Chalkboard Placemat

My hubby is doing pretty good healing from his hip replacement surgery so I've been able to get in the sewing room.  I have been wanting to make a chalkboard placemat since I bought two pieces of chalkboard vinyl at Road to CA last month.  Since my daughter's are in their 30's and no grandchildren are on the horizon, I don't have many opportunities to make things like this very often.  Helping Jenny with a few projects for little Ellis's first birthday party, I thought it would be the perfect little gift.

I had a fat quarter pack someone gave me a few years ago.  Since Jenny is Chinese and her husband is Korean, this fabric seemed just perfect for the little birthday girl.  This is the placemat side.

This is the chalkboard vinyl and the little pocket told hold a wipe cloth and a few pieces of chalk.

This was my first time mitering store-bought binding and I did okay.  The challenge was where the fabric was thicker and needed a little more binding.  I don't think a one year old will mind my seams being a little thicker here and there.  :o)

I'm glad I thought of adding elastic to the edges before I stitched it up so everything is nice and tidy for tucking in a tote bag or the back seat of a car. 

Argh.....back to work tomorrow.  I've been off for two weeks.  I should've been in bed hours ago!  Wish me luck.