This week I got busy making my Cornoacation Placemat for the challenge. This post will have the parameters, deadlines, and prizes you can win. The placemat doesn’t have to be fancy, something simple will be just fine. Mine is just strips of fabrics, quilted and bound on my domestic machine. Simple and easy! I began with selecting some fabric prints that would be meaningful to how I am spending my time now.
I cut strips 3-1/2-inches wide x 14 inches, and arranged them in a pleasing way.
Then I simply sewed the strips together.
I trimmed the the project evenly.
Layering with a thin batting and cotton backing, I quilted simply with stitch in the ditch.
Then, I cut away the excess. The final size is 14 x 18.
Selecting a neutral green to go with the front and the back makes the placemat reversible. This striped fabric was a good choice for the back, and all I needed was a fat quarter. I stitched the binding to the back first.
Then it was folded to the front and stitched close to the inner edge.
My fabric selections were chosen to illustrate what is going on in my world now. The lovely purple iris mirrors the ones in my garden that are blooming now. The honeysuckle represents the forest around us coming alive with spring. We have honeysuckle in several spots which should be blooming in another month or so.
I’ve been spending some time trying to get photos of the local birds in natural settings for entry into this year’s State Fair photo contest, so fabric with birds is next. The floral fabric on the right is from Scrap Dance Twist, the main sewing project for this time at home.
I didn’t realize this until the mat was finished, but I put the two with butterflies together. The one with the blue background represents the blue skies of spring, and the ladybugs that are coming out now too. The last one is also a garden theme with pollinators to watch flitting from flower to flower.
All ready to have a nice meal, I hope it makes a brighter place for a shut-in senior soon.
Now, to the good stuff!! My friend Vicky Welsh has sent me some of her fabulous hand dyed products for prizes!! The Grand Prize will be her Color Wheel Stash Pack, all fat eighths, a rainbow of hand dyed beauty. Runner Up prizes will be two of her Shirbori Hand Dyed Dish Towels in either Blue or Lavender. See her website at Colorways by Vicky, visit her store, and see her lovely blog too.
So here are the ways you can enter for the random drawing once you have completed your placemat. You get one entry for each one you make. The deadline to enter will be May 15th. You can donate locally, or send it to me for donation here with the group, or make them for yourself to keep. Enter using one of these ways –
- Send the placemat to me by mail for donation to Meals on Wheels. I’ll take some pictures of the entries for sharing. It must arrive by May 13th.
- OR – Post pictures of your placemat(s) on your blog and link back to the challenge.
- OR – Post a picture on Instagram or Twitter, #coronacationplacemat with a link back to this post, and send me a link to your post.
- OR – Put a new post in our Facebook group (Friends of From My Carolina Home) with a picture of your placemats(s).
- OR – Send me an email with a picture of your placemat (medium kb size please) to frommycarolinahome at gmail dot com.
Just choose which way it is easiest for you to enter.
My garden was such a big part of my inspiration for this project, and I’ll show you what is blooming on Easter Sunday. Then, save your ham bone from Sunday’s holiday dinner as a recipe for soup is coming on Monday.
Are you making a placemat for the challenge?
Impression Obsession stamps has some Free Printables for us at this crazy time, cute images to wash your hands and more to color.
From My Carolina Home 
What a neat challenge! I really like that you have so many ways to participate and provide for the freedom for creativity. Looking forward to everyone’s entries.
Still don’t have a sewing machine that works but I love the rabbit.
Great selection of prints for your placemat. Very spring-like. Thanks for your process. And I love the rabbit and verse. Great fun!
You always have such pretty florals to choose from! They definitely make a cheery and bright placemat that someone is going to love. I have one in progress – good to know when my deadline is! 🙂
Hello Carole, Your placemat is lovely with all of the beautiful fabrics you chose to use! The person who receives this will be delighted every time they use it. I am still having no luck getting on facebook. I made two placemats and had so much fun, I may take a break today and make a few more. It has finally decided to be spring here and yesterday, we went outside and enjoyed the sunshine and all the singing birds. I will most likely do a bit of weeding today. Have a fantastic day!!!
Those are some EXCELLENT prizes. Vicki’s dishtowels are wonderful. I have one that is a sort of spiral design. I love using it. I need to enter and (with a lot of luck) win another one for my kitchen.
Sew pretty and fresh! Sure to make anyone smile. The senior ladies at assisted living have been doing a LOT of placemats for donation, and I set them up doing a QAYG with the batting and backing “spray basted”, and then when they stitch the strips together, they are quilting at the same time. They love pulling strips and making creative color choices. I’ll post a picture when I get one done. I’m sewing every “other day or two” on what I call fun projects and then going back to “factory work pace” doing masks. I’ve got a dozen fresh out of the washer/dryer to iron before they get picked up on Monday. Be well. Love the link for the printables. I need to do some notes for shut-in’s from church, and these might be fun to color and send.
The placemats are very pretty and cheerful! Thanks for sharing.
Have fun with your challenge!
Hi Carole! I think the fabrics you selected represent your coronacaction very well. These are beautiful and will certainly brighten any table. 🙂 We had three lovely days this week, DH enjoyed his garden therapy very much. Now we have three days with lows down to 12 degrees, which is uncommonly cold for April. We are hoping the plum buds survive. They are still very small, but definitely swelling, so we’ll see. Thank you again for using your photography skills to brighten our days.
Pretty fabric choices for your placemat, Carole!
Love those pretty strips of floral fabrics! Looking forward to the soup recipe Monday–we always save our ham bone!
Hi, Carole,
A great diversion from making masks and sewing donation quilts that are being stashed right now until we can get back to distributing them.
The Rossmoor quilters routinely make placemats for Meals on Wheels in two different East bay areas.
I always have a supply of precut batting pieces sized for placemats, think I will pull out my food and beverages bin and make some for your challenge.
Stay safe and productive at home,
Susan @susansquiltstudio
So pretty Carole! Love the positive pants bunny too! Happy Easter 🐥
Jenna
I saw those Impression Obsession digital stamps and did download the one you’ve shown here. I saw the card made by one of their demonstrators on her blog and it was so cute! Your placemat is a happy little thing. What a nice thing for you and Vicky to collaborate on to benefit Meals on Wheels. All I’m doing right now is machine quilting practice!
I have completed my second placemat. It is on my blog and linked up.
https://blog.geneblack.com/2020/04/a-small-morning-project.html
The first one is here https://blog.geneblack.com/2020/04/placemat-challenge-my-entry.html