I have been meaning to use up some my fabric with my own designs that I have uploaded to spoonflower. There are so many projects that I want to do with these samples its hard to decide. In this case I decided to make and share this super easy DIY on how to make double-sided placemats in just fifteen minutes. While this is an easy and simple DIY placemat craft idea it is exciting to see my own art designs in products at home. It is just a wonderful feeling. Also, whether its your own design or your favorite fabric you found at the store it is great to use things that match your style and also make a unique home décor and practical use items.
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If you are looking for DIY placemats ideas, look no further, this is a great idea that can make a unique placemat for any style and season.
Learn how to make reversible double-sided placemats in just a few minutes.
Materials to make double-sided placemats
- Front fabric (we’ll discuss dimensions below)
- Back fabric (we’ll discuss dimensions below)
- pins
- sewing machine
- self healing fabric cutting mat
- rotary cutter
- Thread, iron, scissors
How to make double-sided placemats
First determine the size for your placemats. This can vary determine on the size of the fabric that you have at hand or even the size of the table you plan to use your placemats. You may want to use a favorite fat quarter, or your favorite sample fabric just as I am doing. To determine the perfect size for the placemats I measured the two placemats in the picture above. The one with the France tourist sites is smaller with the long side at 16 inches. The cream color one underneath is 18 inches long. I decided to go with final dimensions of 18 by 12 inches placemats for this project.
Once you have determined the size of the final placemats add an extra 3/4 of an inch to the dimensions.
Cut the fabric to the size as determined above.
I prefer to use my self healing mat and rotary cutter to cut fabric for small projects. I think it makes the cutting step so much faster and precise. All that is needed is to place the fabric and ensure it is aligned. Place a ruler along the line where you need to cut and simply use the rotary cutter firmly aligned with the ruler. If using scissors works as fast for you, that is another option. This step is fairly quick once you have established the dimensions that you need.
Next place the two pieces of fabric with the printed side facing each other. Then pin together around the edges placing the pins perpendicular and the head of the pins to the outside of the fabric.
Sew the pieces together allowing a 1/2 inch seam. Start at the middle of the long side. Make sure to leave a minimum of 2 inches gap opening so that you can turn the placemat the right side out.
I use a singer sewing machine and I really like it. It is super easy to set up and perfect for beginners and sewing experts alike. You can check various options here.
Once you get 1/2 inch close to the corner, turn the fabric around and continue with the other side. Then clip the corners making sure its cut outside of the sewing line. This will help get more crisp corners for your DIY placemats.
Turn the fabric right side out. Push out the corners. At this point you can also iron the placemat making sure that the fabric at the opening is folded inside. Depending on the fabric that you have you can skip this step. I skipped this step because I am using a thin cotton fabric. You may find that you will need to actually do the ironing if you are using a thick fabric.
Topstitch around the edge of the placemat with a 1/4 to a 1/2 inch seam. I like how the 1/4 inch seam looks on the double-sided placemats but if it is easier for you to leave a 1/2 inch seam it will look great too.
Now you can enjoy your reversible, double-sided placemat and make as many as you need.
I decided to use my new hand drawn coffee cups placement to enjoy my delicious espresso with a hazelnut flour croissant.
I could not resist, if you have been reading this blog for a while you know I love all things coffee!
A few additional points on making reversible placemats
Make sure to check the sewing machine and that it is ready so that you can complete the project as needed. I skipped this step and ran out of bobbin thread in the middle of it. I find it is best to do the final topstitch all at the same time and that is when I had to stop. While this is not a big deal its just best to have everything ready from the beginning.
If you are making multiple placemats I recommend to do all the cutting first and then all the sewing. This is a batching style. It seems obvious but when you are using different fabrics around the same theme you may want to finish one first. I know, I always want to see the final product right away then go back and keep cutting. But doing this batching method can certainly save you a lot of time.
This DIY is specific to reversible with two different design fabrics on each side. However if you have a large enough fabric piece you can use the same design on both sides. For that, you can save time by cutting a long enough piece and doing the initial sewing in only three sides. This will save you some time as well.
If you like this post you may also like:
Using fabric scraps for fall home décor
If you are also a coffee lover you may also like this list of gift ideas for the coffee lover. One of the ideas is the set of espresso cups I use in the pictures for this post!
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