Little Candle Mat Finishing Instructions

I've had some inquiries on the little candle mats and finishing them so I thought I'd try to explain it here. I trace the candle mat shape, that's included in the chart, onto clear plastic template and cut it out. Lay the template centered on the back side of the stitched design and trace around the template with a pencil. There are center lines on the template and it's easy to line up. Lay the stitched design face down on top of a second piece of matching linen. Use this traced line to sew a seam all the way around with machine or by hand. Trim the seams and corners.

Pull the top and bottom slightly apart in the center with your hands. Snip the very center of the unstitched backside, not the stitched side. Snip about 4" across the center of the unstitched backside only for turning. Turn right side out through the snipped hole. Press out the edges with your fingers or a ruler. Press all edges flat with an iron. Hand stitch the opening closed on back without overlapping the sides and press again.

Lay the candle mat face up on a 9" square of wool. Hand stitch the candle mat to the wool using thread that matches the linen so it doesn't show. I used blue thread on this one. Trim the wool to about 1/2" from the edge. Lay it on a second piece of wool and trim the edges to match. Make a decorative stitch, such as a buttonhole stitch pictured here, around the outer edge of the wool with pearl cotton to attach the two layers together. It is really very easy to do!