I really like dressing the table, whether it’s for a holiday or for every day.  For some reason, it always seems to make the room look more pulled together.  I love what a clean table cloth & place mats can do for the room.  But I can never find what I want. The colors are either off or the place mats looked ‘store bought’.  A trip to a fabric store can spark your imagination & you can usually find exactly what goes with your decor.  That’s how I started making my own place mats.  But I get bored very easily.  I like to change things up.  Making my own place mat patterns gives me a broader outlet to make my home, ‘my own’.  You can make unique items for your home too!

Here’s what you’ll need:

brown craft paper (a quick tip:  I use a pony tail elastic to hold the roll instead of a rubber band.  It seems to last longer & doesn’t mark the paper) 

ruler

plate

marker

scissors

I got out the brown craft paper & put a dinner plate on it to judge the amount of paper I’d need.

For mine, I needed about 15″.  I measured 15″ across the bottom of the roll of paper, making marks to make sure it would be straight.  After I marked the paper, I cut the paper across at the marks.

Then I folded the paper into quarters, to mark the center of the paper. Open the paper up. The center point where the folds cross.

Next you’ll have to judge the width that you’ll need for the place mat. I put the dinner plate on the center fold & added the knife & spoon to the paper.  I needed about 10 1/2″ from the center.  So my pattern had to be 21″ wide by 15″ high.

Cut off excess paper after you’ve found your ideal size.  Push the plate to the far right side of the paper.  Draw around the outside of the plate at the fold.

Sketch in a curve from the line you’ve just made to the center bottom of the paper.  You’ll do this free-hand.  As you can see, it took me several times to find a curve that I liked.

Fold the paper in half, from top to bottom, with the line that you just made on top.  Cut out the curve along the line.  (first half made)

Open the paper back up.  The curve is made for the right side of the pattern.

Fold the paper in half, side to side.  Draw around the curve to mark the cutting line for the left side of the pattern.

Cut along the line you’ve just made.  And you’re done!  You now have an elongated oval place mat pattern. This pattern gives a completely different look to your table, and I think you’ll like it.