To begin, prepare the fabric for the embroidered pieces. Using an air-erase pen (or other marking tool), draw a 6 1/4 inch wide by 10 1/4 inch high rectangle on the solid-colored quilter's cotton - leave a couple of inches of excess fabric around the shape. Measure and mark the center of each side of the shape by measuring and dividing by two. Draw lines to connect the marks. Where the lines meet is the exact center of the shape.

Create a paper template of the design by printing it at full size using embroidery software. If you don't have embroidery software, you can cut a piece of paper the shape and dimensions of the design to help with placement and centering. If you'd like a recommendation for an embroidery program that can make templates, consider Embird from www.Embird.com.

Poke a hole in the center of the template and align it with the center point on the fabric. Make sure the design fits well within the shape - there should be at least one inch of space between the edges of the design and the edges of the shape.

Spray a piece of medium-weight or light-weight cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive and smooth the fabric on top. Hoop the fabric and stabilizer together by aligning the marks on the hoop with the lines on the fabric. Attach the hoop to the machine and load the first design. Move the hoop so that the needle is aligned with the center point on the fabric. Embroider the design.

After the design has finished, trim away the excess stabilizer on the back of the embroidery.

Cut out the shape.

Prepare the remaining embroidered piece by drawing an 8 1/4 inch by 8 1/4 inch square on the solid-colored fabric.

Follow the same process of measuring, hooping, and embroidering as you did for the first embroidered piece.

Cut a 6 1/4 inch wide by 2 1/4 inch high piece of print quilter's cotton and align it with the top edge of the first embroidered piece with right sides facing. Pin in place and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned edge only.

Press the back seam open with an iron. This is the left front panel of the placemat.

To prepare the middle front panel, cut a piece of print fabric 4 1/2 inches wide by 9 1/4 inches high and another piece 4 1/2 inches wide by 3 1/4 inches high.

Align the smaller piece with the bottom edge of the larger piece with right sides facing. Pin in place and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned edge, and press the seam.

To prepare the right front panel, start by cutting a 4 3/4 inch by 4 3/4 inch square piece of print fabric. Cut the square in half diagonally from one corner to the next.

Cut another piece of print fabric 4 3/4 inches by 4 3/4 inches and cut it in half diagonally as you did with the first piece.

Align two of the pieces together with right sides facing and pin in place. Sew a 1/4 inch seam along the long edge and press the seam.

Cut a piece of print fabric 4 1/2 inches wide by 4 1/4 inches high. Align the pieced square along the right edge of the square you just cut, with right sides facing. Pin in place along the right edge and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned edge only. Press the seam.

Next, align the pieced squares along the bottom edge of the remaining embroidered piece with right sides facing. Pin in place and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned edge only. Press the seam.

Lay the left embroidered panel flat and align the middle front panel on top with right sides facing. Pin in place along the right edge and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned edge only.

Lay the assembled left and middle panels flat and align the right panel on top of the center panel with right sides facing. Pin in place along the right edge and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned edge only.

To prepare the fabric for the side borders, cut two pieces of fabric 1 1/2 inches wide by 12 inches high. Align the side pieces with the side edges of the assembled front panel with right sides facing. Pin in place and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned edges. Then, press the seams.

Prepare the fabric for the top and bottom borders by cutting two pieces of fabric 19 1/4 inches wide by 1 1/2 inches high. Align the top and bottom pieces with the top and bottom edges of the assembled front panel with right sides facing. Pin in place and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned edges. Press the seams.

Prepare the fabric for the back of the placemat by laying the assembled front panel on top of the fabric. Pin in place and cut out the shape. Also, cut a piece of the batting just as you did for the back. 

Lay the batting flat and align the back fabric on top with the right side facing up. Align the front panel on top of the back fabric with the right sides facing (wrong side of the front panel faces up). Sew a 1/4 inch seam along the top, bottom, and one side edge - leave the other side edge open for turning.

Turn the placemat right side out between the front and back panels (the batting will end up inside the placemat), and press the seams. Also, turn the fabric of the opening in 1/4 inch and press. Hand-sew the opening closed by hand stitching with needle and thread. 

With nylon monofilament thread in the needle and matching thread in the bobbin (thread that matches the back fabric) quilt through all the layers by stitching along the existing seams of the front panel.

We also quilted around the edges of the embroidered pieces. To do this, first measure and mark 3/4 inch in around the edges of each piece. Draw lines connecting the marks and then stitch along the lines through all the layers (we used a decorative stitch).

Your cheerful placemat is now complete. Create a set of 4 for your kitchen table. And, click here to stitch a coordinating patchwork table runner!