Thrifted men’s shirts become sturdy, charming placemats with plenty of pockets and personality. This post covers three different placemat designs, each finishing at 11″ x 17″. It also covers a quilt-as-you-go mug rug made from the leftover scraps.
Placemats made from repurposed men’s shirts
materials
fabric
- 2 or more contrasting men’s shirts, with at least one original pocket intact
- lightweight batting, 12″ x 18″ per placemat
- backing fabric, 12″ x 18″ per placemat, cut from shirt fabric
thread
- thread to match or contrast with the fabric
- embroidery floss, for hand stitching a pocket (optional)
notions
- template plastic, 11″ x 17″ [27.9 x 43.2cm]
- chalk marker
- rotary cutter, 8½″ square ruler, and cutting mat
- tear-away stabilizer
- temporary basting spray
- starch alternative in a spray bottle
- iron
Prepare the shirt fabric
Shirt fabric isn’t always 100% cotton. A spritz of starch alternative adds body and smooths wrinkles before pressing. Press every piece first.
Shirts from the thrift shop
Placemat 1: the wonky block placemat
Finished placemat with a shirt pocket
1. Make the wonky block. Cut one 6″ square from one fabric and four 3″ x 8½” strips from the contrasting fabric. Sew the first strip at an angle to the square, leaving the first 3″ unsewn for a partial seam. Continue adding strips around the square at angles, then complete the partial seam. Press and trim the block to an 8½” square.
2. Prepare the pocket. Cut a piece of shirt fabric approximately 7″ x 12½”, keeping the original pocket intact. Place tear-away stabilizer underneath and stitch around the pocket using contrasting thread. Remove the excess stabilizer.
3. Assemble the placemat top. Cut two 2½” x 8½” strips and sew them to the top and bottom of the wonky block. Add the pocket section to the right side and a 4½” x 12″ fabric strip to the left. Press the seams.
4. Layer and trim. Place the pieced top, batting, and backing together, right sides facing out. Secure the layers with temporary fabric adhesive, then trim to 11″ x 17″.
Machine stitching around the pocket
Placemat 2: strip piece an improv placemat
Finished placemat with hand-stitched shirt pocket
1. Prepare the fabric. Spray the shirt fabrics with fabric pressing spray and press. Cut one 8″ x 12″ strip from the first shirt fabric.
2. Prepare the pocket. Cut a section of shirt fabric approximately 8″ wide, keeping the original pocket intact. If necessary, sew an additional piece of fabric at an angle to extend the section to 12″ long. Hand-stitch around the pocket using a blanket stitch and coordinating embroidery floss.
3. Cut the contrasting strip. From the second shirt fabric, cut one 2″ x 12″ strip.
4. Assemble the placemat top. Sew the 8″ wide strip, 2″ contrasting strip and pocket section together. Place the 11″ x 17″ template over the pieced fabric and trace around it with a fabric marker. These lines will guide trimming after quilting.
Sew strips together and mark cutting lines.
5. Layer and quilt. Layer the backing, lightweight batting and pieced placemat top. Secure the three layers with temporary fabric adhesive. Quilt as desired, using simple straight-line quilting or another design of your choice.
6. Trim the placemat. Trim the quilted placemat to 11″ x 17″ along the marked lines.
The hand-stitched pocket adds a charming finishing touch to this one-of-a-kind placemat, turning repurposed shirt fabric into something both beautiful and useful!
Placemat 3: improv strip-pieced placemat
Finished placemat
1. Cut the fabric strips. From one shirt fabric, cut two 6½” x 25″ strips, joining pieces if necessary to achieve the length. From a contrasting shirt fabric, cut one 3″ x 25″ strip.
2. Create the strip set. Sew the three strips together lengthwise, placing the contrasting 3″ strip between the wider strips.
3. Cut angled segments. Cut the strip set into segments approximately 3½” wide at their widest point, angling the cuts slightly to create an improvisational look.
4. Assemble the placemat top. Sew the angled segments together, alternating the wide and narrow ends to create a panel approximately 12″ x 18″. Press all seams in one direction.
Trace around the template to mark cutting lines.
5. Mark the finished size. Place an 11″ x 17″ template over the pieced panel and trace around it with a fabric marker. These lines will guide trimming after quilting.
6. Layer and quilt. Layer the placemat top, lightweight batting and backing fabric, each approximately 12″ x 18″. Secure the layers with temporary fabric adhesive and quilt as desired.
7. Trim the placemat. Trim the quilted placemat to 11″ x 17″ along the marked lines.
The angled seams and contrasting shirt fabrics create a playful, modern design. Experiment with different fabric combinations to make a coordinated set of one-of-a-kind placemats!
Bind the placemats
For each placemat, cut 3″ wide strips from leftover shirt fabric and join them to make the binding. Fold lengthwise, press and sew around the placemat using a scant ½” seam allowance. Fold the binding to the back and hand-stitch in place.
Finished placemats