Outdoor dining takes a little creativity in order to keep everything from blowin’ in the wind. Our darling, durable placemats have built-in pockets to hold flatware and/or napkins. Dining in? Hooray for the reversible! Simply flip over the placemats for whole new look – the back is pocket-free. These clever placemats are so quick and easy, you can easily whip up enough for your own table or the entire family reunion in a single weekend.

You’ll want to use a substantial fabric for this project: a canvas, heavy cotton duck or an outdoor fabric. We went the outdoor fabric route, which worked well and looked great. We love the bright, bold designs common in the outdoor category – perfect for casual summer meals.

Normally, outdoor fabrics are not meant to be machine washable. It can remove the protective coatings that help keep them from fading in the sun and molding in the damp. However, these placemats are not meant to be left out in the elements for days on end, so fading and molding aren’t the huge concerns they might be with pillows or cushions left out all season. We cut several smallish (about 9″ x 12″) swatches and washed and dried them several times. They turned out great.

Plus, the surface of outdoor fabrics tends to resist dirt and grime and can often simply be spot cleaned. However, if you plan on inviting Cousin Ernie over for the annual rib barbecue, you might consider having him eat on a towel instead of one of these.

If you’re new to working with outdoor fabrics, you may also want to take a look at our tutorial outlining some basic outdoor fabric care facts.

We originally used fabrics from the Premier Prints and Richloom Solarium indoor/outdoor collections. Each season brings new and different options from which to choose.

Each placemat finishes at approximately 20″ wide x 14″ high. The pocket finishes at approximately 5″ wide x 6″ high.

Sewing Tools You Need

• Sewing machine and standard presser foot
• Quarter Inch Seam foot; optional

Fabric and Other Supplies

NOTE: We created a set of FOUR mix and match placemats; the supply list below is for the same.

• ¾ yard of FOUR coordinating 54″+ wide indoor/outdoor fabrics
  NOTE: We specified a little extra fabric to allow you to nicely fussy cut each design. The amount specified is plenty to fussy cut the eight main panels as well the four pockets as shown above. Following our mix-and-match suggestions or create your own.
• Coats Outdoor Living thread to match fabric
  NOTE: Regular thread will succumb to the elements much more quickly, so it’s a good idea to use a specialty thread. However, since these placemats won’t be left out for extended periods, a standard all-purpose thread would also work. 
• See-through ruler
• Fabric pen or pencil
• Iron and ironing board
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Seam gauge
• Seam ripper
• Straight pins

Getting Started

1. From EACH of the FOUR fabrics, fussy cut the following:
   TWO 21″ wide x 15″ high rectangles
   ONE 6″ wide x 8½” high rectangle
   

At your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

Prepare and place the pocket

1. Find the four fussy cut 6″ wide x 8½” high rectangles.
   
2. Fold back and press both sides and the bottom edge ½”.
3. Fold the top edge down 2″ and press.
   NOTE: Be very precise with your measuring and folding so your pretty, centered fussy cut stays pretty and centered.
4. Pin in place all around.
   
5. Create a top “faux” hemline by stitching across the top of the pocket approximately 1¾” from the top folded edge.
   
6. Place a pocket on the right side of each placemat front in the bottom right hand corner. It should be 1½” up from the bottom raw edge and 1½” in from the right raw edge. Pin in place along both sides and across the bottom.
   
7. Using a Quarter Inch Seam foot if possible, stitch along both sides and across the bottom, leaving the top open (’cause, yeah, it’s a pocket). Remember to pivot at the corners. We also recommend a heavy back tack at both upper corners as this is a stress point when using the pocket.
8. Repeat to place and stitch the remaining three pockets on the remaining three placemat fronts.

Assemble the layers to finish

1. Find each front and back placemat pair. Place the two layers right sides together, sandwiching the pocket between the layers.
   
2. Using a ½” seam allowance, stitch around all four sides, leaving a 6″ – 8″ opening along the bottom for turning. Remember to pivot at all the corners, and to lock your stitch at either side of the 6″ – 8″ opening.
3. Trim all the corners at a diagonal and press the seams open.
   
4. Turn the placemat right side out through the bottom opening.
5. Gently push out the corners so they are nice and sharp. A long, blunt-end tool works best for this, such as a knitting needle, chopstick or point turner.
6. Press well, pressing in the raw edges of the opening so they are flush with the sewn seam.
7. Pin the opening closed.
   NOTE: We also added pins all around prior to the final edgestitching. The indoor/outdoor fabric is rather thick; the extra pins helped hold the two layers flat and kept them from shifting. 
   
8. Topstitch around all four sides, using a ¼” seam allowance. This closes the opening and secures the two layers. We used our Quarter Inch Seam foot again to keep our seam line super straight and even. Remember to remove your pins as you sew.
   

Project Design: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation and Instructional Outline: Debbie Guild