It’s a reversible placemat. No, it’s a party activity. Wait… you’re both right! Our party placemats have festive fabric on one side and cool chalk cloth on the other. Similar to oilcloth, chalk cloth is heavy yet pliable and waterproof. You can write on it with regular or liquid chalk, then wipe it clean with a damp cloth or baby wipe. For a party, give each guest his/her own box of chalk to keep little hands busy while you set up for more fun and games. Or, make a set for mealtime magic at home. It’s a great distraction for the troops while you’re preparing lunch or dinner, and who knows, maybe you’ll discover a tabletop Picasso.

For best results with writing, most companies suggest prepping the chalk cloth first. To do this, rub a piece of chalk side to side across the entire surface to be written on. Wipe it clean. Then, rub the chalk up and down across the entire surface and wipe it clean again. Now you’re good to go.

Tired of drawing? The placemats are reversible! Flip them over for a blast of bright color in the standard rectangular shape.

We originally used Patty Young’s Playdate collection by Michael Miller Fabrics for our mix and match set. This is an older collection that is no longer readily available. Not to worry… the selection of amazing prints for kids is huge! And, come to think of it, who says these mats are only for kids?!

Sewing Tools You Need

• Sewing machine and standard presser foot
  
• Size 14-16 Denim or Jeans needle: necessary to stitch through the Chalk Cloth
• Quarter Inch Seam foot ; optional but helpful for the border stitching

Fabric and Other Supplies

NOTE: Supplies listed are for a party set of FOUR MATCHING placemats. If you’d like to mix and match your fabric as we did, you can use smaller chunks of fabric, possibly even scraps. For each placemat, you need enough fabric to cut a 21″ wide x 16″ high piece of the patterned fabric and a 19″ x 14″ piece of chalk cloth.

• 1 yard of 44″+ wide quilting cotton fabric for the back of the four placemats
  NOTE: As mentioned above, one yard will give you four cuts – we mixed and matched our fabrics, using ½ yard each of four different designs 
• 1 yard of 48″+ wide chalk cloth for the front of the four placemats
• All-purpose sewing thread in colors to match fabric(s)
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• See-through ruler
• Seam gauge
• Seam ripper
• T-square, optional but helpful for 90˚corners
• Straight pins
• Iron and ironing board
• Pressing cloth
  NOTE: You can’t iron chalk cloth without a pressing cloth.
• One set of Liquid Chalk markers or boxes of regular colored chalk

Getting Started

1. The key to success with this project is in the cutting. First, fussy cut your patterned fabric so the design on the back of the placemat is straight and pretty. This is important for reversibility… I don’t think that’s really a word, maybe, but you catch my drift. It should look as good on the back as on the front. Second, make sure all your cuts are square! Because you are wrapping a narrow hem around the sides of the chalk cloth, if either piece is crooked, you’ll be struggling to get the chalk cloth to lay flat and/or the patterned fabric’s hem to stay even. Take the extra time to really measure accurately and ensure all four corners are 90˚. It takes more time upfront, but you’ll be much happier in the long run.
2. From the patterned fabric(s), cut ONE 21″ wide x 16″ high rectangle for each placemat.
3. From the chalk cloth, cut ONE 19″ wide x 14″ high rectangle for each placemat.

At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

1. To achieve our simple squared-off corners, you need to work in a specific order: top, bottom, left side, right side. Everything we do will follow this pattern.
2. Fold back and press the top ⅜”. Repeat to fold and press the bottom, then the left side, then the right side.
   
3. Fold and press an additional ½” in the same pattern: top, bottom, left side, right side.
   
4. Carefully unfold all the sides so you can see the creases. Slip the chalk cloth into place so it aligns with the first crease line on all sides.
   
5. Refold the top and bottom (not the sides yet), pinning in place horizontally. The sides should remain unfolded so you can pin the top and bottom all the way to each outer edge.
   
6. Remember you are pinning across the top all the way to the outer edge.
   
7. Turn the placemat over and make sure your fabric is still straight and flat. If not, adjust and re-pin.
   
8. Stitch the top and bottom “borders” in place, stitching through all the layers, close to the fold all the way across.
9. Make a small diagonal clip at each corner. This helps keep your corners clean.
   
10. Fold and pin the sides, following the same steps as for the top and bottom. As above, take the time to turn the placemat over and make sure the fabric is smooth and flat on the back. If not, adjust and re-pin.
    
11. Stitch both sides, again following the same steps as above. Be extra careful to keep your corners neat. The hems should match and the stitching should align.
    
    NOTES: Two things to keep in mind:
    1) As mentioned above, you can’t iron chalk cloth without a pressing cloth. So with your finished placemats, do NOT try to iron the hems from the front. Turn the placemat over and iron from the back. Use a low setting and keep the iron moving. You can also cover the back with a pressing cloth and press from that side; just be sure to keep the iron away from the chalk cloth.
    2) Do NOT fold chalk cloth, always roll it. Folding can leave permanent marks.

Project Design: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation and Instructions: Liz Johnson