Maker Monday: Kids can create easy, beautiful duct tape placemats

Make meal time more colorful with this week’s Maker Monday project, a homemade placemat woven from duct tape. The surface is easy to wipe off, making after-meal or snack time clean up a breeze.

Duct tape can be found in a variety of colors and prints. Pick two or three to create a patchwork quilt effect. Or go with standard silver duct tape to give your placemat an industrial, Warholian touch.

As with all Maker Monday projects, kids can make this with items you may have around the house or can pick up at a nearby dollar store. Just follow the step-by-step instructions below. A note to kid makers: Please work with a parent or caregiver on this Maker Monday project and always be very careful when using tools of any kind, including scissors.

Maker Monday materials:

• duct tape (preferably a few colors)
• scissors

Maker Monday instructions:

Step one: Cut the duct tape into 15-inch strips. You will need 24 strips in all. (We used 12 strips of our main color, then six strips each of the two other colors.)

Step two: Fold each strip in half lengthwise (so they become more narrow, not shorter) to seal. Smooth the strip flat. If the edges don’t match up perfectly, simply smooth the adhesive edge over. Don’t worry if some strips are a bit longer than others. You will be trimming the edges once the weaving is complete.

Step three: Now comes the fun part — weaving! Set your main color strips side by side, matching up the top edges. Weave your contrasting color across the top. The first few rows tend to be loose, but you can tighten up your weave as you go. Continue to weave and tighten until all 12 horizontal strips are in place.

Step four: Trim the overhanging edges as needed.

Step five: Choose a color for your border. Cut four 17-inch strips and place them along the edges about halfway onto the last weave along each side. Then turn the placemat over.

Step seven: Fold the border edges over to seal along the back. Use small pieces of duct tape to finish the corners.

Flip your placemat back over and there you have it, a bright shiny piece of art that’s durable and perfect for protecting a table during meals.

Want more at-home fun creating cool stuff and making beautiful things? Check out more Maker Monday projects right here. Do you have an idea for a Maker Monday craft project? If so, please share it with Kidsburgh! Send your maker activity ideas to info@kidsburgh.org.