ever worry that you're putting the fork on the wrong side of the table setting? yeah, me neither, because i was taught well in girl scouts many moons ago, but if you fear a surprise visit from
miss emily post herself, have i got a work around for you! stash all of the silverware in the pocket of this handmade placemat and the guessing game is over.
materials needed:
-1/2 yard of fabric (i decided to use two fabrics, one patterned and one black, but go for whatever makes your heart happy!)
-interfacing (trimmed to a piece that measures 17" x 14")
-matching thread
-scissors
-ruler or tape measure
-sewing machine (this project could be done with liquid stitches if a sewing machine frightens you, but i highly recommend a sewing machine)
the finished size of the placemat is 17" wide and 14" tall.
step 1: cut your fabric to a piece that is 19" x 16". this will allow for the fabric to overhang one inch on all four sides of the interfacing.
step 2: the finished size of the pocket on my placemat is 4" wide x 6" tall. you'll want to cut your pocket fabric to a piece that measures 5" wide by 6 1/2" tall. measure 1/2" on each of the two long sides and one short side and iron that fold. (see photo below) *also, it's not shown in the photo below, but you'll want to finish the top edge of the pocket before sewing it onto your placemat. just fold it down a 1/4" and sew along the seam.
step 3: once you have your pieces cut to the correct size, it's time to pin the interfacing and placemat fabric to each other. lay the placemat fabric right side down on a table and place the interfacing in the middle of that fabric. there should be approximately 1" overhang on each of the four sides of the placemat. go ahead and pin all four sides, pulling the fabric taught for a smooth look on the front side.
step four: using a simple straight stitch, sew each of the four sides of the placemat. fold the corners as you get close to them to make them look nice and finished.
step five: you're almost finished! it's now time to attach the pocket to the front of your placemat. since you've already sewn the top edge and ironed the other three sides (see step two), you can place your pocket piece onto your placemat wherever you want your pocket to be. i decided to place mine on the left side of my placemat. once you've figured out where your pocket should go, pin it in place. and now you're ready to sew the pocket onto the placemat.
this part can get a little tricky, because the placemat has to fit into such a tight space when sewing on the pocket, but you can kind of fold or roll the placemat like i did here:
also, if it's easier for you, just sew three separate lines for the pocket, instead of keeping one continuous line, making a "U" shape around the pocket.
step six: trim all hanging threads and fill the pocket with your utensils.
i used fabric from ikea which isn't available anymore, but a similar one is
here and the utensils are
oona from
crate & barrel . this project doesn't require much fabric at all, so go ahead a look through your fabric stash for a remnant that might work. enjoy!
