How to Join Sections in Kreative Kiwi Placemat Designs

Kreative Kiwi has some unique machine embroidered placemat designs.  I like them because they are stitched completely in the hoop and can be made larger than your largest hoop size.

The placemat I'm stitching is the Octagon Splendor Placemat.  It's a fun design that can appear three-dimensional when using light and dark fabrics. This placemat is stitched in five hoopings.

With each of Kreative Kiwi's placemat designs, they provide a step-by-step photo tutorial of the process.  This PDF tutorial steps you through the process of making the placemats, so if you are interested in trying one, don't be afraid.

Joining the sections in the hoop is the same for any of the Kreative Kiwi placemat designs and some of their other designs too.  This is probably the hardest part of making the placemat. 

I was stitching one of the placemats and thought that someone may benefit from seeing a video of how to join the sections. The joining can be a bit tricky, but I'll give you some tips and show how it's done on this page and in the video linked below.

INSTRUCTIONS for Joining the placemat sections

This tutorial shows how to stitch the joins in the last (fourth) section of the circle and center of the circle. 

Below is a photo of some of the Octagon Splendor placemats I've completed.

The photo below shows the placemat with the first three sections finished.  Each section has two hexagons and as you stitch each section, the previous section(s) are joined into the placemat, making it larger and more complete.

Step 1: Trim Edges to be joined

It's important to trim the edges that will be joined.  Using a scissor, trim the edge right up to the stitch line.  Be sure any extra batting is trimmed and out of the way.

Batting seems to be the most likely to stick out and not get stitched down completely if it's not trimmed properly.

As you are going along with the first four sections, carefully trim the inner circle to the line also. Once the circle is complete, it's harder to trim this inner circle.

STEP 2: Stitch the last section to join step

I've stitched the fourth section of the circle up to the first join step. The steps for stitching each section are mostly the same except for the joins.

On the embroidery machine screen, the steps with the joins are indicated
with a short section of stitches.  For this placemat, the next step is shown as the stitching along one edge of the section.

STEP 3: stitch the First join step

In the Kreative Kiwi instruction document, it states that they will butt together like a jigsaw.  They also recommend slowing your machine down while stitching the join stitches.

Place the previously stitched section of the placemat next to the join seam.  Align the start, end and middle points.  Then, I like to slightly overlap the piece on top of the seam in the hoop.

This overlap is only about 1/8" overlap.  Try to line up the stitch line on the piece being stitched with the stitch line on the edge of the piece being attached.

Hold the section in place as you start to stitch the step.  Keep your fingers out of the way when holding it!  We wouldn't want to stitch our fingers.

If you don't feel comfortable holding the section in place while it stitches, embroidery tape can be used to hold the two pieces together.

Start stitching the step.  If you are holding the section in place, let the machine move the hoop back and forth normally.  Keep watching as it's stitching to make sure the zig-zag is stitching over the seam on both sides.

If it's not stitching over the seam, stop the machine and take the stitches out and try again. Or you may just need to adjust the remainder of the seam so that it will continue stitching over the seam edges.

Below shows the seam stitched and the zig-zag covers both raw edges completely.  If you examine it after stitching the seam and it's not completely covered, it's best to take the stitches out and try again.

The satin stitch will be stitched after both joins are complete.  The satin stitch is a slight bit wider than the zig-zag stitch.

STEP 4: Continue to the next join

The next stitch will stitch the zig-zag along the outside edge of the section and stop at the next join.  It's shown in a yellow color which is very hard to see on the screen.

The other three sections have only one join and it's at the top of the design in the location of the next stitch.

STEP 5: Last Join of the circle

The last join will complete the circle of the placemat. As before, it's indicated on the screen as an angled line.

The embroidery machine has stopped at the edge of the join.

Bring the other side of the circle up to the edge of the section in the hoop. Line up the edge at the center, outside and the point. As before, overlap the placemat slightly over the section in the hoop.

Match the stitching lines and hold or tape it in place.  Stitch the zig-zag over the raw edges keeping your fingers out of the way.

The circle is completed.  If the join did not stitch correctly, take it out now and try again.

STEP 6: Finish the satin stitching on the last section

The next step will stitch the satin stitch and decorative stitch to complete the fourth section of the placemat.

STEP 7: Stitch the Center Section

The fifth hooping is for the center of the placemat.  Start this section by loading it into your embroidery machine.  Hoop water soluble stabilizer and stitch the center section until the first join.

STEP 8: Join the Center to the Placemat

The next stitch is the first two sections of the join.  To make the center join easier, Kreative Kiwi splits this step into several embroidery steps.  This allows you to line up each section, stitch and then line up the next section.

This step stitches the zig-zag as with the other joins. The photo below shows the center section ready to be joined to the placemat.

Place the finished circle of the placemat over top of the center section.  Align the edges and the corners.  As before, slightly overlap the raw edges aligning on the stitching line.

Hold or tape the placemat in place and stitch the first section of the circle to attach it together.  This step will stitch the first two sides of the octagon.

The photo below shows the first two sections completed.  If the stitches didn't cover the raw edge completely, the stitches can be removed and the placemat adjusted and stitched again.

Once it looks good, continue to the next stitch which will stitch two more sides.  Move the fabric as needed to get it lined up and the stitches will cover the raw edges.

The photo below shows the first two sections stitched.

Continue to stitch the center to the placemat in the same way until it's attached all the way around.

The last step in the design will stitch the satin and decorative stitches around the center.  These stitches will be slightly larger than the zig-zag and cover it completely.

The placemat is completed!

I hope you enjoyed seeing how to join the sections for one of these Kreative Kiwi placemat designs. 

If you would like to see some of the finished placemats, visit our page Octagon Splendor Placemats.

I previously made the Kreative Kiwi Swirly Placemats. If you would like to see those placemats, click the link.

These other articles feature Kreative Kiwi designs that use this method to join the sections together.

• Animal Lunch Bags
• Cute Animals Large Applique Embroidery Designs
• Woodland Animals Baby Quilt