DIY Placemats for the Perfect Table Setting

It's not hard to make DIY placemats. There are tons of no-sew options and ideas that beginners can replicate with little difficulty. The more challenging part is picking a style that works well with your existing dishware and decor.

These DIY placemat ideas and tutorials will help you narrow down which style and patterns you like best. Don't be afraid to mix up your table setting and try new things depending on the season and occasion.

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Make Reversible Placemats With Tassels

Lovely Indeed

One way to get the most out of a placemat is to make it reversible. You can set the table with only one side showing or have every other setting showing an alternating side. If you are going to alternate sides, make sure the two types of fabric you select coordinate well with one another.

How to Make Reversible Tassel Placemats from The Spruce Crafts
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Transform Wood Plaques Into Placemats

A Bubbly Life

You can purchase wood plaques at a local craft store that are a similar size to most placemats. Opt to stain the wood or consider painting on a more modern pattern like you see here. If going the more modern route, keep your place setting minimal sans napkins and plate chargers.

DIY Painted Wood Placemats from A Bubbly Life
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Dip-Dye Drop Cloths Using the Shibori Method

Lovely Indeed

The shibori method of dip dyeing is extremely popular among boho decor enthusiasts. No two placemats are going to be exactly alike, and that's okay. Experiment with completely different patterns if you desire.

DIY Indigo Shibori Dyed Placemats from Lovely Indeed
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Cut out Large Paper Ferns in a Few Colors

Lia Griffith

One beautiful way to enhance a solid-colored tablecloth is to use paper cutouts for your placemats. Keep the colors you choose within the same color family for the best results. These cool tones work well for spring, but you may want to use warmer tones for fall and winter.

Spring Table Setting With Paper Ferns from Lia Griffith

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Create Luxurious Placemats Using Marble Contact Paper

Sugar & Cloth

Marble contact paper is a great way to make tons of household items seem more luxurious. To add some modern luxury to your dining table, cover a wood round with marble contact paper and then add some gold leaf detailing.

Decorative DIY Marble Plates from Sugar & Cloth
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Print out Something Interesting for the Kids to Color

The House That Lars Built

This DIY placemat printable is a fun take on the kids' placemats that you get at restaurants. If opting for these French-themed placemats, make the entire experience very French-inspired. Serve French food, coordinate with the flag's colors of red and blue, and make it a learning experience for your children.

Printable Parisian Placemats from The House That Lars Built
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Turn Placemats Into an Abstract Painting

Sarah Hearts

This DIY placemat tutorial teaches you how to paint an abstract painting onto existing straw placemats. While you can follow this pattern exactly, it might be more fun to pick different colors and paint whatever pattern your heart desires.

DIY Painted Straw Placemats from Sarah Hearts
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Wind up Some Jute Thread to Make a Plate Charger

City Farmhouse

For really refined and elegant tablescapes, plate chargers often replace placemats. Make your own by winding up some thick jute thread. Remember to make the chargers only an inch or two larger than your dishes.

Pottery Barn Inspired Jute Placemats from City Farmhouse

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Pick a Tropical Fabric for These No-Sew Placemats

Place of My Taste

These DIY no-sew placemats are easy enough for a beginner to make. Pick a pattern or two, then use fabric glue to adhere the fabric and iron to smooth out the edges.

No-Sew Placemats from Place of My Taste
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Add Some Pom-Pom Fringe to the Edges

Spray Paint and Chardonnay

If you are tired of your existing placemats, one option is to embellish them more to your liking. You can do this by adding a row of colorful pom-poms to the edge. All you need to do is use a hot glue gun to secure the pom-pom trim.

DIY Pom Pom Trim Placemat from Spray Paint and Chardonnay
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Coordinate Your Dishes With Your Placemats

The Joyful Home

Have fun with mixing textures and patterns on your tablescape. Vintage blue dishes work well with a blue and green plaid if you want to create a traditional table with a rustic twist. The wonderful thing about these plaid placemats is that they use one piece of fabric and there's no sewing required. The edge is frayed instead of sewn.

DIY Plaid Placemats from The Joyful Home
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Craft a Festive Placemat Using Confetti

A Kalio Chic Life

These confetti placemats are fun to make and work well with children because they are bright and wipeable. If you don't have any kids, you might consider making these placemats for a New Year's celebration.

Make a Confetti Placemat from A Kalio Chic Life

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Add Different Sayings to Burlap Placemats

The Wood Grain Cottage

Burlap is a relatively inexpensive fabric to choose when making placemats, and it works well with farmhouse style decor. Since they are so cheap to make, consider switching them up with different sayings now and then.

DIY Burlap Placemats from The Wood Grain Cottage
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Learn How to Make No-Sew Round Plate Chargers

Dream Green DIY

A lot of plate chargers are made of a material like a twine, straw, or plastic. However, consider mixing it up by making a fabric plate charger instead. This tutorial will teach you how to make a no-sew version.

DIY No-Sew Floral Fabric Chargers from Dream Green DIY
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Paint Blocks of Color on Pinwheel Placemats

The Crafted Life

Pinwheel placemats and chargers are popular but can be a bit drab. If you like bright pops of color in your decor, consider painting on rich pastels to freshen up the look. Since the finished result feels more informal, they work well on a kitchen table or for a more informal gathering like brunch.

DIY Pinwheel Placemats from The Crafted Life
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Stencil a Pattern on Wooden Placemats

Joyful Derivatives

This homemade placemat tutorial is unlike most wood mats because the pieces that are used are much thicker. To achieve this look, pick a rustic wood-inspired pattern and stencil it onto both sides of the woodblocks.

Reversible Wooden Placemats Tutorial from Joyful Derivatives

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Make Two Placemats in One

Home Stories A to Z

There are so many different combinations you can come up with for reversible placemats. This tutorial uses two very similar patterns in opposite colors, which look great when placed side by side.

Easy Placemats Tutorial from Home Stories A to Z
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Grout Your Way to a Tiled Place Setting

The Lovely Drawer

If you want a placemat that is as durable as possible, consider using an unexpected material. Simple felt placemats are completely transformed once you add on your favorite tile. To complete this placemat tutorial, you'll need to be comfortable with grouting, which is an easy process to learn.

DY Tiled Placemats and Coasters from The Lovely Drawer
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Transform a Panel Using Chalkboard Paint

Hunt and Host

One of the least expensive ways to make chalkboard placemats is to use a hardboard tempered panel that you can find at your local hardware store. Cut the panel to size and use chalkboard paint to complete the project.

DIY Chalkboard Placemat from Hunt and Host
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Pick Two Colors to Create This Dip Dyed Effect

Design Love Fest

The factors that make the most difference when dyeing placemats are the technique used and the colors chosen. The frayed edges on this drop cloth placemat work well with the faded shades of black and pink.

DIY Dip Dye Placemats from Design Love Fest

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Use Oil Cloth to Make Placemats Kid-Friendly

See Kate Sew

if you're looking to make elegant placemats that are also kid-friendly, consider using oilcloth. Oilcloth is wipeable, washable, and durable. This crafter used interfacing to make the cloth stiffer and then backed them with cotton.

DIY Oil Cloth Placemats from See Kate Sew
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Keep Your Placemats Simple With Black Speckles

Homey Oh My

All you need to recreate this project is fabric, paint, and a paintbrush. The edges have been frayed, so no sewing is required. To make the speckles, consider using a brush with stiffer bristles. If you have a hard time with that, consider using an old toothbrush instead.

DIY Speckled Placemats from Homey Oh My
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Add Pockets to Outdoor Placemats

Tatertots and Jello

Every summer picnic would be more charming if placemats were involved. Set your outdoor tables and picnic blankets with placemats that are durable enough to be outside. They should ideally be wipeable and easily washable. This tutorial takes placemats one step further by adding a built-in pocket.

Summertime Pocket Placemats from Tatertots and Jello