DIY Rope Placemats!

DIY Rope Placemats

I am NOT a crafty person.

I’ve known this sad fact since high school when my Home Ec teacher assigned the class a sewing project.

Obviously, she knew that I wasn’t crafty because when she handed me the pattern for a vest, she whispered, “I think even you can do this one, Christine.”

Well…..she was wrong.

After breaking a sewing machine, and using up every band-aid in the class’s first aid kit, my vest fell apart on the day it was due.

 

But even if putting a hot glue gun in my hand probably means a visit to the emergency room for third-degree burns, I still have to try right?

This is exactly what I did when I decided I wanted some rustic rope placemats for our Easter table, but I didn’t want to spend $80 to do it!

So of course, the first place I went for inspiration was PINTEREST-and I found this wonderful tutorial from Jen over at City Farmhouse.

Jen (bless her talented little heart) made this project sound so easy that I put my fears aside, and went about gathering all the materials I would need.

 

(**This post may contain affiliate links.  For more information please read my full disclosure here.)

 

Materials used:

Manila Rope (3/8″x 50′ )”  **I used 32′ for (1) 13″ placemat

Scissors

Hot glue gun

Glue sticks

Pins

I chose Manila Rope because I thought it looked more rustic than the jute rope Jen used, and I wasn’t disappointed!

 

I followed Jen’s tutorial pretty much to the letter, but I do have some additional tips.

1. I would definitely advise placing something (I used a piece of cardboard) under the rope to avoid hot glue spilling on your work surface. It will-I promise!
2. Place a dollop of glue at one end of the rope and fold the end over. Secure with pin-until glue holds.
3. Begin wrapping the rope tightly around that first coil -gluing every three inches or so.
4. Pin each glued section to hold the rope in place. **This is totally optional but I found this to be very helpful to keep the rope tight while the glue dried.

5. Measure the width of your placemat.  Mine was 13″ but you can make them as big or as small as you like.

6. When your placemat is the size you want-cut the rope at an angle and secure the end with glue.

7. Allow the placemat to dry for at least 24 hours before using it. ***I placed a heavy cutting board on top of the placemat, to ensure it laid and the edges didn’t curl up until the glue was completely dry.

 

I made 4 placemats and I’ll admit it was a bit time-consuming. But  I LOVE how they turned out!  Overall, the cost to make all four placemats was under $40-compared to the $80 it would have cost me if I had bought them!

And the best part? I only burned my finger twice! YIPPEE!

So maybe I have a little ‘craftiness’ in me after all.

Are you doing anything ‘crafty’ for Spring?  I’d love to hear about it!

Have a great weekend!

Blessings and hugs,