Supplies for Making a Placemat

Series Summary

A placemat is a protective table pad that is usually made of paper, plastic or cloth. The term is derived from the mat being put at a person's place at a table for a setting. A placemat's function is to protect the table from water marks, food stains or other damage, although they can serve as decoration as well. In restaurants, placemats can advertise menu items, specials, and local businesses. Higher quality placemats made from vinyl or leather are also made, and allow for easier writing, comfortable leaning, and minimal noise.

Placemats can have a lot of personality, and serve as a possible template for artwork and creativity. In this free video series, our expert will show you how to make contemporary, vinyl placemats for your dinner table. From creating artwork for a placemat to sewing, quilting, and trimming the finished work, you'll learn every step of the process. The supplies you will need will be outlined, and different sewing techniques will be demonstrated, in addition to helpful tips on applying binding to your placemats. Learn a creative new way to design your place settings.

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Shelly Cordsen here with Expert Village and today we're going to make what I call "personality" placemats. I was trying to come up with a craft to do with my grandchildren, they we're home for the two weeks Christmas vacation and this is what I came up with that I can involve my grandchildren and make something that we can remember and drag out for years to come. And they're placemats that kind of show each of my grandchildren's personality. And for example, here's one, which is my five year old. This picture was drawn by Skylee which is my nine year old. Then we have little Trevan, he's three so Nana had to trace his hand print and then let him color. And then this is my ten year old granddaughter Alyssa. And they all had to come up with their own idea of what to draw. And then of course I have a fourteen year old, who isn't into coloring anymore, but she does photography and she has photography in school and this is a black and white picture of her drum set. She's also in percussion; therefore we brought in music fabric on the front and back. So you can make your place mat anyway you want bringing in the personality of the person you're doing it for. Another way I involve my grandchildren is I let them pick out the back fabric. And of course Trevan and they all, their personalities really showed through in what they wanted. And here's my little Taylor with her pink panther. So on the supplies that we're going to need, we will need naturally crayons, freezer paper, vinyl, and your normal sewing materials and you need a permanent marker and then a fabric pen, which is pigment, and also a quilt pen where the markings disappear, batting fabric, and your sewing machine."