Quilt as you go is a fast way to create quilted projects, because the piecing and quilting are done simultaneously – after you’ve finished the piecing, you’re ready to bind, because the quilting has already been done! This makes quilt as you go a great method for simple projects like quilted placemats. Quilt as you go is an even easier technique when you use Fairfield Fusiboo as your batting. The fusiboo is a fusible batting that bastes your pieces in place each time you press open a seam with the quilt as you go method!
In this comprehensive tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a simple quilt as you go placemat, and how to machine bind the edges. Make one, and you’ll be hooked! You can use different fabric combinations to customize your placemats – use holiday fabrics, whimsical fabrics, or fabrics that match your decor. You can even use leftover strips to create scrappy placemats!
To make your Quilt as you go placemat you’ll need:
- Assorted Fat Quarters or strips of fabric
- Rotary Cutter
- Ruler
- ThermoWeb Pressing paper or a silicone pressing mat
- Fairfield Fusiboo
Instructions for your Quilt as you go placemat:
Start by pinning the pressing papers to your ironing board, shiny-side up. This will protect your ironing board as you fuse the backing to the Fusi-boo.
Cut a piece of Fusi-boo just smaller than the fat quarter you selected for your batting. Place the Fusi-boo on the ironing board, cover with the backing fabric, and iron into place. If your Fusi-boo has wrinkles from packaging, lightly spray with water, and gently pull to stretch out any deep creases.
Cut strips from the remaining fabric. I chose all 2.5″ strips, but you can vary your strips, or choose a different width.
Turning the backing fabric over so that the fabric side is down, and the Fusi-boo is facing up, press the first strip down, all the way on the right of the fabric. The strip should be facing right-side-up.
Place the second strip on top of the first, so that the right sides are together. Using your sewing machine, stitch the strips together. This will stitch through all the layers of fabric and the Fusi-boo.
Press the fabric open, so that you can see the face of both fabrics. While pressing, the strip will become secured to the Fusi-boo.
Repeat this process – adding a strip face down, stitching into place, and pressing open – until you have covered the entire surface with strips. Then trim the placemat to size.
My placemat is 14″x18″ – you can choose to make yours smaller or larger.
Time to bind the placemat! Start by stitching together enough strips to go around all 4 sides of the placemat. Stitch them together at an angle – this keeps the seam from being to bulky once it is stitched on the placemat.
Trim the seam allowance to 1/4″, and press open.
Press the binding in half, lengthwise. Line up the raw edges with the raw edges of the placemat, and stitch into place. Don’t stitch at the very beginning of the binding, leave a 4-6″ tail. You’ll see why at the end. Stitch 1/4″ away from the edge.
Getting perfect corners is easy! A couple inches before you reach the corner, fold the binding so that it is perpendicular to your current stitching path, and stretching away from the placemat.
Fold back in the opposite direction. The edges of the binding should still match up with the edges of the placemat.
Flip the corner-flap that was created back towards you.
Stitch right up to the fold created by the corner flap. Stitch back and forth to secure your stitching.
Lift up your needle and presser foot. Turn the placemat 90 degrees, flipping the corner flap back over the other way. Start stitching at the crease, stitch forward, back, and then forward again to secure, then continue stitching down the length of the strip.
Repeat for all four corners. When you get back to the beginning, create a 45 degree fold in the tail you left when you started stitching.
Tuck the end of the binding into this tail, and stitch into place.
To secure the binding, flip the folded edge around to the back. Make sure it extends beyond the stitching line where the binding is stitched in place.
Stitch right next to the binding, going trough all the layers, and securing the binding to the back.
Make sure to tuck in your corners several inches before you reach them.
Once you have stitched the binding in place, your simple quilt as you go placemat is complete!
Make several matching placemats for your dining table, or to give as a gift!
