Old Glory Placemats

Chef Bubba is in the kitchen cooking that cobbler. It sure smells good. I believe that he has some barbecue recipes to share with you next week. I have been placed in charge of decorations.

A great start is the centerpiece. Since we will be eating on the patio, I grabbed an old watering can and filled it with white daisies, red zinnias and blue salvia. Tuck in some miniature flags. This will make a very pretty flower arrangement. Toss some red and blue pillows on the furniture. This makes a great start to creating the mood.

I have created some easy placemats to make. This is a great way to use some fabrics from your stash or some novelty fabrics. Everyone one has some leftover batting. I used patriotic novelty fabrics to make napkins.

Old Glory Placemats:

Tools:

Rotary Cutter and mat

Ruler

Sewing machine

Thread

Red fabric

Blue fabric

White fabric

Batting or flannel

For each placemat:

You will need a total of 7- 2 ½ "strips of fabric and 1- 6 ½ "blue square

1 backing measuring 19 inches wide and 14 inches high

1 batting measuring 19 inches wide and 14 inches high

Instructions:

1. Cut two red and white strips 2 ½" wide and 19 inches long.
2. Cut one white strip and two red strips 2 ½" wide and 12 ½ inches long.
3. Cut one 6 1/2 "square of blue fabric.
4. Cut batting and backing to measure 19 inches wide and 14 inches wide.
5. Seam allowance is ¼".

Beginning with the red strip from #1, sew a white strip to the red right sides together. Press the strip to the dark side. Keeping the red on the bottom, add a red strip to the white strip. Continue until you have a strip set of 4 strips of fabric- red, white, red, white. Sew a 2^nd strip set of 3 strips measuring 12 ½" wide beginning with red and ending with a red. Press to the dark side of fabric.

Sew the 6 ½" blue square to the left side of the strip set. Sew the 1^st strip set and 2 strip set right sides together on the long side. This is your top.

Layer the backing and top right sides together. Add batting to the top of the sandwich. The batting will be on the top when you sew the sandwich together. Sew around the edges ¼ "leaving an opening for turning right side out. Turn and press. Slipstitch opening together. You may quilt top as desired.  This is very fast and easy.

If you wish to make napkins- cut 2 squares of patriotic fabric in 19" square. With wrong sides together, sew in 1" from the sides. Trim edges with pinking shears or wave rotary cutter. You are done. When is that cobbler going to be done?