Round tables present a challenge for placemats, which are traditionally square or rectangular. Maybe it’s time for a trapezoid! I bet you’ve been waitin’ to say that since 8th grade geometry. This shape fits nicely side by side when placed around a circular table. We added coordinating cloth napkins to amp up the tabletop color explosion. Both projects are part of our ongoing Re-imagine & Renovate series. Just like a fresh coat of paint can transform a room, brand new fabric can completely change the look of a project. Today, our delightful new fabric is Pat Sloan’s Eat Your Fruits & Veggies collection for Moda Fabrics. It hits stores next month in all its vibrant glory: from carrot orange to cherry red to eggplant purple, these colors and patterns are luscious enough to take a bite of. There’s even a complete coordinating set of batiks in a dozen slightly softer hues. This collection can turn an ordinary breakfast table into a farmer’s market produce stand.
A big thanks to Moda Fabrics and Pat Sloan for sponsoring today’s R&R projects and providing all the fabric. We met Pat earlier this year when Sew4Home made a guest appearance on her internet radio show, American Patchwork & Quilting Radio. Pat was a delight to chat with, and this gal knows her quilting! In addition to this beautiful new fabric collection for Moda, she’s published nearly two dozen books through Leisure Arts, created a number of thread kits for Aurifil, and her blog is one of the best quilting resources on the net.
Moda is a very strong supporter of S4H, and they’ve been wonderful to work with as we’ve partnered to feature some of the industry’s brightest fabric stars, including our recent series in Vanessa Christenson’s Simply Color. Moda Fabrics has been in the sewing and quilting industry since 1975; a leader in bringing beautiful, innovative fabric collections to independent shop owners.
As we mentioned above, the huge number of choices within this collection are like a great big garden to pick from. You’ll have a blast mixing and matching to best fit your favorite colors and/or to blend with your decor.
Our Eat Your Fruits & Vegies choices were as follows:
Placemat Fronts: Marketplace in Cherry, Blue Sky, Lime and Lemon
Placemat Backs: Market Basket in Lime
Napkins: Leaves in Blueberry, Leaves in Lime, Cherries in Lemon and Dots in Cherry
The sewing is the same as a rectangular placemat; we show you how to make an easy wedge cut. Lightweight interfacing gives the placemats body and a simple topstitched “X” holds all the layers together.
To make a pretty narrow napkin hem, like you see in our photo above, check out our tutorial on how to make a ¼” double-turn hem with clean, finished corners.
To Re-imagine & Renovate your own set of Placemats and Napkins, go to the original tutorials:
Hints and Tips
Looking for more information on blending, mixing and matching your fabrics? Check out these tutorials:
How to Mix & Match Designer Fabric Collections
How to Create A Fabric Palette
Mixing & Matching Colors, Patterns & Textures
Making the Right Fabric Choice
Project Design: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation and Instructional Outline: Debbie Guild
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