Pocket Place Mats
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With just a few snips and a quick press, Dad's old shirts turn into colorful place mats -- with a pocket to tuck a napkin into.
What you'll need
- Thin cardboard
- Buttoned shirt
- Chalk
- Fabric scissors
- Thick fusible webbing
- Clothes Iron
How to make it
Create a pattern by cutting an 18- by 14-inch rectangle from thin cardboard. Then spread flat a buttoned shirt and set the pattern on top of it so that the place mat will include a row of buttons and a pocket. Trace around the pattern with chalk.
Using fabric scissors (adults only), cut along the chalk line through the shirt front and back (you should end up with two cloth rectangles).
Fold under 3/8 inch of fabric and press the edges of both cutouts (a parent's job). Lay the back side of the place mat wrong side up and set strips of thick fusible webbing (sold at most fabric stores) along the edges.
Cover with the place mat top and iron according to the webbing maker's directions. For a more permanent seam, machine stitch the mat edges.
