Wednesday Sewing - Summer Leaf Table Mat

I'm now down to only scraps of the leaf colored fabric I ice dyed.  I've put together a summer leaf themed table mat using the same pattern I used for several others - I like the scalloped roundness of the design and the way it fits perfectly in the center of my dining room table.  Now if I just had a dining room!  We're installing new tile in much of the house and right now the dining room furniture is scattered throughout the other rooms.  Oh well, when everything goes back in the table will look great with its new center mat!

Materials:
*1 1/2 yards fabric for top and bottom
*about 2 1/2 yards bias tape (see this past post for making your own and attaching it)
*quilt batting or fusible felt
*Steam-A-Seam - I've started using Steam-A-Seam Lite for adding appliques.  It's not as heavy, so it's easier to embroider through
*pattern for the mat (it also includes a heart pattern you won't be using)
*pattern for the leaves

1.  Cut out the pattern.  The instructions on how to use it with folded newspaper to get a full sized pattern are here.  Cut two pieces from your fabric, one for the top and one for the bottom, and cut one piece from quilt batting or fusible felt.  To make placing the leaves easier, fold the top piece in quarters and iron so you have lines that intersect in the middle.

2.  Use Steam-A-Seam to make four leaf appliques, arrange symmetrically on the top fabric piece, and iron in place.  A past tutorial that explains using Steam-A-Seam with patterns can be found here.

3.  Sew around the edges either by hand with a blanket stitch or by machine using a close together zig zag stitch.

4.  Pin together your fabric backing, quilt batting (or if you're using fusible felt, fuse it to the back piece), and fabric front.

5.  Next, I thread stitched the leaf veins as I did with the leaf art coasters here.

6.  Free  motion quilt the background.  See a tutorial here.

7.  Finish the edges with bias tape.

Happy Creating!  Deborah