Padded Placemats

We bought a new kitchen table a few months ago. It's so beautiful and counter-height, which I love so much. However, kids are kids and they have managed to scratch it up. And Sean and I have, too. Oops. We have been searching and searching for cute protective placemats to keep on the table at all times. Nothing is out there. So I made some. This was a great project because I learned more about sewing products I have never used before: interfacing.

For more information on interfacing, please go here. I love her blog so much.

So, I started out making these placemats using quilt batting hoping it would provide some stabilization to the placemats. It ended up making them pillowy. So I read up on interfacing. I was at Joann's looking at all the different options for interfacing and found a foam stabilizer. Eureka! Washable, protective padding. (The link is for a whole bolt of foam but I was able to find it in store by the yard.)

I bought 2 1/2 yards of home decor fabric. (I've heard outdoor fabric is a good option, too, because its thick and spill-proof.) I also bought 2 1/2 yards of foam. (I really only needed 1 1/4 yards).

I cut two pieces of my fabric 19x13 inches and one piece of foam the same size. Sew the foam to the wrong side of one piece of fabric. Sew right sides together and then turn right-side out. Iron and top-stitch. I got 6 placemats from this fabric. Oh, and I just had a thought that you could use the foam to make your own mouse pad...