No need to get out your fancy China...

Imagine, you’re sitting at your table, eating a meal, like breakfast or dinner. You didn’t want to bring out the big tablecloth, but you still want to enjoy this meal in a nice setting. Your family is chatting and you’re having a cozy time talking about your day.

Dressing your dinner table

These family times don’t call for the fancy China or the linen tablecloth. You need something cozy, quick to set up, yet modern enough with a personal touch while making memories.

For these times, my family and I use stylish placemats. And you know what? I’m already looking forward to family moments like these when I’m in my sewing room. I’m “cooking up” this table setting while picking out my treasured scraps for these placemats.

A Zen Chic combo

I found a great pattern by Lucy Brennan in the Love Patchwork and Quilting magazine, issue 81. She made a whole set with a table runner, placemats, and coasters. However, for weekly family meals, placemats are all we need.

My friend and helper, Yvonne Aumann made these lovely placemats. She used the new collection Dance in Paris. Together with this lovely pattern, I think the placemats look pretty chic...Zen Chic even!

Celebrating the Dance in Paris collection

Have you seen the newest collection, Dance in Paris? I’m proud and happy how it turned out. And we are celebrating this collection with a Quilt Along.

End of the month, we start Zen Chic’s first Quilt Along. And we would love to have you join us. Via special QAL newsletters, you will get all the instructions, video tutorials, and tips & tricks to put together the Spring in Paris quilt.

You can read all about it here on this special QAL page.

In the meantime…

… find your precious scraps from other collections like Quotation or Chill and quilt a few amazing placemats for your table. And remember, you can always sew another set with the Dance in Paris fabrics after the Quilt Along.

Happy quilting and bon appetit!

Other ideas you may like

How to Sew Hexagons by Machine

Joining hexagons can be a daunting and time-consuming task. Knowing how to do this properly using your sewing machine is a great skill to have under your belt. Watch the video tutorial by All People Quilt featuring the Day in Paris fabric collection.

Make Some Cute Pincushions with a Handful of Scraps

When you keep making quilts, you keep ending up with lots of scraps. If you have only a handful of them, then these pincushions are cute, easy, and quick items to make. I found a free YouTube tutorial on how to make them. These pincushions are great to have in your own sewing space or to give away to quilting and sewing friends. You can even use the tutorial to make pumpkins to decorate your home for fall season.

Sew Some Stylish Headbands of Leftover Fabrics

If you’re looking for an easy sewing project and you have a few leftover fabrics, I found a great little project for you. These cute headbands are very quick and easy to make. You could surely sew 5 or 6 of them within the hour, making these perfect for a quick gift to a friend. Or make yourself a couple matching your wardrobe. You don’t need much fabric to put a headband together and how fun will it be to complement that blouse you made earlier.

Sew a Cute Gumdrop Mini Quilt with the Dance in Paris Fabrics

There comes a time when you’re in the mood to decorate your wall with a new look. So why not create this Gumdrop Mini Quilt to decorate your living room or hallway? This quilt is easy to make using a Charm Pack and gives a fun result for your wall. Check out what you need for this cute and yummy piece!