Halloween Table Mat

Quilt designer: Roseann Meehan Kermes

From American Patchwork & Quilting, October 2007

Designer Notes

This "Spooky Hollow" table topper is the perfect fall project-fast, fun, and oh-so-adorable. Designer Roseann Meehan Kermes used a wide stripe in an older fabric collection for the pumpkin and cat outer borders. Follow her lead and fussy-cut your own scene from Halloween fabric.

• 5/8 yard black print (quilt center, binding)
• 2--9x22" pieces (fat eighths) lime green prints (borders)
• 2--9x22" pieces (fat eighths) purple prints (borders)
• 5/8 yard wide stripe print (outer border)
• 7/8 yard backing fabric
• 28" square batting

Finished quilt: 22" square

Finished Four-Patch blocks: 2" and 4" square

Quantities are for 100% cotton, 44/45"-wide fabrics. Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.

Cut pieces in the order that follows.

From black print, cut:

• 1--10-1/2" square
• 3--2-1/2x42" binding strips

From one lime green print, cut:

• 2--1-1/2x22" strips
• 1--2-1/2x22" strip
• 4--2-1/2" squares

From second lime green print, cut:

• 2--1-1/2x22" strips

From one purple print, cut:

• 2--1-1/2x22" strips
• 1--2-1/2x22" strip

From second purple print, cut:

• 2--1-1/2x22" strips

From wide stripe print, cut:

• 4--4-1/2x14-1/2" strips for outer border

1. Sew together a lime green print 1-1/2x22" strip and a purple print 1-1/2x22" strip to make a strip set A. Press seam toward purple print. Repeat to make a second, matching strip set A. Cut strip sets into a total of twenty 1-1/2" wide segments.

2. Repeat Step 1 using 1-1/2x22" strips from the second lime green print and the second purple print to make twenty more 1-1/2" wide segments in a second colorway.

3. Join one 1-1/2"-wide segment from each colorway to make a small Four-Patch block (Diagram 3); press seam in one direction. The block should be 2-1/2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make 20 small Four-Patch blocks total.

4. Sew together the lime green print 2-1/2x22" strip and the purple print 2-1/2x22" strip to make a strip set B. Press seam toward purple print. Cut strip set B into eight 2-1/2" wide segments.

5. Join two 2-1/2"-wide segments to make a large Four-Patch block (Diagram 5); press seam in one direction. The block should be 4-1/2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make four large Four-Patch blocks total.

1. Sew together five small Four-Patch blocks to make an inner border strip (Quilt Assembly Diagram); press seams in one direction. Repeat to make four inner border strips total. Sew inner border strips to opposite edges of the black print 10-1/2" square quilt center. Press seams toward quilt center.

2. Add lime green print 2-1/2" squares to each end of remaining inner border strips; press seams toward lime green squares. Add pieced inner border strips to remaining edges of black print 10-1/2" square. Press seams toward quilt center. The quilt center now should be 14-1/2" square including seam allowances.

3. Sew matching wide stripe print 4-1/2x14-1/2" strips to opposite edges of quilt center. Press seams toward wide stripe print.

4. Add large Four-Patch blocks to each end of remaining wide stripe print 4-1/2x14-1/2" strips to make long outer border strips; press seams toward wide stripe print. Sew pieced outer border strips to remaining edges of quilt center to complete quilt top. Press seams toward outer border.

1. Layer quilt top, batting, and backing; baste.

2. Quilt as desired. Machine-quilter Patti Trygg quilted a large spider web over the table mat with variegated green thread.

3. Bind with black print binding strips.