Cheap Placemats
Fabric placemats are inexpensive to make and if you use the colors and prints from other areas of your home, you can make it look like a designer decorated. Solid colors are easier to blend and calmer to look at than a busy print. Keep in mind, if using large-scale prints, that once they're cut down they will look different.
To use fabric placemats, you'll want to starch and iron them. You can spritz them with a mixture of cornstarch and water, or you can buy a bottle of liquid laundry starch or aerosol spray starch.
Making Laminated Placemats
Laminated placemats are popular because they're easy to wipe down. If you want to make laminated placemats there are a few options. You can create them out of paper or fabric, try a decoupage technique, where bits of paper, and other flat elements like ribbon, are glued together into a collage and then sealed up with heat laminate. Call or visit the office supply stores or the craft stores to see what they charge for laminating. In my area, it's 3.50 per 11x17 page.
Making Cheap Placemats - Ideas for Placemats
Photographs make great placemats, as do old maps. As homeschoolers, we like to use maps in decor a lot. You can make them look older by sponging them with strong tea or a brown glaze made of glue & paint mixed together. Barring copyright infringement laws, photocopies of book covers or popular artwork also makes a fun placemat. You can use vintage images to create whimsical placemats that bring back memories of a popular film, television show or book.
More Ideas for Placemats
Try recycling old vinyl tablecloths, especially those that are no longer functionable. Cut away the damaged areas and make placemats from the rest. Frame the edges with colored duct tape, or stitch them with your sewing machine.
Placemats make great gifts, and having several cheap placemats handy will save you a lot of time scrubbing your tabletops. Enjoy!
