No-Sew DIY Placemats

I love to change out my table setting with each season but purchasing new placemats several times a year can get pricey. So I solved that problem by creating these no-sew DIY placemats. With this method you can make 4 placemats for $10!

While I have sewn placemats before, it takes sew much time and I’m all about quick and easy, so I decided to try something new. Now, these no-sew DIY placemats are the ONLY way I’ll make placemats from here on out.

Skill Level: Beginner
Cost of Materials: $10 for 4 placemats
Time to Complete: 1 hour for 4 placemats

2 Different Ways to Make No-Sew DIY Placemats

1. Old way = Mod Podge
2. New & Improved way = Peel n Stick Fabric Fuse Tape
   • I use this Tape for our DIY Gnome projects and it works great. I thought it could work really well for some no-sew placemats. So I reached out to the company to see if they’d send some to try. They were kind enough to provide 2 rolls for this tutorial.
   • You can often find it at your local Michaels for $4.99. They almost always have a coupon for at least 20% off, so you can get this for $3.99 or less!

I made some watermelon placements several years ago using Mod Podge. It worked for what I needed, but since then I have discovered a new product that works sooo much better – Peel n Stick Fabric Fuse Tape. It’s easier, quicker and less messy to use than Mod Podge. In addition, Fabric Fuse Tape is machine washable/dryable, so I can wash my placemats if they get dirty. Mod Podge is not washable – the hem will come apart if washed.

How Much Fabric You’ll Need

• Placemat size – the most common size is 12″ x 18″
  • Because we’ll have a 5/8″ hem on each of the 4 sides, for a single placemat we’ll need a 13-1/4″ x 19-1/4″ piece of fabric
• Fabric – quilting cottons & apparel fabrics generally come in a width of 44″
  • The length you need to buy depends on how many placemats you want to make
  • If you purchase 1 yd. of fabric, 44″ in width, you could make 4 placemats

I reached out to Fabric Wholesale Direct & they provided me with this Gingham Fabric to use in this tutorial. At the time of writing, it’s $5.99/yd.

Supplies you’ll need for No-Sew DIY Placemats

1. Fabric
2. Peel n Stick Fabric Fuse Tape
3. Scissors
4. Ruler or Tape Measure
5. Spoon
6. Iron (only needed if your fabric has wrinkles after washing)

Watch How to Make No-Sew DIY Placemats with Fabric Fuse Tape

General Outline of Steps Detailed in Video

1. Wash your fabric without fabric softener. Tumble dry. Iron if wrinkled.
2. Cut your fabric into 13-1/4″ x 19-1/4″ pieces.
3. Apply tape along edge of fabric, fold and press hem closed.

Making No-Sew DIY Placemats with Mod Podge

Supplies Needed:

1. Fabric
2. Mod Podge
3. Scissors
4. Ruler or tape measure
5. Parchment paper
6. Iron for application of the Mod Podge (and for if your fabric is wrinkled)

When I originally created my watermelon placemats using Mod Podge, I was learning as I went. I was not even sure that my plan of gluing fabric would work, so I did not take any pictures of the process.

After I found that it did work, I used some scrap fabric to make the tutorial, which is why you won’t see step by step pictures with watermelon fabric.

Step 1. Orient your fabric

To begin it is important to place your fabric so that the design is facing your ironing board, meaning when you look at the fabric, you will see the BACK side of the fabric, you will not see the design side.

Step 2. Have the following items handy:

• Your pieces of fabric
• Iron & ironing board
• Mod Podge
• Ruler – if you don’t want to estimate a 1/2″ measurement (I estimated)
• Parchment paper – it’s important to use this from step 5 on, to prevent Mod Podge from leaking through the fabric onto your ironing board and iron

When you’re all done, this is what the front and back of your placemat will look like using Mod Podge.

With my leftover fabric, I made some matching napkin rings.

DIY Napkin Rings

To make some inexpensive DIY napkin rings all you have to do is buy some shower curtain rings. I purchased a pack of 12 for under $3 at Walmart.

Cut a strip of fabric about 3/4″ wide by 18″ long. Make sure to close the shower curtain ring first, then simply wrap the fabric around the ring. I started and ended where the 2 ends of the ring come together.

To secure it, just cut a piece of yarn and tie it in a double knot around where the fabric ends. If you look at about 11 o’clock you’ll see the aqua colored piece of yarn. When you slide them over your napkins just place that part in the back!

If you don’t want to buy yarn, you could always use Mod Podge to glue the end of the flap down. I wanted to be able to easily remove the fabric strip in case I wanted to swap it out with another fabric design for a new seasonal display, so that’s why I chose to tie off with yarn.

Author: Nicole Bolin

Check out our spring-themed DIY napkin rings.