How to Sew a Placemat

Making placemats is among the simplest sewing projects you could take on, making it great for those just starting out in sewing or for the kids. It's also handy come the holidays, when you can make cheap table decorations and place settings for every family gathering. You can make a set of 6 placemats with just a little more than a yard of fabric and an afternoon. You can also make matching napkins by using a similar concept.

Things You'll Need

• Iron 1 1/4 yards of 45-inch fabric Ruler Thread Pins Sewing machine

Instructions

1. Prepare your fabric by prewashing and ironing it. This will make sure it doesn't shrink when you first wash it.

2. Lay out your fabric, and using your ruler measure a grid of six squares measuring 15 by 21 inches.

3. Cut along the grid lines.

4. Take each of the 15-by-21-inch rectangles and fold their edges by 1/2 an inch.

5. Press the 1/2-inch seam allowance down, trimming any excess fabric at the corners.

6. Fold the edges again another 1/2 inch and press. Make sure to again trim any excess fabric.

7. Pin down the hem you have now created.

8. Topstitch at 1/4 inch all around the rectangle. This will complete your placemat.

Tips & Warnings

• Try doing this with the kids. It's a great first sewing project, and since you're sewing only straight lines, it's a good way to introduce them to the machine. You can also topstitch ribbon or ric-rac around the top of your placemats for added decoration. After you cut your grid of napkins, you may have excess fabric. Cut the fabric into 5 inch pieces, turn the edge of each one up 1/2 inch all around, press it in half and top stitch the edge for a nice makeshift napkin holder.

Resources

• Free placemat sewing patterns