Sunday, August 26, 2012

birthday place mats

This year, for my parents' birthdays (they are only 8 days apart), I wanted to send them not just a store bought present, but also something hand made that they could use on a regular basis. Also, it had to be something not too time consuming as I waited until the last minute to work on it.

Here' s what I came up with - personalized birthday place mats.


I used this fun "notebook" fabric for the middle and framed it with different green fabrics from my stash. I then had my kids draw and write messages using fabric markers.



I think they turned out great and my kids had a lot of fun working on these place mats. It was like making a big birthday card, just on fabric.


Once all the writing and drawing was done, I made a quilt sandwich using warm and white batting and quilted the place mats with straight lines about 1/2" apart.


I bound both of them using the same gray fabric and ta-da!!! they were finished in no time at all. The best thing, though, is that my parents loved getting them in the mail.

I'm curious to know. Do you make presents for your family? Do you have a certain go to present you like to make?

22 comments:

  1. Okay, now that is probably the sweetest thing I've seen in a while! Your mom and dad will just love it. I do make presents for my family, I've done mug rugs, coasters, even quilts.

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  2. What a totally darling idea! I'll bet your folks couldn't have been more pleased.

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  3. How cool, love this idea! I make all my family gifts, but it's partly related to whatever they're into at the moment, and partly to whatever I'm into ;o)

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  4. Oh these are totally cute!! I DO make alot of gifts - quilts, table runners, gift bags, sewing machine cover, potholders....and btw, most of my zakka creations have already been gifted!

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  5. What a great idea! I love the greens, too. I do make some homemade gifts, but generally at the last minute too!

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  6. This is so precious, Svetlana! The perfect birthday gift :) I love to make homemade gifts for friends and family....always different things, will add this to my "ideas" list!

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  7. This is a cute idea! I love handmade gifts. My spouse, our children, their spouses, and our grandchildren have all been gifted with quilts.

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  8. Fantastic idea! This would be a perfect craft for a kids birthday party too. My family have no say in the matter...they get gifts I made all the time!!

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  9. That is such a great idea. I do make gifts for some people, but not for the ones that I know won't appreciate it. I've made quilts, crocheted large afghans, and a lot of other things. I'm working on new items to give this year.

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  10. Love these! I have been making more gifts lately for family, mostly because my husband's family is so difficult to buy for. Somehow, I feel like another set of "fill in the blank", isn't just another set IF they are handmade ones. Of course, for all I know, they could be just throwing them in a closet somewhere.

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  11. Those are adorable! We have been making most of our gifts lately - mostly bags and doll quilts.

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  12. What a cute idea!!! Very nice :)

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  13. That is a really sweet idea! And better than a birthday card - these are practical and can be on display all year round ;)

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  14. Oh, what a sweet gift! I love what your children wrote. How special! I've given nearly everyone in the family a quilt, and now I'm branching out to friends and possibly maybe I'll make a charity quilt this month for 100 Quilts for Kids. Stay tuned...

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  15. This is a wonderful idea, I'm sure your parents will love using them. I make gifts when I can. I'm in the middle of making a cot quilt for my friends baby at the moment.

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  16. What a surprise to understand the words. World is so small! I like your blog very much and I am from CR.

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  17. I love everything about this! As a Nana to 6, I would be overjoyed to receive a placemat like this. What a wonderful idea and I'm sure they will cherish them :)

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  18. This is such a great idea! I'm definitely tucking this one away...

    At this point, I sew gifts for all the women I know. The men are a little harder. We'll see how creative I can get this Christmas. :)

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  19. what a great idea. i want to make much more than i do. i get overwhelmed by the sheer number of relatives i have! ;) xo

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  20. What a sweet idea to make something that the kids can contribute to! I make lots of gifts. Quilts, purses, knit scarves and jewelry. I really wish some of my relatives made things.

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  21. these are sweet!! I love all the drawings! These will be treasured!! I have been making things for my mom and sister! They always request from me,which made me really happy! I preferred handmade gifts than anything else! Of course, I always gifted fabric from friends who don't sew! x

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  22. Oh wow, you are a genius! Those are SOO cute!!! I must know...where would I find the "notebook paper" fabric? I've never seen that before. Yes, I do make most of the gifts that I give to family and friends. My favorite go to is quilted pot holders and "15 minute" table runners. When I have the time, I do like to make simple, small quilts.

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