This placemat tutorial will show you how to make reversible placemats in under 30 minutes each. Homemade placemats are simple to sew, perfect for beginners, and make thoughtful gifts for weddings, birthdays, or housewarmings.
Over the years I’ve made many placemat sets and often gifted them to friends and family. Because they are quick and useful, placemats are a project many people overlook for themselves. If you need a practical, handmade gift, placemats brighten any table and are easy to personalize to match a home’s decor.
I made the set pictured for my sister as a housewarming gift. Her home features cool blues and greys, so I selected fabrics that complement her color scheme.
These placemats are fast because you don’t need batting or quilting to give them body—use home decor canvas or upholstery-weight fabric. If you use lightweight cotton, you’ll want to add interfacing or a thin batting, but two layers of sturdy home decor fabric are sufficient on their own. Fabric is widely available at craft stores; yardage needed depends on how many placemats you plan to make. A yard of each fabric typically yields at least four placemats; if your fabric is 60″ wide, you can often make six.
Reversible Placemat Tutorial
Cut two pieces of fabric measuring 14″ x 18″ for each placemat—one for the front and one for the back.
Place the front and back pieces together with right sides facing.
Mark a small opening (about 3–4 inches) along one long side for turning the placemat right-side out later. Marking the opening helps prevent accidentally sewing it closed—handy if you tend to daydream at the machine.
Starting at one pin, stitch around the placemat with a 3/8″ seam allowance, leaving the marked opening unstitched.
Remove pins after sewing.
Clip the corners diagonally without cutting into the stitching so the corners will turn out crisp. Reach inside the opening and turn the placemat right-side out, pushing out the corners gently. Press all seams flat with an iron.
Fold the raw edges of the opening inward and pin them flat. Topstitch a 1/4″ seam around the entire placemat to close the opening, reinforce the edges, and give the placemat a neat finished look.
Repeat the process to make as many placemats as you need—two, four, six, or more.
These reversible placemats let you switch between two coordinating fabrics for different looks.
Decide which fabric combinations you want for your dining room set.
A set for a couple or a full family can be completed in a couple of hours or less, depending on how many placemats you make.
Enjoy your finished reversible placemats—practical, customizable, and quick to sew. They’re a great way to add color and personality to any table setting.