Difficulty level? A bit more advanced than beginner
Equipment needed: Sewing machine, good fabric scissors and a good method for accurately measuring fabric before cutting.
Time spent - about three hours
Materials used (affiliate links included)
* low loft batting - cut four pieces to size
LESSON LEARNED: I bought crib sized batting because I was just starting to learn to sew and wasn't sure how much I would need. If I were to get into this more - I would probably invest in larger sections of batting to save money
LESSON LEARNED: I didn't buy enough binding for my first go at this, it was cheaper to buy in bulk
LESSON LEARNED: that said, attaching binding is probably the hardest part of this project. I saw several tools and methods for making your own binding that's far cheaper, but my skills just aren't there yet.
PATTERN USED from Nora Springs - "Take Four"
Notes:
Pattern was super easy to understand. But being my first sewing project EVER - I struggled to learn how to square everything up. Between that and adding the binding, it made it a bit more challenging than probably I should have tried for my first project. That said, they're definitely usable and something I'll make again. Maybe after a little more practice, though.
Could you make money???
Maybe - if you've got the skill and talent to also make matching table runners and more than a set of four? If you could find the right upscale market or store - yes. Otherwise, probably not. Not unless you can make them a lot faster than these.
I easily spent over $30 for my binding, fabric and batting. If I were to try to make back my 3 hours of work at $15/hour - that would be an investment of $75 for a set of four placemats. I don't see people interested in buying placemats for that amount.
You could save money on supplies by buying lining fabric by the yard/on sale/or otherwise in bulk and buying zippers in bulk. Batting could be replaced with other inexpensive fabric.
That said, if you could make a set of 6-8 placemats and a matching table runner with a little simpler pattern in two hours? And spend less to make it? I could see them in an upscale shop for $60-70. If you had other things to sell, maybe
Doing multiples won't really save enough time as you can get confused as to which fabric to seam to which.
But they do make nice gifts, very nice gifts and there are definitely people who would appreciate your handiwork... but I don't think it would be something that would be easy to turn into a profit making enterprise.
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