Pet Place Mats
Anyone who has pets will adore these mats as gifts—and they’re kid-proof, too, so they are a practical addition to family dinner!
1. At a copy center, size and crop your digital images so they can be printed at 100 percent the size of your mat and have them printed with an inkjet printer on white roll canvas.
2. Protect your work surface with a kitchen towel, and preheat iron to a medium setting. Set your printed canvas, image up, on the towel. Cut a sheet of iron-on vinyl in half—it should be larger than the canvas to create fusible edges. Peel off the backing from one half, and place the vinyl (sticky side down) over your image. Smooth in place with your hands.
3. Iron the vinyl to set it, following the manufacturer’s instructions. The vinyl is adhered when it loses it sheen and the weave pattern of the canvas begins to show through. Flip the vinyl mat and repeat the process on the plain back side (less ironing time will be needed).
4. Make a rounded corner template from scrap cardboard, using a small bowl to form the curves. Trace the template with a pencil onto the vinyl at each corner, then trim the corners. Heat fuse the edges of the vinyl until they are sealed.
For crafters who want to take the project one step further, you can bind the edges of your mat with black binding tape and fusible web instead; follow the manufacturer’s instructions for both. .- For more decorating ideas: www.lhd.com/home
Photocraft by: Caroline Herter, Laurie Frankel and Laura Lovett
