My first attempt was made with some "sale-bin" fabric I found at a shop in Montgomery, Ohio. I bought it just to try the pattern, particularly to see if I could make good mitered corners in the napkins. (I can.) Unfortunately, I did not prewash the fabrics and after the fist washing of the placemats, the uneven shrinkage of the top, back and muslin interfacing left wrinkles what could not be fixed with post-washing ironing. I know whether to wash or not to wash is controversial, but in my experience washing is a good idea for any fabric pieces from a fat-quarter (yard) or larger. Smaller pieces may get damaged in the wash, so one has to put up with post-washing shrinkage for these.