9/23/2020

Placemats for Warm Meals on Cool Days

Fall is making its arrival in Michigan! 

The sun sets earlier each evening.
We've had a few nights of hard freezes this past week. 
Apples of all types can be found at the Farm Market. 
Pumpkins are for sale on roadside tables, priced to match the size.
Yes,
HELLO, FALL!

This week it's time for Carla's Hello Fall Blog Hop. Forty bloggers have joined, posting their sewn projects, made for this season of cooler temperatures and various holidays. And you are invited to see what they have made.

Fall is time for meals of soups for my husband and I. We use the crockpot to cook the soup overnight. It also keeps the soup hot for the following day. We don't mind having the same soup two nights in a row. Cheese sprinkled into our soup the first night and a biscuit the next night adds variety. We follow no recipes for our soups. We add what we have and some spice. Making soup for so many years has led us to what we like and ingredients that go well together.

I made fall-themed placemats to protect the tabletop from the warm bowls.
Here is a photo of the backs of the placemats. I used two different fat quarters of Island Batik fabrics I had in my batik box.  
I had 2 yards of a lighter Island Batik fabric allowing me to use the same fabric for the placemat fronts. I embroidered a fall design in the bottom corner of each piece of fabric. 

The fall designs came from a free embroidery set I downloaded a few years ago from Artistic Threadworks.  (This design set is listed HERE.)
       
I used the batting as the stabilizer behind the embroidery design on the machine (reducing one step and one item to work with). I layered each designed front with one of the backing fabrics and stitched diagonal lines through all the layers. I marked the lines with a water-erasable fabric marker.
The final step was binding each placemat. I found a half yard of a Island Batik fabric in a lovely golden color with tiny green dots. It was definitely fall-like and matched both front and back of the placemats.

Thank you for stopping by. 
I invite you to comment and tell me if you used placemats during meals; and, if you do, have you made them? 

Here is the list of all the bloggers for this Blog Hop. 

Monday, September 21st


Tuesday, September 22nd
Wednesday, September 23rd
Thursday, September 24th

Follow the Pinterest Board for all the links.

44 comments:

Sheri said...

Very nice embroidery. I need to embroidery more so I could get a little better at it and also would love to make a set of placemats like yours. It seems I make two and it's so time consuming I run out of motivation.

Karen's Korner said...

Pretty and practical. Your soup sounds just like mine...whatever is on hand goes in.

Charlene McCain said...

Beautiful placemats! Love the embroidered pumpkins! We don't use placemats, but I have made them for gifts for others. They are quick and easy projects and always well received.

Elizabeth Coughlin said...

We call Fall the start of "Soup Season" and love eating soup for dinner once the weather starts cooling. Your placemats are lovely!

Connie said...

We use placemats in our RV where the table is smaller than the one in our home. I like that both sides of your placemats are fall themed.
Connie

tink's mom said...

The embroidery designs are just perfect for saying Hello Fall. The whole picture you painted of warm fall dinners with biscuits and warm soup in bowls on these lovely mats makes me want to go cook/eat. Thank you for that wonderful thought.

piecefulwendy said...

I admire your lovely embroidery, and it pairs so well with the Island Batik fabrics! A nice finish for your fall table. I love soup, too, especially on those chilly fall days!

Deonn said...

Darling placemats! I do use placemats for meals and have just started making them. I think I need some for every season.

Moira said...

great placemats! Thanks for sharing

Calicojoan said...

What wonderful placemats for the season. I love the look of placemats on my table, but shame on me, I usually pick them up before we eat, so they don't get spilled on! LOL!!!! It's crazy I know!

LA Paylor said...

awe nice to meet you, and sweet artwork! The soup sounds so good despite our months of 90+ F temps in CO. LeeAnna at not afraid of color

The Joyful Quilter said...

Beautiful placemats to enjoy throughout the season and beyond!

Needled Mom said...

Those are really cute and the embroidery designs are perfect for fall. Happy fall!

Karrin Hurd said...

Lovely placements, and thanks so much for the link to the embroidery designs. Thanks so much for sharing!

Kathy said...

I love your placemats. I embroider by hand and will have to add that to some of mine.

Stitchin At Home said...

Beautiful placemats! I like the idea of how you used embroidery for them.

Danette said...

These embroidery designs are so cute. I have made place mats and I use them constantly. So much so that they are getting washed to death. I use some that my mother made, also, but she did not quilt. They are made from yarn.

works4me said...

Lovely.

Susan said...

I really like your place mats. Those embroidery designs set them off nicely.

Vasudha said...

Crockpot soups and embroidered placemats - just the perfect fall dinner!

Emily said...

Wow, those embroidery designs are so pretty! And such pretty Island Batik fabric!

Carla said...

Your soup looks delish and your placemats make me smile. The perfect fall project. Thanks for joining the Hello Fall Blog Hop.

Rebecca Smith said...

We also make a lot of fall soups, but my table is primarily used for sewing rather than eating so no placemats here.

JANET said...

Very pretty placemats. Too fancy for me, don't laugh. When you get older, a hot pad under the plate does the trick, and not as much laundry. lol

LJ said...

Placemats are the perfect project. I loved the fabrics and the embroidery work. Thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

I love your placemats. They are so pretty.

Sandi1100 said...

Beautiful placemats! I would be afraid to eat on them for fear of staining them. We don't use placemats on our table but probably should. I have made some for others.

Carol Swift said...

I love the embroidery on your pretty placemats! We eat a lot of soup in the cooler months and we're good with two times in a row, too. Thank you for sharing, Nancy!

GranChris said...

Yes, I love placemats. What thread/floss are you using? Turned out wonderful.

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Lovely threadwork on some pretty placemats.

Lee said...

I do use placemats and yours are lovely! We do soup too in the crockpot with what we have in the pantry!

Carol said...

Beautiful placemats! Thanks for sharing your process too.

Brenda @ Songbird Designs said...

Nancy, your placemats are awesome! When it gets below 85 here in Alabama, I'm ready for soup. Of course, I love soup most anytime! LOL These fall placemats are perfect! Thanks for sharing.

Kathleen said...

I make placemats all the time and use them all the time. Love this design. I am getting an embroidery unit so this brings in a whole other mess for me to play with....November. Hmmmmm....thanksgiving placemats!

tirane93 said...

what a great way to combine embroidery and quilting. those are very pretty placemats!

Vicki in MN said...

Almost makes me want to dig out my embroidery again, it's been many many years.

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

oh I love the embroidery. I do not use placemats for meals. I eat alone so I eat at my desk, or over the sink. Thanks to the links for the embroidery.

Carol Andrews said...

I do use placemats and your lovely ones have me wanting to make new fall ones. So pretty! Thank you for sharing.

Michelle said...

Love your place mats. Perfect for a Fall table setting.

Barbara Nimmo said...

Your blog post about creating placemats for warm meals on cool days is both practical and heartwarming. Handcrafted placemats can truly enhance the dining experience, making it not only cozy but also stylish.
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