I needed to take a break from my other service project yesterday and decided to start sewing scraps for charity in the form of a quilted placemat. While there are many placemat patterns available I decided to be creative and work with the sizes of the scraps I had on hand. If you are looking for placemat patterns check out my post, 10 Free Table Runner And Placemats PDF Patterns.
One of the local quilt shops in my area collects placemats for the Meals-On-Wheels program. That is where my finished ones will be going.
This is my first finished placemat. I wanted to make something bright and cheery in hopes of bringing a smile to someone’s face.
My quilted placemats can be made 12-13 inches x 17-18 inches.
I also like this project as it allows me to stay practiced on my free-motion quilting techniques. For this quilted placemat I used stipple, figure eights and straight lines. I could make quilt sandwiches for practice but this gives my fabric a greater purpose and doesn’t go to waste in my throw outs.
I was lucky enough to have enough coordinating scraps to make matching placemats this time. I echoed the flowers, stippled the middle area and did ribbons on the strip lines.
I’m trying to experiment with different techniques and have started my next quilted placemat using the quilt-as-you-go (QAYG) method.
I got this idea after making the Tinker Tote a couple years ago. It’s fun because I can quilt it differently in each fabric square. It also lends itself to using up my various sized scraps.
If you would like to see some of the volunteer opportunities for Meals-On-Wheels be sure to follow my link. Click here.
If you sew or quilt, there’s many different ways you can use your skills to help others. Check with your local quilt shops as many are connected with local charities or run a computer search to see what’s needed.
Until next time . . . Happy Sewing!
