DIY Polka Dot Placemats

I have a fun DIY for you today: Polka Dot Placemats! 

Using fabric paints and stencil pouncers, you can make a set of placemats in a couple of hours! 

Let’s get started . . . 

Supplies:

DecoArt SoSoft Fabric Acrylics (I used Indian Turquoise and Yellow Green)
Stencil Paint Pouncers
Paper Plate
Paper Towels
Cotton Placemats

Tutorial:

Step One: Prewash the placemats without using any fabric softeners. Let air dry completely.

Step Two: On a scrap piece of paper, sketch out some design ideas to get an idea of polka dot placement. For these placemats, I ended up making 5 rows of Indian Turquoise polka dots, followed by 2 rows of Yellow Green polka dots.

Step Three: Squeeze some of the Indian Turquoise SoSoft Fabric Acrylic onto your paper plate.

Step Four: Using a large size pouncer, dip it into the paint and dab a few times onto the paper plate before applying a polka dot in the upper left-hand corner of the placemat.   

Step Five: Depending on how solid the painted dot appears, use a smaller pouncer for any paint touch-ups on the dot immediately.

Step Six: Repeat this process so that you have 6 large polka dots – in Indian Turquoise – evenly spaced across the top of the placemat.

Step Seven: The second row will have only 5 large polka dots in Indian Turquoise, with each dot being centered underneath the previous row’s dots.   

Step Eight: The third row will have 6 large polka dots in Indian Turquoise, with each dot in line with the 6 dots in the top row. The fourth row will have 5 polka dots and the fifth row will have 6 polka dots – all in Indian Turquoise.

Step Nine: Clean your pouncer and let dry before beginning with your second color, or use a new pouncer.

Step Ten: Squeeze some of the Yellow Green SoSoft Fabric Acrylic onto your paper plate.

Step Eleven: Using steps 3 through 5 as your guide, create two rows of Yellow Green polka dots, with the first row having 5 large dots and the last row having 6 large dots.

Step Twelve: Repeat this process on additional placemats, and let dry and cure for 48 hours.

Step Thirteen: Wash placemats using cold water on the gentle cycle. Air dry on a flat surface.

And that’s all there is to it!

These make great gifts: hostess gifts, housewarming gifts, and of course Christmas and Birthday gifts too! Roll them up and tie them with a pretty ribbon!

Happy crafting!

~Laura