serve as the pocket for the cutlery
and serviette.29
Use the Perlé cotton to hand
quilt around each roof
decoration and the window frames
in running stitch through all layers.30
Trim the excess backing
fabric and batting level with
the placemat.31
Join the binding strips cut in
Step 4 with diagonal seams to
make one long length, trim the seam
and press it open. Fold the binding in
half, wrong sides together and long
edges matching, and press. Use a
pencil to draw lines^1 ⁄ 4 in from the raw
edge on the front of the placemat for
about^1 ⁄ 2 in on either side of each corner
that isn’t a right angle, as shown in
Diagram 8.32
With right sides together,
sew the binding to the front
of the placemat, mitring the corners
as you go and referring to the BindingDiagrams on page 80 for details. To mitre
the corners that aren’t right angles,
stitch to the point of the corner where
the two lines you’ve drawn intersect;
stop with the needle in the fabric right at
that point. Fold the fabric back along the
line of stitching to align the raw edge
with the next edge of the placemat.
Then fold the binding down so that the
fold is in line with the outer point. See
Diagram 9. Stitch, beginning at the edge
of the placemat and catching the fold in
the binding. Sedef recommends
watching a helpful tutorial she found on
YouTube at https://youtu.be/Vci9-li3aYU
for more tips on this technique.33
Turn the binding over and hand
stitch it to the back of the
placemat. Load the pocket with cutlery
and a serviette and enjoy!For contact details for Sedef Imer,
of Down Grapevine Lane, turn to Stockists
at the back of the magazine.Diagram 9
SEDEF IMER
What time of the day do you make it into your
craft studio? It varies every day, but most days
it’s between 9 and 10am. I have two young kids,
and now that school holidays have finished,
I hope to get back into a regular routine.
On a regular day, what has to be done before
you can pick up your stitching? Feed and dress
my kids, shower and get ready, then take the
kids to school or kindergarten. I then do my
grocery run and any household chores before
I can peacefully settle down to sewing.
Your sewing business is relatively new but has
been quite successful, hasn’t it? It feels so
strange when I think that I had never even used
a sewing machine until 3^1 ⁄ 2 2 years ago. I bought one
to make things for my daughter’s nursery, then
started a blog and Etsy shop, and it’s just takenoff from there. So much has happened since then.
I would have never believed it if someone had
told me that I’d be designing fabric for one of the
biggest fabric houses in the world and have a
quilting book published in this short space of
time. I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of
it and am so excited about what the future holds.
What do you consider your main
accomplishments since establishing your
stitching as a business? Building a large
following and fan base; building industry
relationships with fabric houses and fabric
stores; learning to design fabric and joining the
Riley Blake design team; and writing my first
book, Quilt Petite.
What part does blogging play in your success?
My blog (www.downgrapevinelane.com) is a
mechanism for me to showcase my work and my
craft journey with my followers. I consider social
media, such as Instagram and Facebook, an
extension of the blog; they also allow more
impromptu sharing of whatever I’m working
on that day. I’m not a professional blogger, nor
do I try to be – my business model is not based
on blog revenues. So, for instance, my blog
doesn’t have adverts, nor do I keep to a
‘schedule’ for blogging. I blog as and when
I have something worth sharing.
What are your five favourite blogs? Nana
Company, Minki’s Worktable (www.minkikim.
com), Ellis & Higgs, A Spoonful of Sugar and
Tied With a Ribbon. And so many more! There
is a bigger list on my blog.
Do you like to work in silence or with music/
tele/radio? or work that doesn’t need total F
concentration, I play Netflix on my laptop next
to my sewing machine. If I’m writing a patternor doing something that requires full focus,
I just play music or work in silence.
What percentage of your time is spent
browsing in haberdashery and patchwork
stores? I go to Spotlight a couple of times a
month (and spend an eternity every time I’m
in there). I tend to do a lot of my fabric and
notion browsing and purchasing online, so that
happens in dribs and drabs every day. I am
lucky to have a lot of partnerships with fabric
stores, which allows me to keep up to date
with the latest lines. If I had to guess a
percentage, it would be probably be something
like 10 per cent of my time.
Is that by necessity or desire? I have a slight
obsession with fabric (what sewist doesn’t?),
so I don’t consider it a chore. It’s one of the most
enjoyable parts of my work – buying fabric,
receiving pretty fabric bundles, playing with
fabric mixes. So it’s definitely a pleasure.
Do you like to craft shop alone or with friends
and colleagues? I much prefer to shop alone,
as I tend to flit all over the place when I am in
a big store and have no logic or rationale to
the order in which I look for things. And lots
of impulse purchasing happens, too. My husband
came to Spotlight with me once – I don’t think
he will ever make that mistake again. I think
I’m a pretty frustrating person to shop with.
What are your feelings when you unwrap new
fabric and sewing acquisitions when you get
them home? It totally makes my day. I love
receiving happy mail (which for me = fabric/
sewing materials). I tend to keep new fabric
bundles on my desk for a few days, while I enjoy
looking at (and stroking!) them, and plan what
I may use them for.Gett ing to know ...
SEDEF’S QUILTING
TIP When hand quilting, make
sure you ‘bury’ all the knots so
they’re not visible on the back
of the placemat. To do this, give
a gentle tug on the thread with
just enough force to pull the knot
through the layer of backing
fabric and into the batting.