Glamtastic Jean Place Mats

Your guests won't be able to stop smiling when they lay eyes on these Glamtastic Jean Place Mats. These are great recycling project ideas for all your old jeans that you don't have the heart to throw out. Why pitch something that can be used as a cute table decoration? Let your creative juices spill onto these place mats as you get out your sewing needles, felts, or bedazzlers and get crafting. These recycle project ideas will make you feel good to see the results and show them off at dinner parties.

Materials:

• 2 Pockets from old jeans
• 2 Pieces of denim 8 1/2″ * 14″ each
• 6 Pieces - 4 1/2″ * 45″ (or width of fabric) Coordinating fabrics
• 1/2 Yard Piece of Fabric (for back of placemats)
• 1/2 Yard Piece of Fabric (for two 15″ square napkins)
• Size 14 Sewing Machine Needle
• Walking Foot for Sewing Machine if available
• Cut a 12″ * 14″ rectangle out of newspaper (pattern piece)
• OPTIONAL – Bedazzler
• OPTIONAL – Needle felting kit

Instructions:

Embellishing

1. Prewash all fabrics.
    
2. First cut back off of pocket.
    
3. For needle felting, be sure you are using a wool yarn. Place your pocket on felting foam block and then create design using wool yarn.  You can pin as you create your design or wait until you are all done.  If you are needle felting for the first time please read all the instructions before starting.  The needles have really sharp barbs at the ends, these barbs then grab the wool fibers and pull them into fabric.
    
4. When you are done, gently scratch at the yarn to make sure it does not easily come up from the denim pocket.  If it does, you just need to needle felt it a bit more.
    
5. Needle felt second pocket with the same design or a new design.
    
6. You can purchase felt flowers, make your own, or use buttons or patches or even cut cute pieces out of felted sweaters.  The pocket is placed lower than a glass would normally be so the little bit of bulk should not matter.
    
7. If you wish to add some bedazzling, just eyeball it or make some small marks where you wish to bedazzle and then add your embellishments!

Assembling Place Mats

1. Cut six strips 4 1/2″ * 40″ or width of fabric.
    
2. Lay strips perpendicular to each other meeting at the ends.
    
3. Mark line corner to corner and stitch along line.
    
4. Trim, open, and iron.
    
5.  Sew strips together using 1/2″ seam allowance and the iron.
    
6.  Layout your rectangular pattern piece on a diagonal, pin, and cut.  Repeat and cut 2nd rectangle.
    
7. Sew stripped piece to denim with 1/2″ seam allowance.
    
8. Attach embellished pocket to bottom of denim strip.  Be sure to leave room for seam allowance on outside edge.
    
9. OPTIONAL: Cut a piece of flannel or thin batting the same size as the top of your placemat if you wish to add a little padding to your placemat.
    
10. If you are using padding, layer that down first.  Then layer the fabric for the back of your placemat, right side up and then lay the front of your placemat right side down.
     
11. Pin layers and sew together starting  on side of bottom using 1/2″ seam allowance.  Stitch around, leaving 5″ opening at bottom to turn.
     
12. Trim each corner.
     
13. Turn placemat right side out and press.
     
14. Stitch bottom closed by hand.
     
15. For napkins cut two 15″ squares.  Fold edges in 1/4″ twice, press, and then stitch along edge with sewing machine.