I am so excited today to be sharing this fourth of July craft as part of the RED WHIT BLUE series at Sugar Bee Crafts. Please head over to her site to check out ALL the amazing RED WHITE BLUE themed ideas. She is showcasing some really fun patriotic crafts, recipes and DIY ideas this week and next.
Today I’m share this little braided centerpiece mat. I started with the mat, I love the bright colors I used and the way it turned out.
but, it needed more… just the mat was not-so-great sitting in the middle of the table all alone… So, I added some fun festive candle holders and now we have ourselves a cute, fun fourth of July centerpiece. perfect for a causal picnic or even a inside dinner.
Today I am going to show you how to make your own nifty mat, and then you get to decide what to put on it… what would be the perfect centerpiece for your holiday table? Flowers? Candles?
I used nylon roping… I am seriously limited with craft supplies here, so the rope I found was too thin. I ended up have to double up each strand. Ideally, you will have thicker rope and can just used five strands. You want to use a five strand braid here to make it wider. I have a tutorial for braided with five strands HERE, if you need. Depending on the size you want your mat to be, you may need more or less braid. I used 30″ of the blue center and 104″ of the multicolored. My finished dimensions are 9″ x 12″. After you have your rope all braided, seal both ends with a lighter…
You now also need needle and thread to sew your centerpiece mat together. Start your coil by bending the braid at around 5″. Start sewing at the bend {as seen below} my stitched are loose here, but I wanted you to see that I was just zig-zagging back and fourth catching one or two rope strands on each side. Pull each stitch tight. Its a bit tricky at first, but does get easier.
When you reach the melted end, bend the braid around the end and continue the coil and stitching.
If you want to join another color, stop sewing with about an inch left of the first color. Use your lighter again to melt the rope and fuse the two braids together. I got it really hot, then pressed the two together. Use a hard surface under and over to press the two{don’t use your bare hands, **disclaimer**}{ha!}. You may have to heat and press a few times.
Now you just continue until you get to the end. I finished it off by trying to tuck the end a but under the side. If you just sew the end and stop you will have a harsh blunt end on the side of your mat… try to ease the end.
and there you have it! A fun part of this picnic table decor. A centerpiece mat to highlight your fourth of July table.
Next week I’ll be showing up close how I decorated the tea light candle holders…. But for now, get started on this easy July Fourth Craft and get braiding your own Patriotic Centerpiece Mat…
A BIG thanks to Mandy for hosting the RED WHITE BLUE series and for allowing me to be a part of it. I had a blast coming up with this idea.
For additional information and directions for making the candle holders see this post.
For additional information and directions for making the candle holders see this post.
I will be sharing this project at my Monday-Wednesday link parties listed here.
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Looking forward to seeing you around the blog…. don’t be a stranger!
Winnie says
It is simply gorgeous !!
Kacey says
I’ve never made a braided mat before…looks fun!
SUZY littlemisssuzyq.blogspot.com says
Dang cute! Love the whole Table!
Julie says
That is so cute, Emily! Pinned!
Barbara Hiatt says
Love it!! You make it look so easy! Great pics too!
Barbara at Chase the Star
Allison Miller says
This is the cutest!! I love the color of blue you chose. Very fun!
Larissa@Just Another Day in Paradise says
Super cute!! Love everything!
Diane | An Extraordinary Day says
That is so creative Emily!! I’m always smitten with red, white, and blue. Guess I’m just an all American girl!
Thanks for linking up at Monday Funday!
Hope your weekend is extraordinary!
Kaysi @ Keeping it Simple says
That looks so great!
Jamie {Better With Age} says
What a great idea! Awesome tutorial 😉 Thank you so much for sharing at Give Me The Goods Monday!
Jamie @
Better With Age
BeColorful says
Love the 4th and apparently so do you. Great idea.
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