I've had this idea in my head since the depths of the winter months. Dining outside is one of my favorite things to do in summer (even though we're desperately in need of a new patio set), and these DIY placemats fit in perfectly with that plan. Bright, festive, and easy to clean (just shake!), I can't imagine late summer dinners without them now!
To make one placemat, you will need:
- 100 bamboo barbecue skewers that are at least 10" long
- 1 8-oz. bottle of Rit liquid dye (I used teal and fuschia for the two mats pictured here)
- Black paper jewelry cord
- Strong scissors or a wire cutter
- Tape
- A tray with tall-ish sides (we used an old refrigerator tray)
Using your scissors or wire cutter, snip the pointy ends off of all the barbecue skewers, leaving them approximately 10" long. (They don't have to be perfect.)
Combine your dye with three parts water in your tray, and submerge the skewers for about seven minutes, or until they reach the color you want. Set them out to dry. I placed them all on folded up paper towels set on plastic bags to protect my kitchen table from the dye.
Once they're all dry, knot two long pieces of jewelry cord together, and use them to weave in and out of the skewers (about 3" from the tops), attaching them together. Do this tightly, and continue until your placemat measures about 18" long. Knot again.
Carefully place a long piece of tape across the placemat to hold all the skewers in place before you start the second round of weaving. Weave the second row as you did the first. I found that this was easiest to do if I pushed the placemat over the edge of the table a little bit (see picture below).
Done! The finished product should measure about 18" long by 10" tall.
I really like how the edges are a bit uneven.
And even though I know none of us want to talk about it right now, these mats are so easy to roll up and store for winter.
Who's ready for summer?!
*Amazon.com is an affiliate sponsor of the Homesteady. This is NOT a sponsored post.
