It’s a Charm - Placemats {Tutorial}

Do you have a charm pack in your stash, which you love but not sure what to do with?

Why not make a set of these super simple placemats? I used a charm pack of ‘A Stitch in Color’ which is available HERE.

 

Charm Placemats 4 (999x987)

 

Charm packs are generally 42 squares. For this project, you will only need 36 charms (5” squares) so take out the 6 excess charms. I usually take out the doubled up prints.

Place any 2 charms, right sides together and stitch along one side. Now do this for the rest of the 34 charms.

 

Charm Placemats 2

 

Separate the adjoined charms and press the seams open.

Now it’s time to choose which of these double charms will go together.

Arrange the double charms into groups of 3 like as pictured below.

 

Charm Placemats 1

 

Sew them together. Press your seams open and here you have a perfect (and super fast) placemat top.

Now make layer the placemats with batting and your backing fabric. I used left over pieces of batting - you know those pieces which are just too small for a quilt, but too good to throw out? The backing fabrics was from my stash.

Even though these are “mini quilts”, I still pin basted them (just to be sure).

Quilt as desired. Straight lines would be great. A meandering pattern would be fantastic too. I went with a these curly-swirls. I’m sure they have a technical name, but I’ll stick with curly-swirls :-)

 

Charm Placemats 5 (999x749)

 

Once they’re quilted, bind as you would normally bind a quilt. I used single fold binding for my placemats. Tutorial can be found HERE.

And there you have it. A lovely new set of placemats for your table.

 

Charm Placemats 3 (999x749)

 

If you do make some placemats, using this tutorial, be sure to add some photos to the Samelia’s Mum Flickr group. I’d love to see them.

 

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Check back later as I’ll be giving away a charm pack of ‘A Stitch in Color’ by Malka Dubrawsky for Moda Fabrics – which is the pack I used in these placemats.

This range of fabric isn’t due for it’s main release until January 2012.

20 comments

  1. Isn't it great how a simple charm pack and some creative quilting can make such nice placemats? The binding is great too.

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  2. I think I need to make some of these! I was already thinking about it but now I am convinced.

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  3. and I was thinking about it because of your Ruby placemats that I saw on Flickr. :D

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  4. Gorgeous work and great tutorial as always.

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  5. Those are beautiful Anorina.... well done..
    Hugz

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  6. They are beautiful anorina, well done.

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  7. They are lovely placemats. Waht a great use for a charm pack - thank you for the inspiration!

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  8. They are lovely placemats. Waht a great use for a charm pack - thank you for the inspiration!

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  9. They are lovely placemats. Waht a great use for a charm pack - thank you for the inspiration!

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  10. Love the colors and I can think of several places to use 'placemats'. This is a great mini-tutorial. Thanks bunches. :)

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  11. These are great - so simple but they look wonderful! I am hoping to make some Christmas placemats this year but they're at the end of the line behind all the Christmas gifts I'm making, so not sure if I'll get to them or not! But this would be a great, quick pattern to use if I do. Thanks for sharing!

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  12. Hi Anorina, they look great. Please don't add me to the draw, I have a couple of charm packs that I could use for these- Oasis or Pom Pom de Paris. Decisions, decisions. :)

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  13. Love your placemats! Now I have an idea of what to do with my single charm packs, thanks for the inspiration.

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  14. They are lovely! Could you please tell us how you finished the edges so nicely? Did you bringing the backing over the front edge because I don't know how to do that neatly.
    Thank you for your inspiration.
    lisa in california (too far to send charm packs!)

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  15. Well done! The fabrics are so interesting. I posted a link to you site on FB.

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  16. I'm thinking about making placemats and a runner when the placemats are in the wash :)
    Thanks for the inspiration!!

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  17. I LOVE your charm pack so i looked it up but the "a stitch in color" charm pack that comes up on all the sites looks much brighter and just...different. I can't find anyone to break down the individual pieces so i can look at them closer but would you mind looking at the below link to see if you think it's the same charm pack? I'm hopeing to make it into a quilt for my son :)

    http://www.thequiltdepartment.com/Stitch-In-Color-Charm-Pack-23200-PP-p/23200pp.htm

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  18. I think even I could do this it looks so easy. I might have to just try it!

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  19. Curly swirls is a perfect name for your quilting pattern! :) I love these place mats! Now I know what to give my sister-in-law for her birthday! Thank you for this tutorial. :)

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  20. love these small projects that can be done in the evening -

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