get in over the next couple weeks, but I did purchase the PDF pattern of Grainline Studio’s Linden Sweatshirt.

Perhaps I’m on an Anna Maria Horner fabric kick, because this is the fabric I’ve got picked out for the sweatshirt – Pretty Potent Knit Family Unit in Grass.

I’ve read so many amazing reviews of the Linden Sweatshirt, and want to give it a shot.

See you next time!

– Jennifer