Granny Square Quilts are such a fun a colorful part of American arts and craft. I love all the of mix and match colors that are used to create Granny Square Quilts. If you love Granny Square Quilts as much as I do, then use them as inspiration to paint these canvas placemats.
You do not need to know how to knit to make these Granny Square Quilt placemats, but you do need a free hour or two.
These simple Granny Square Quilt place mats are a very easy craft project you can make out to really include a fun and whimsical table setting in your vintage dining room décor.
You can make these Vintage Granny Square Quilt placemats in any color you want, but bright colors are what I recommend.
To make this Granny Square Quilt Place Mat You Will Need:
Acetate
A trip to Kinko’s (optional)
Exacto Knife
Black marker
Ribbon (optional)
Premade canvas placemats
Primer
Paint
Whole punch
Scissors
Pinking sheers
Fabric paint
Go ahead and paint the entire mat out in some primer. Let this dry.
Now, roll on a coat of white over the whole placemat. You can make a border too if you want.
Now, while this is drying take some photos of Granny Square Quilts or some actual Granny Square Quilts. Use this as inspiration to draw out your own pattern to be painted on your placemat in different colors.
You could also take your Granny Square Quilts to Kinko’s a have them photocopied up to place mat size. I find that 12 inches by 20 inches is a great size.
Now, you are ready to turn your Granny Square Quilt pattern into a stencil.
To do this you will need a few sheets for acetate.
Lay the acetate sheet on top of your Granny Square Quilt photocopies or actual quilts.
Use the thin or extra fine Sharpie to trace out the outline details that are the most important.
I like to basically draw the shape of the granny squares, and then draw out any open areas.
Now, to make this easier, I recommend making one stencil for each color. So, if your granny square has three colors, you will end up with three stencils.
This will simplify your life.
Use the exacto knife to cut out your Granny Square Quilt stencil pattern.
You want to cut out the parts that will be color. Leave the open spaces intact.
You will want to keep the outside of this stencil, not the inside (blue parts).
Cut all of your Granny Square Quilt stencils out first and then lay them out as desired on the placemat. Use the painter’s tape to hold them in place. You could also use the stencil adhesive spray.
Now, start stenciling. Use acrylic paints and stencil brushes. Fill in the stencil, keeping one color to each stencil.
You may need to let each color of pain to dry before you stencil on the next color of the granny square.
Ok, so now that you have the basic color and shape of your Vintage Granny Square Quilt dinner placemat you need to start decorating it. Ok, so all of these tips and steps are optional, you could totally leave it as is
You could tape off a border it and stencil it in as well.
I like to use slightly darker color paint pens to outline the Granny Square Quilt images. If you are doing this with a border then try to outline them in a similar paint color. So, if you have some royal blue in the granny square, try outlining those areas in navy or dark blue puff paint. It will add a cool three dimensional quality,
You could also run a bead of glue around images. Sprinkle on some very fine glitter in a matching color, and then knock off the excess. This would be a awesome take on a traditional look.
