Needs must....

This week I put my sewing skills to really good use and made something I've been meaning to do for ages.  Anyone with a toddler/small child will know just how messy mealtimes become once they deem themselves too big for a highchair and insist on joining you at the dining table!  We have some shop bought, regular cork-backed placemats but they just didn't seem up for the job of keeping the table clean. 

Off we went to the fabric store (which I knew had fun, wipe clean fabric at £2.99 per metre) to buy some supplies.  However...I didn't like any of these 'novelty' pvc fabrics...no, I was drawn to the ones that weren't £2.99 per metre, but the lovely grown-up dots that were £9.99 per metre... 

I used this tutorial at Jaybird Quilts to make my placemats.  For some reason, I 'forgot' that I'd need enough fabric for both sides of my placemats, so I only had enough fabric to make 2!  And here's how they look (hot off the sewing machine!) -

I *love* this fabric!  There was also a fabric in the same range with cupcakes on it...so I might have to back and buy some more fabric so we get a mat each!  They're also a bit wrinkly after turning out etc but they seem to be flatening out a bit with more use. 

They're nice and big too, approx 18 x 12".  Perfect for containing sticky toddler hands and any spills. 

As soon as I'd made them of course I had to test them out, a cup of coffee and a cupcake did the trick ;)

I must admit, I don't really enjoy sewing with these types of fabrics as they are quite 'sticky' going through the sewing machine, I don't have a teflon foot so I covered my normal food with masking tape -

It seemed to do the trick!  When I did the topstitching I also had to guide the fabric through quite a lot as the machine just wouldn't grip it enough. 

But overall, I'm very pleased with my new placemats (and the 2 year old is fair chuffed with them too!)