How to Digitize a Summer Placemat — Part 3

How to Digitize a Summer Placemat — Part 3: Quilt Block Design and Assembly

This is the final lesson in the Summer Placemat series. You'll bring everything together — importing the popsicle designs from Lesson 1, arranging and colorizing them, adding stipple quilting using the Quilt Block Creator, and finishing the placemat with a fabric border using the Quilt as You Go method.

What You'll Need

Fabric

• White background fabric
• Batting and backing fabric
• 2" × 18" fabric strips for the border (4 strips — one per side)

Materials & Tools

• No Show Mesh stabilizer
• Machine embroidery hoop — 360mm × 260mm
• "Popsicle Applique" file saved from Lesson 1
• Creativate Platinum software

Part 1 — Design in CREATIVATE Embroidery Software

1. Open Creativate Software and select Blank Canvas. When the Hoop Selection window opens, set the Hoop Group to Universal, Hoop Size to 360mm × 260mm, and orientation to Natural. Click OK.
2. Click Insert and navigate to the "popsicle applique" file saved in Lesson 1 to bring it into the hoop.
3. Select the popsicle and click Duplicate twice so there are three popsicles in the hoop.
4. Arrange and recolor. Position the three popsicles as you like. To change the color of two of them, select each popsicle and double-click its color in the Design Panel.
5. Select all three popsicles and Group them. (Orange handles around the designs confirm they are grouped.)
6. Click Cut to move all three popsicles to the clipboard, clearing them from the hoop area.
7. Click the Create tab and select Quilt Block. When the Quilt Block Wizard opens, select Filled Quilt Block: Inner Embroidery. Click Next.
8. Select Shape 2, leave the Angle at 0, and set A to 360mm and B to 260mm under Enter Size. Uncheck Include a cut line around my Quilt Block. Click Next.
9. Click Paste Under Clipboard and click Next.
10. Leave the Angle at 0 and change the Margin to 2 under Outline. Click Next.
11. Select Stipple and click Options. In the Quick Stipple Fill window, select Curve under Style and set the Gap to 10 under Spacing. Click Finish.

    Tip: These settings are a starting point — feel free to explore all the quilting options in this window to find the look you want.

12. Go to File → Export, save the file as "Quilted Popsicle", and send it to your embroidery machine.

Part 2 — Assemble the Placemat

1. Hoop the stabilizer and fabric. Place the No Show Mesh stabilizer and white background fabric in the hoop, centering both carefully.
2. Stitch the appliqué. Load the "Quilted Popsicle" design and stitch out the appliqué portion. When the machine stops before the quilting section, remove the hoop from the machine. Slide the batting and backing under the hoop and pin through all layers from the front — this creates your quilt sandwich. Return the hoop to the machine and complete the quilting.
3. Trim the placemat. Once embroidery is complete, remove the fabric from the hoop and trim 1½" from the edge of the quilting along all four sides.
4. Add the top and bottom borders. Take one 2" × 18" fabric strip and place it right side down, raw edge aligned with the top edge of the quilting. Stitch in place using a ¼" seam. Fold the strip back and press flat. Repeat for the bottom border.
5. Add the side borders. Repeat Step 4 for both sides of the placemat.
6. Square up and bind the placemat to finish.