TechWife Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 Does anyone know of any fabric place mats that are appropriately sized and don't shrink? By appropriately sized I mean that an entire, normal place setting will fit on them: full size dinner plate, fork, knife, glass, bowl or bread plate. That's it - nothing fancy. I have a nice table that I'm trying to protect and with no kids in the house, that shouldn't be a problem. What I don't want to do is get out the table pads and put a tablecloth on - that's both too formal for everyday and takes away from our enjoyment of the aesthetics of the table - the entire reason we chose to get it refinished last year and not replace it. We eat dinner on it every night. I'd just like setting the table to be a little easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarita Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 I've had much more luck buying fabric napkins and the like from etsy rather than something mass manufactured. I found a lot of the mass manufactured stuff to just be a sheet of fabric with a hem and those get misshapen easily. I can easily find something hand-made where they put two pieces of cotton cloth together; those hold their shape much better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 I’ve had decent success finding big placemats at Cost Plus World Market in the past. Have not looked lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 Do you sew at all? Because double-sided turned and topstitched rectangles would be pretty simple to make. I wish I could recommend the ones I bought on Amazon but it says they’re currently unavailable. They’re nice, thick woven ones. I have two sets and rotate them. I don’t put them in the dryer, but they dry pretty quickly laid out on a clean counter, usually overnight. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 Our outside-the-box solution: we had a thick piece of glass cut the size of our dining room table. (35 years of messy kids eating on my grandma's dining room table = fantastic. ) But yes, placemats are easy to sew, fun to DIY creatively, and likely lots of free ideas on The Internet. I used quilted fabric on one side, & made them reversible. We also use vintage souvenir plastic placemats, of favorite locals, and woven (colonial style?) navy/cream placemats. I also made sentimental ones using large/pieced cardstock & photos, laminated between 2 large pieces of clear contact paper. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 (edited) 43 minutes ago, Forget-Me-Not said: Do you sew at all? Because double-sided turned and topstitched rectangles would be pretty simple to make. Yes, they are. I've made a few sets. I put fairly stiff interfacing between the layers of fabric for stability. My favorite store placements are from World Market but I haven't cared for any of their recent offerings. Edited October 31, 2022 by marbel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grace Hopper Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 I gave up on placemats long ago. I just use tablecloths now - easy to fold up the edges, shake out in the back yard and put in the washer. I’ve got a dozen inexpensive ones I’ve picked up over the years, and then nicer ones for when the occasion calls for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 I sew my own, with quality fabric from a quilt store, not from Joann’s. I bet Etsy would be a good source of quality ones if you don’t sew- or don’t want to make your own. The pic is one I made for Thanksgiving, but simple ones would be quick to make. I prefer placemats so I can see my table and just wash one placemat if it gets dirty instead of an entire tablecloth. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 I have had to sew mine from high quality quilt fabric because it was the only way to get the larger size. I have no idea why placemats do not come large enough for a full place setting, however I do suspect that maybe in times past - Leave it to Beaver era - the idea was mom and kids at home for breakfast and lunch eating the small meals thus not needing a larger placemat, and then when the "man of the house" came home, out came the tablecloth, china, and candlesticks...very "Mona Lisa Smile, Vassar College" kind of stuff. I could be wrong though. At any rate, if would be nice if manufacturers caught on. I also hate the poly crap excuses for cloth napkins which absorb exactly nothing, and stain easily, so I have been making a big stack of cloth napkins as well. It is just dh and I now, however, not only do we love cloth napkins, but all of my holiday ones were completely faded/worn out. We will be hosting T Day, Christmas Eve, and Easter this year with all three of our sons and our daughter in law plus honorary two daughters and their respective husband/fiance` so I need placemats for breakfasts and lunches, and napkins for all the meals plus themed ones for the big holiday meal. Other than sewing them custom, I have no idea how to get the size you want. Maybe a fine china store would carry them? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted October 31, 2022 Author Share Posted October 31, 2022 6 hours ago, Carol in Cal. said: I’ve had decent success finding big placemats at Cost Plus World Market in the past. Have not looked lately. They shrink on me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted October 31, 2022 Author Share Posted October 31, 2022 3 hours ago, Forget-Me-Not said: Do you sew at all? Because double-sided turned and topstitched rectangles would be pretty simple to make. I wish I could recommend the ones I bought on Amazon but it says they’re currently unavailable. They’re nice, thick woven ones. I have two sets and rotate them. I don’t put them in the dryer, but they dry pretty quickly laid out on a clean counter, usually overnight. I do but I don’t want to do them. I be been thinking about it for two years now & with my schedule it isn’t going to happen. I also don’t want to baby them. Wash. Dry. Use. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 I'm thinking of getting the rigid cork backed type but I don't know if they're large enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted October 31, 2022 Author Share Posted October 31, 2022 1 hour ago, happi duck said: I'm thinking of getting the rigid cork backed type but I don't know if they're large enough. I’ve seen some that aren’t. The best ones I’ve had the past couple of years have been the woven round ones but they eventually come unwound and they aren’t very pretty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted November 1, 2022 Share Posted November 1, 2022 This has been a frustration for me as well. We have some super-thick ones that are large and woven like a rug from Target, but I bought them eons ago and I don't know if they still stock them. For a while I had similar, rug-like ones that were round, and the frustration is that in the washer they would turn into conical hats and never lie flat again. A different option for thickness might be to get the cork+rubber mats sold at the hardware store to place under potted plants. Put your attractive-but-thin placemat on top. Other than that I'd say your best option is Etsy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted November 1, 2022 Share Posted November 1, 2022 No first hand experience (and not cloth), but perhaps something like this... Leather Desk Mat What dimension in inches are you looking for? If you are handy with a sewing machine, perhaps cut a table runner into two pieces and hem. (I often see nice table runners at thrift stores.) Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted November 1, 2022 Share Posted November 1, 2022 (edited) Have you looked at wooden placemats? Ooooh, glass would be cool too. Edited November 1, 2022 by KungFuPanda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mominco Posted November 1, 2022 Share Posted November 1, 2022 I have bought really good ones from Homegoods,The one I am currently using is a Tommy Bahamas brand that I picked up just before the pandamic hit.It was on clearance at $10-11.They have held up really well.The others I have bought were from Cost plus,Pier 1 and Marshalls.The latest was from Homegoods a few months ago.I always put them on speed wash and then dry them for 20 minutes,I always wash them with kitchen towels.Hth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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