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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

chalkboard place mat and tag tutorials

Stacy and her little guy made some of these cool chalkboard place mats for my boys back before we even started this blog, and they're still at hit at the dinner table! They love drawing pictures while I make dinner, and I love to leave little love notes for them that they'll see at breakfast.


Chalkboard Place Mat Tutorial

What you'll need:

*Oilcloth (ours was about 13" x 18", but you can cut it to whatever size suits you--find it at many fabric stores and online)
*Chalkboard cloth (can be found at many craft and fabric stores, and online)
*Bias Tape
*Spray Adhesive
*Sewing machine and thread

1. Cut your oilcloth and chalkboard cloth to the size you want. Spray the back of one piece with spray adhesive and adhere it to the back of the other piece, smoothing out any air bubbles. (Once you make a hole in these materials, they never go away, so don't use pins to baste them together.)


2. Fold bias tape over the edges and sew around edges to permanently attach the two pieces. Check out this tutorial from Angry Chicken if you want a really professional bias tape finish.


That's it! Before you try writing on your chalkboard, don't forget to use the side of a piece of chalk to cover the entire board with chalk. Erase it with a cloth and you're good to go!


Now here's a fun little twist on this project. Reusable chalk gift tags! Use them over and over--just erase the name and write a new one. These would be really great for family birthdays or Christmas gifts.

Reusable Chalkboard Gift Tags

You'll need:
*Small piece of oilcloth (ours was 2" x 3"--you can find this at many fabric stores and online)
*Small piece of chalkboard cloth (found at many craft and fabric stores)
*About 6" coordinating ribbon
*Sewing machine and thread

1. Cut the oilcloth and chalkboard fabric the same size. Use pinking shears for a more finished look.

2. Put the two pieces together with wrong sides together. Insert ribbon between pieces.

3. Stitch around edges. Done!



We've got more chalkboard projects coming up soon--stay tuned for part 2!
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42 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 26, 2009 at 4:28 AM

    I had no idea they made chalkboard FABRIC! Those reusable tags are the absolute BEST!!

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  2. michelleFebruary 26, 2009 at 4:52 AM

    Fabulous, thanks!

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  3. ShanellFebruary 26, 2009 at 5:24 AM

    that is awesome! I had no idea they even HAD chalkboard cloth. My kids will love these!

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  4. the undomesticated wifeFebruary 26, 2009 at 6:14 AM

    What a great idea!!

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  5. CassieFebruary 26, 2009 at 6:44 AM

    So cute! I love this idea...

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  6. Makin' Me CrazyFebruary 26, 2009 at 7:56 AM

    Thanks for sharing, I'm seeing these in my grandkids future. Great to take to the ball park this summer....

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  7. ReeseFebruary 26, 2009 at 8:18 AM

    I am loving this info!!

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  8. KarliFebruary 26, 2009 at 8:35 AM

    Oh wow. I will soooo be making these for my boys! Thank you!!!

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  9. LettiFebruary 26, 2009 at 8:57 AM

    What a great project. I love it. Thanks for sharing it with me and teh rest of the blogging world.

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  10. LauraFebruary 26, 2009 at 9:37 AM

    Great idea. I can see my niece practicing her writing at the table while I cook.

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  11. AnonymousFebruary 26, 2009 at 9:40 AM

    Great idea! Love it!

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  12. AnonymousFebruary 26, 2009 at 9:48 AM

    Very cute! Fun.

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  13. AnonymousFebruary 26, 2009 at 9:48 AM

    Hi there, long-time follower, love your blog! Do you mind linking to where you found the chalkboard fabric?!
    Thanks!
    Anne

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  14. Barbara BrownFebruary 26, 2009 at 10:14 AM

    what a fabulous idea. i am in love with this idea. any idea what fabric stores carry chalkboard fabric. i don't think our local joanns does. any other suggestions?
    barbara brown

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  15. Kathleen @ Measuring My LifeFebruary 26, 2009 at 1:03 PM

    What an awesome/great idea! Thanks for sharing! :o)

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  16. Little Birdie SecretsFebruary 26, 2009 at 1:04 PM

    If you live in the Seattle area both Ben Franklin Crafts and Pacific Fabrics have it. Here is a place online: http://www.nancysnotions.com/product/fabric/specialty/chalkboard+fabric+black+47%22+wide.do
    I am sure there are other online retailers that sell this so you may want to shop around.

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  17. CourtneyFebruary 26, 2009 at 1:33 PM

    I have been wanting to make these for a while so thanks for the inspiration! I will get right on it this weekend. Thanks for the great craft blog also.

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  18. AnonymousFebruary 26, 2009 at 2:19 PM

    I've seen these on ETSY and wondered if they would be easy to make. LOVE the idea and will try to make one! Thanks for the instructions

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  19. SusieFebruary 26, 2009 at 7:16 PM

    What a neat idea!!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog today and leaving such sweet comments! I hope to see you back there soon:-)

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  20. AnonymousFebruary 26, 2009 at 11:53 PM

    Awesome. Thanx for the tut....will have to make the boys some of these.

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  21. XazminFebruary 27, 2009 at 12:51 AM

    Oh my heavens! I want to make this!

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  22. BeaFebruary 27, 2009 at 4:19 AM

    Love the gift tag idea! Thanks for sharing.

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  23. AlishaFebruary 27, 2009 at 9:37 AM

    How cute is that?!? I love the thought of reusable gift tags!

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  24. Rachel@oneprettything.comFebruary 27, 2009 at 6:23 PM

    Those are so much fun and way creative, I love it! Thanks so much for sharing, I'll be linking to this.

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  25. AnneFebruary 28, 2009 at 2:21 PM

    These are awesome!!! I also love the idea of the smaller tags. What a cool idea!

    I posted a link to your tutorial on Craft Gossip Sewing Blog
    sewing.craftgossip.com

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  26. lfhcreativeMarch 1, 2009 at 2:46 PM

    Thanks for the tutorial. I have been seeing the chalk mats all over but didn't realize it was something I could make! Thanks!

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  27. DianeMarch 1, 2009 at 8:25 PM

    Thanks so much for sharing this project! Clear, simple instructions for something so handy - Love It!

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  28. AnonymousMarch 1, 2009 at 8:35 PM

    Oh my gosh! This is great! Thank you so much for sharing.

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  29. Geek+NerdMarch 2, 2009 at 9:25 PM

    The place mats are so cool! I had no idea that chalkboard fabric even existed! What a magical thing!

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  30. glennaMarch 3, 2009 at 11:22 AM

    These look great! Thanks for having such a wonder blog site.

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  31. psMarch 3, 2009 at 8:22 PM

    Thanks for sharing, I wanted to check why you suggested rubbing chalk before starting to use this mat.

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  32. Meraki SoapApril 2, 2009 at 7:43 PM

    Wow, great tutorials. Thanks for sharing them.

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  33. EmilyJune 23, 2009 at 12:08 AM

    Thanks so much for sharing this awesomely cute craft!! I made some of my own (just a little different) and you can see them here: http://notsoidlehands.blogspot.com/2009/06/great-toy-for-car-or-plane-trips-this.html
    Thanks!!!

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  34. Kristi. W.September 1, 2009 at 5:48 AM

    Thank you so much for sharing this. I can't wait to make these for my daughter and neices and nephews.

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  35. nopeNovember 25, 2009 at 4:28 AM

    AAHHHHHH! genius! i have been racking my brain for xmas gifts for a few kids. thank you. :)

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  36. AnonymousDecember 3, 2009 at 8:15 PM

    This is great and something I have so wanted to make! Only problem is that in looking at the chalkboard material I learned it is not recommended for use with kids under age 12 - it off gases bad stuff (as does most 'oilcloth').

    See here for some discussion: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6163559

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  37. UnknownAugust 20, 2010 at 3:52 AM

    I came accross this blog post when searching for chalk mat material. I really love the idea of reusable gift tags, such a clever idea, thank you for sharing this!

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  38. mladybugmSeptember 25, 2011 at 8:12 PM

    i recently made this with chalkboard fabric i found at joann's. i primed it up and was ready to go and my newly bought crayola chalk won't draw well on it! i found an old nub of chalk and it worked great, but my nub is almost gone...do i need a special kind of chalk for this?

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  39. Little Birdie SecretsSeptember 26, 2011 at 7:38 AM

    Your new Crayola chalk should work. Here's a tip: turn a piece on it's side and rub the chalk over the entire "board". Then erase and try your chalk again. If that doesn't help, break your chalk in half and try using it from the middle--sometimes that works better for me. Also, I have found that the colored chalks are softer and easier to use on non-chalkboard surfaces, so you can also try that! Good luck!

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  40. SarahFebruary 8, 2012 at 4:18 PM

    Hi how great is this!! Iv put your turtiol on my sister's facebook page as she sells this chalk cloth!! Great!!!

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Patch/171172716270612

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  41. cbondJune 26, 2013 at 5:54 AM

    This would be perfect to take to restaurants. Not all restaurants have color pages for the kiddos.

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  42. cbondJune 26, 2013 at 5:57 AM

    This would be great to take to restaurants! Not all restaurants have color pages for the kiddos. My youngest is 10, but she and her sisters still like to be occupied while waiting for dinner. This is interactive with the whole table, not just sitting there on a phone or game console, not interacting with the table. I might even take it with my husband and we can play tic tac toe or other games together waiting for our meal.

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