A fun new use for placemats?

Do you find other uses for household items?

I love making homemade items for my friends & family, and it's a bonus if they're useful.

While bargain shopping, I found a bunch of pretty quilted placemats for under a dollar! As I have a plethora of fabric from art quilting, I thought I could find a way to use both to create gifts for many of my loved ones ;)

After experimenting, I ended up making gifts like a makeup brush roll, a tablet/ebook reader cover, a tiny pillow, and as you see below, a little book and notes holder for my Aunt to take to church.

After sizing up what I wanted to fit in the pockets, I pinned the sides down, cut & stitched in the piece of inner fabric, making channels with my sewing machine. I then attached a closure ribbon I had stitched with a machine pattern. The ribbon was long enough that I doubled it back to make a pen holder.

For fun, I added some embroidery and a matching bookmark.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Maya