Keep your napkin from blowing away when you’re eating outdoors with this cute and functional Oilcloth Placemat! Keep reading learn a few tips and tricks for working with oilcloth and how to make placemats with pockets perfect for the Outdoors. If you like this project you may also like this roll up chalkboard placemat sewing tutorial.
I took a good look at our deck last week. The weather is warming up and pretty soon we will be eating dinner outside again (hallelujah!).
It was the first time I’d really looked the deck over since Fall. I was trying to “access” how much grime had built up over the winter. What I found was not pretty. The thing is looking pretty dirty. I foresee a weekend of power washing in our near future.
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Our Favorite Outdoor Placemats
I love our deck, it has a great view of our neighborhood and a pergola on top to filter the harsh afternoon sunlight. I try to eat dinner outside each evening that the weather is cooperative.
Even though we keep the table on our deck pretty well cleaned off, I noticed that it gets a bit dusty, and I like to have a set of placemats to use when we eat outside. I was using plastic placemats until one day, the pattern from the placemat MELTED into our tabletop! What’s worse is that they were Thanksgiving placemats! We ended up with turkeys all over the top of our table. Note to self; hot temperatures and plastic placemats DO NOT MIX!
We managed to get the turkeys off of the table, and ever since then, I’ve been more careful with what we use outside.
Today I will teach you how to sew a set of placemats to use when eating outdoors. These oilcloth placemats are easy to store and easy to wipe off. You can even add a pocket to them to hold a napkin. I hate it when it blows away while I’m eating!
To keep it simple, to finish the edge of these placemats, you can use pinking shears or blades instead of sewing on bias tape. The oilcloth is pretty easy to sew with; you need to know a few tips, which I’ll share with you today.
Are you ready to make some??
How to Make Placemats from Oilcloth Fabric
Supply List
- Oilcloth -(you can purchase it on Amazon from Fabric.com – yardage is up to you, you can get 3 placemats out of every ½ yard of 60″ wide oilcloth
- Oilcloth for pocket- about ¼ yard
- ½ yard of cotton fabric for the back of the placemats for every 3 placemats
- Teflon Foot for your sewing machine (or you can use this trick if you don’t have a Teflon foot)
- Glue Stick
- Binding Clips (Amazon has them for $15 for 50!)
- Pins
- Pinking Blade for Rotary Cutter
- Quilt Ruler
- Template for the pocket- download here. Just look for the photo of the placemats in the library.
Cutting Directions
To begin, cut out your oilcloth for the placemats. Each piece is 12″ x 18″ you will get the most yardage if you cut your oilcloth 12″ wide then into 18″ sections.
Cut out your lining fabric; it’s also 12″ x 18″ but for this fabric, cut it 18″ wide, then cut that strip into 12″ sections.
Cut out the pocket pieces.
Sewing Instructions
Step One: the Placemat Pocket
Normally I would tell you not to pin oilcloth, but this time we’re going to have to. Using two pins, pin the pocket to the placemat front 1 ½″ in from the edge and 1″ up from the bottom—stitch the pocket to the placemat. Make sure you have the Teflon foot on your sewing machine for this ENTIRE project.
Step Two: Assemble Placemat
Using your glue stick put a bit of glue on the center of a 12″ x 18″ lining piece of fabric. This will help keep the lining from sliding around while you’re sewing it to the oilcloth. Glue the lining to the back of the oilcloth… wrong sides together. Secure with binding clips.
Stitch around the edge of the placemat (oilcloth facing up) using a ½″ seam allowance.
Step Three: Pink the Edges
Using your quilt ruler and the pinking blade on your rotary cutter, cut off the edge of the placemat ¼″ out from the seam you just stitched.
Clip your strings, and you’re done!
More Fun Summer DIY’s:
How to Make Outdoor Curtain Rods
How to Recover Outdoor Pillows
Janelle says
Thanks for the tutorial! Looks easy enough for even me to do!!
Do you think home dec weight or canvas would work for the backing fabric? And wouldn’t glue stick (or something else sticky like sticky tac) work for securing the pocket for sewing? Or what about taping all pocket sides down except for the edge you’re sewing on, then removing tape as you sew the next sides?
Lorena says
Those are really cute and I love the pocket. That was a great idea. I have thought about making a cushion cover for the outside bench out of oilcloth.
Kim says
Love the placemat post! Just thought about them yesterday. The step by step makes it easier. Thanks
Kim says
What settings do you recommend on machine. Never used oilskin before.
I just use my regular machine settings. You need a teflon foot or tape on the bottom of your presser foot. Read thru this post first to get started and you’ll be fine! https://www.polkadotchair.com/2014/02/sew-laminated-fabric.html/
Fran Morgan says
I’ve been making oilcloth aprons and have extra oilcloth left over. I want to make placemats with oilcloth on both sides. Trouble is the oilcloth print from the other side shows through on the ones with a white background.
Should I put a third layer in between, such as canvas?
I think canvas would be too thick. I’d try a sew in interfacing and see how that works. It also will not fray.
carin chapin says
Is there a pdf for this tutorial? And what are the dimensions for the pocket? I didn’t see them. Thanks, this is a really cute idea!
The pocket is a printable available in our Library. All the links to get it are in the tutorial.