Easy Breezy Placemats

When we moved to Tennessee 2 years ago and bought our first house, we were lucky enough to score an Ethan Allen table and chairs for dirt cheap from a lady who was moving soon and had to get rid of it asap. The only problem is that it isn't child-proof.

The table is gorgeous and in mint condition, but with a 2-year-old bent on destroying everything, we knew that might not last long. Our nice scratch-free table was just screaming for my daughter to scratch it/throw something on it/spill her dinner on it. I needed some table protection stat! 

These placemats I whipped up not only protect it from said 2-year-old, but they also add a lot of personality to an otherwise boring dining room table. This is a great project for beginners!

Supplies for 8 placemats:

• 2 1/2 yards heavy decorator fabric. I used an outdoor fabric because it's thick and spill-proof
• 2 1/2 yards solid cotton fabric for backing 
• Sewing machine and coordinating thread
• Rotary cutter and cutting mat 

Instructions:

Wash and dry fabric first. Cut out 8 rectangles 21" wide by 13" long from each fabric. You should have a total of 16 rectangles - 8 from your print, and 8 from your backing.

Take one rectangle of each of your fabrics and pin them together, right sides facing each other. Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew around perimeter leaving a 4" long opening for turning.

Turn your placemat inside out by pushing it through the opening you left. Push out the corners using a chopstick, skewer, knitting needle, etc., and press the whole thing with a hot iron. Hand-sew the opening closed, then topstitch around the perimeter of each placemat using a 1/4" seam allowance.You could add an additional row of stitches for a decorative look if you like.

See, easy breezy! And pretty.

This project is so rediculously simple that I didn't go too in-depth with the photos. Let me know if you have any questions!

Linking up here:

Show and Tell Wednesday at Blue Cricket Design