Saturday, April 21, 2012

Montessori style placemats }{ Tutorial

My little N. is 3 1/2 years old! 

It's such a fun age with surprising sassiness, amazing displays of love, and a whole lot of "growing up" behavior. Seriously. I can't blink and she's developed beyond what I thought was possible at this age. 

One thing I've tried to do is to leave some Montessori inspired activities and materials easily accessible for her to use. This particular project came about because she likes to help me get dinner ready. I obviously can't let her do a whole lot when I'm cooking, but she does help setting the table. And I like to encourage her to help and to do it independently. 

I saw these adorable Montessori placemats for sale at A Bit of This and a Bit of That, and it inspired me to make my own. Jo is much better at making them, so check out her shop to see them! But I'm such a diy person that I wanted to try it myself. I'm sharing the process for those of you who want to try it as well. Mine came out a bit bigger than what it needed to, so feel free to decrease the overall dimensions.




Materials
  • fabric for the top (22 in x 14 in) - I used pink checkered cotton
  • backing (22 in x 14 in) - I used muslin
  • fabric scraps in coordinating colors for the utensils, plate, and cup. 
  • scissors
  • Thread and sewing machine
  • iron 

Steps

1) Cut the fork, spoon, knife, plate, and cup out of the scraps of fabric using the templates (link above). The chopsticks were at my husband's request, and for us it's useful. You don't actually have to use the templates. You can take some silverware and place it on the fabric, trace it and cut it.

2) Pin them on the right side of the top fabric. Sew. I used both a straight stitch and a decorative one of top (for extra support and extra fun).






3) Pin the backing to the top, right sides together.



4) Sew around the edges leaving an opening (~3 inches) to turn it over right side out.



5) Iron the opening, folding the edges to the inside. Sew the opening shut.



6) That's it, you're done! So quick right? And now, just put it on the table for your little one to help you set it.




13 comments:

  1. That is so neat and cute, lovely idea! I remember 3,5 - such a fun age! :-)

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  2. This is a really cute idea. I think it would work for some grown-ups too :).

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  3. Love this! I'd enjoy having them even though my kids are older. :D
    Catherine Denton

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  4. Awww, 3. That's a magical age. :) You are so good at these kinds of things. My mom and I were just looking at some sewing machines today. I can't believe the many options out there these days. My mom's great with a sewing machine. Me, not so much.

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  5. Olá querida!
    muita coisa aconteceu por aqui, depois que fiquei doentinha mudamos de casa e não tenho internet por isso não tenho postado com frequencia,espero logo resolver e voltar a postar diariamente.
    Vejo que tu andas a mil com os tecidos, isso é muito lindo e gratificante.
    Bjos saudades!

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  6. Olá querida!
    muita coisa aconteceu por aqui, depois que fiquei doentinha mudamos de casa e não tenho internet por isso não tenho postado com frequencia,espero logo resolver e voltar a postar diariamente.
    Vejo que tu andas a mil com os tecidos, isso é muito lindo e gratificante.
    Bjos saudades!

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  7. Oh I like that - it's so thoughtful and cute!

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  8. That's a neat idea, and I love your pink placemets!
    I will keep this in mind for a future project.

    Have a nice week :)
    http://hetkabinet.blogpost.com

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  9. This is fantastic! I made something really similar recently - for my twin niece and nephew - I blogged about it too!
    By the way - those blue birds? They are adorable in the background!

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  10. What a brilliant tutorial - I know my four year old would love a placemat like that.

    Thank you for sharing.

    Nina x

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  11. Oh my goodness these are adorable! I love them. Hugs

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  12. Nice tutorial & cute placemat too! Thanks for linking to Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do:)

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