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Quilting Backdrops: Make a Santa Snack Mat
The stockings are hung and the lights are aglow. Christmastime is here and the joy of the season is in the air. Nothing is more special than sharing the magic of Christmas with your family, especially if you have little ones.
My four-year-old absolutely cannot wait for Santa’s arrival. One of our family traditions includes baking cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve and preparing our special reindeer food. Rather than simply setting our treats out on a plate, this year I fired up my embroidery machine to make a very special Santa Snack Mat to place all of Santa’s goodies on.
In today’s tutorial, I will show you how to utilize DBJJ’s innovative Quilting Backdrops and Embrilliance Embroidery Software to create your own unique Santa Snack Mat.
Supplies
Check out the DBJJ team’s favorite supplies in the Designs by JuJu Amazon store.
- Your choice of cotton fabric
- SF101
- Batting
- Cut-away stabilizer
- Embroidery thread (I enjoy using Sulky Poly Sparkle™ for my Quilting Backdrops.)
- Embrilliance Embroidery Software
- Sewing machine
- Steam-A-Seam2® (for finishing binding)
- Straight-edge ruler
- Rotary cutter
- DBJJ designs
- Gingerbread and Candy Quilting Backdrops Design
- Plaid 1 Quilting Backdrops Design
- Penny Script Embroidery Font
- Shamrock Scallop (I deleted everything except the applique/satin scallop in Embrilliance.)
- Christmas Miniatures 3
- Christmas Alphabet Embellishment Kit 1
Check out this blog post and our YouTube playlist for more information on getting started with Quilting Backdrops.
Planning and Preparation
When planning my Santa Snack Mat, the first decision was what dimensions to use. After playing around with the Quilting Backdrops in Embrilliance, I decided to use:
- 2 – 2” x 12” horizontal 2” sashing blocks (one for the top and one for the bottom) with Gingerbread and Candy Quilting Backdrops Design
- 3 – 4” x 6” blocks (for the middle section) with Plaid 1 Quilting Backdrops Design
Using these dimensions, my finished Santa Snack Mat measures approximately 11”x13” with the finishing binding.
Pro tip: If your hoop is not large enough to do a 12” sashing, you could piece two or three smaller sashings together. That is the beauty of the Quilting Backdrops—they are so versatile!
After you have your initial layout created, it is time to add text and design elements. I knew I wanted to have three sections; one for milk, one for cookies, and, of course, one for reindeer food. I chose to use the Shamrock Scallop design since I wanted an applique scallop for my cups/bowls to sit on when we utilize the snack mat. Because I have Embrilliance Essentials, I was able to easily delete the stitches in the design that I did not need. The Christmas Miniatures were the perfect size to add to my scallops. I also used Penny Script Embroidery Font to personalize my text features and finished with some peppermints from the Christmas Alphabet Embellishment Kit 1. All of these design elements are completely customizable. Make this Santa Snack Mat according to your family’s wants and style.
Once your Santa Snack Mat is designed, it is time to get stitching.
Stitching the Designs
Step 1: Select your cotton fabric and apply SF101 to provide added stability.
Step 2: Load your first quilting blocks onto your machine. I am stitching the top and bottom sashing blocks first. If you have made any edits in Embrilliance, you will want to have those saved to your USB.
Step 3: Hoop cut-away stabilizer.
Step 4: Stitch the placement line for your batting.
Step 5: Tack down your batting and trim around it, being careful not to cut any stitches.
Step 6: Lay your fabric on top of your batting and tack it down. It should extend beyond the batting line by at least ½” on all sides.
Step 7: Stitch the decorative quilt block motif.
Step 7a (optional): Stitch any additional design elements (e.g., text and images).
Step 8: Remove the block(s) from the hoop and set aside.
Step 9: Repeat steps 1–8 for any remaining quilt blocks.
Step 10: Cut away excess stabilizer from the quilt blocks.
Step 11: Using scissors or a rotary cutter, trim each block, leaving ½” excess fabric around the outer stitch line. I prefer to use a rotary cutter and a straight-edge ruler for this step.
Step 12: Lay out your quilt blocks according to your original design.
Step 13: Based on my original design, I had three “rows” that I needed to stitch together. I first stitched the middle three blocks together so that they would be the same length as the 12” sashing blocks along the top and the bottom. If your design layout is different, it is important to keep in mind that you want to create rows with equal lengths before you start stitching everything together.
To stitch your blocks together, align the outermost tack-down stitches of two blocks (right sides together) and secure using pins or clips.
Step 14: Stitch the blocks together using a sewing machine to make one long middle piece.
You will want to position your needle to stitch between the batting placement line and the fabric placement line. If you have done this step correctly, the only stitches you should see from the front of your Santa Snack Mat are the quilting designs themselves, no outline/tack-down stitches.
Step 15: After the blocks are stitched together and you have rows of equal lengths (top sashing, middle three blocks, and bottom sashing), repeat steps 13 and 14 again to assemble your Santa Snack Mat into one large rectangle. Press open seams once stitched.
Step 16: Once the front of your snack mat is completely stitched together, you are ready to add your backing. Your backing should overhang each edge of your mat by at least 1.5”. Lay your snack mat on top of the backing, wrong sides together, and pin around the edges and seams of the snack mat.
Step 17 (optional): Using the "stitch in the ditch" method, sew each seam line to the backing. I chose to skip this step for my Santa Snack Mat, but if you were creating a larger mat, it does help to secure your backing to your front.
Step 18: The final step for your embroidered Santa Snack Mat is to bind the edges. There are many ways you can complete the binding. JuJu recommends this tutorial for sewing mitered corners, or choose an option that suits your project best.
I hope you enjoyed today's tutorial on how to create a Santa Snack Mat using Quilting Backdrops and Embrilliance Embroidery Software. Have fun experimenting with the variety of Quilting Backdrops available from DBJJ to create your own custom, one-of-a-kind Santa Snack Mat to use this holiday season. It will become a family keepsake for many years to come.
Don't forget to share your creations in the Designs by JuJu Embroidery Blessings Facebook Group or anywhere on social media using the hashtag #designsbyjuju. We can't wait to see what you make!
