Sewing ideas

DECORATIVE TABLE SETTING

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The sewing instructions

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Download

Pattern Table setting A3.pdf

 

BY CÉDRIC NEUSCHWANDER

 

Materials :

  • 40 cm stiff, heavy fabric (such as heavy denim or thick cotton cloth)
  • 20 cm printed cotton fabric
  • thread, pencil, ruler, scissors and pins

Prepare your patterns:

  1. Make a same-size copy of each pattern, making sure to include the guide marks
    - Pattern 1 - to be used once with the heavy fabric (for your table mat)
    - Pattern 2 - to be used once with the printed cotton fabric (for the cultery holder)
    - Pattern 3 - to be used once with the heavy fabric (for the decorative edging on the cutlery holder)
    - Pattern 4 - to be used once with the heavy fabric (for the edges of the napkin ring)
    - Pattern 5 - to be used twice with the printed cotton fabric (for the centre of the napkin ring)
  2. Cut out the patterns in paper and pin them to the appropriate fabrics (choose a robust, heavy grade of paper so that you can re-use the patterns to make additional table settings).
  3. Carefully cut out all pieces of fabric without allowing an extra margin for seams (all pieces are sewn together leaving a 1 cm margin, which has already been allowed for).

Sew the table mat:

  1. Lay the rectangular piece of heavy fabric that will serve as your table mat right side down, and iron down a 1 cm fold along each of the 4 sides.
  2. Taking the point of each corner, fold in 1cm towards the centre and pin in place, then neatly bring in the folds on either side to meet one another, right side against right side, and pin in place to create a neat seam. Carefully sew down 1 cm from the edge.

  3. Iron your seams down flat, then turn your fabric over and pass the iron over your entire work.
  4. Oversew your hem 4 cm from the edge using a straight stitch, then embellish with a decorative stitch to highlight. Choose a coloured thread that matches the fabric you will use for the cutlery holder.


Sew the cutlery holder:

  1. Position the fabric band of Pattern 3 along one of the short sides of the fabric rectangle of Pattern 2, and sew down 1 cm from the edge, right side up against right side up.
  2. Holding your work so that the fabric band of Pattern 3 is facing towards you, right side up, fold the strip back on itself towards the top, then fold back down towards you, making a 1.5 cm tuck. Pin into place, then tuck the remaining overhanging fabric underneath, and pin down.
  3. Turn your work around and carefully sew the fabric band down, right side up.
  4. Taking your iron, lay your fabric right side down and iron down a 1 cm fold on the three remaining sides, inwards towards the underside of the fabric.
  5. Fold the piece of fabric in half and iron down to mark the centre.
  6. Using your pins, position the fabric on the guide marks of Pattern 1, making a small 5 mm pintuck at the centre bottom of both the left-hand and right-hand sides of the pocket, to provide some interior volume.
  7. Sew down the cutlery pocket on three sides, beginning at the top left, then the bottom (taking care to sew in each of the pintucks) and finishing top right. Take extra care to firmly sew down the decorative band on the top left-hand side and top right-hand side, sewing back-and-forth a few times to create a strong seam. Next, sew along the middle fold of your fabric, again, taking care when you reach the decorative band at the top to reinforce the seam by sewing back-and-forth. You should be left with two neat rectangular pockets which are open at the top to hold your cutlery.

Sew the napkin ring:

 

  1. With both pieces of fabric right side up, position the strip of Pattern 5 in the centre of the strip of Pattern 4.
  2. Make a small fold inwards on each of the long sides of Pattern 4, iron down flat, then tuck in again towards the centre, so that the edges of Pattern 4 overlap Pattern 5.
  3. Sew down these pintucked hems, and iron down the entire band of fabric.
  4. Form a ring with the fabric strip, and position it on the guide marks on Pattern 1.
  5. Firmly sew down the interior to create a sturdy ring.
  6. Finish off your table setting by adding decorative embroidery to taste - for example, you could sew place markers for the plate and cup (choose a dense satin stitch, or the same decorative stitch you used to highlight the borders of the mat).
  7. Iron down flat to finish - and bon appetit !