Hello again! During the past month, I have been sewing a bunch of burlap table centerpieces for a dear friend who will be getting married this coming weekend. I wish I had some photos to share, but I don't. However, this project was pretty simple and only required a couple of steps that I can talk you through today.
My friend's wedding is in late summer / early fall time of year. So, to match the changing season, she opted to go with fall textures. Her wedding reception will be held in a room that has a lot of wood detail, so a rustic theme for her wedding decor will blend well with the ambiance that comes with the room itself. She asked me to sew a number of burlap placemats to set under her table centerpieces, which will be square wooden boxes filled with greenery and flowers.
These burlap table placemats were simple to make. Here's how you can make something similar:
Materials:
1-2 yards of burlap
scissors
sewing machine with needle
thread (your color choice)
pins
iron
flat ribbon (optional)
measuring tape
Instructions:
1. The first thing I did was cut the burlap into 16" squares and circles. I did a variety of shapes for my friend upon her request. Obviously cutting burlap into circles is more challenging, and it requires that you will need to serge or zigzag the edge of the fabric to keep it from fraying. I also recommend printing out a circle on the computer first and making a pattern that you can trace onto your burlap or with your scissors to make cutting a circle easier.
2. Next, I ironed the burlap if it wasn't completely flat. I always iron my burlap using a high setting with steam, otherwise it does not stay for me. Burlap is wiry and has very large threads that need high heat to maintain shape.
3. After the burlap is cut and ironed, it is now time to sew. For the first pass, I sewed the raw edge of every square and circle using a wide zigzag stitch. All of the edges of these burlap placemats were kept raw. If you choose to hem the raw edge, you can do that as well, but I recommend ironing your hem and pinning before sewing the hem.
4. Once the raw edge is lightly finished with a zigzag stitch (or a serger if you have one), then you can cut your ribbon to a 16.5" - 17" length using your scissors. I used a lace ribbon that measured 1.5" in width. If you can find ribbon without elastic, I would recommend that over elastic ribbon. I used elastic ribbon for some burlap placemats, and it was more challenging to keep the ribbon straight on the burlap when sewing.
5.Once you have cut your ribbon, pin it onto your burlap placement. For both the squares and circle burlap placemats, I placed the ribbon in the center from one raw edge to the opposite. You can do a diagonal or off-center based on the look you are going for with your design. Tuck under .25" to .5" inches on each end to the backside of the burlap placemat. That will give you a finished look for the ribbon. Sew the perimeter of the ribbon onto the burlap, or if you are using a thin ribbon, sew one straight stitch down the center of the ribbon.
That's it! If you know your burlap placemats will be heavily used and often getting wet or dirty, such as under plates on a dinner table each day, you can always Scotch Guard the burlap first to make it more water repellent.
This was a fun project to make! With fall ahead of us, I hope this inspires you to find new DIY projects to help bring the warmth of this season into your home, burlap or not.
Enjoy!
Erica
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