Dish Drying Mat (part 1)

I've watched several (more than 1 and less than 10) YouTube videos on transforming dollar store / Hobby Lobby microfiber dish drying mats using the quilt-as-you-go method and then rebinding the edges. Today I decided to try my hand with mixed results.

Materials:

• 1 inexpensive dish drying mat I got mine at Hobby Lobby when they were on sale for less than $5.

• Sufficient strips of fabric to cover the mat when placed side by side I used a JellyRoll of 2.5 inch wide strips from Amazon but you could cut your own.

• Color coordinating thread for top and bobbin in your machine

• The usual sewing tools including:

  • rotary cutter and mat

  • quilting clips and/or pins

  • scissors

  • oh, and a sewing machine with a straight stitch

Procedure:

1. Begin by drawing a line down the middle of your mat. This will serve to line up the first strip for stitching.

2. Place the edge of the first strip right side up on the face of the drying mat along the line you drew. Stitch about a quarter of an inch from the edge along the left-hand side of the strip to sew the strip to the mat. Trim excess.

3. For the second and subsequent strips, working left to right, place the strip on the previous strip, right sides together, along the unsewn edge. Stitch with a quarter inch seam allowance. Trim the excess. Then flip this new strip right side up. This is sometimes called stitch and flip.

4. Repeat step 3 until the right-hand side of the mat is covered.

5. Rotate the mat 180 degrees.

6. Now using step 3, cover the uncovered (right-hand) side of the mat beginning with that first strip.

7. Using more of your strips, bind the edges around the perimeter of the mat and voila, you're done.

OK, I know this is clear as mud. But here's the before and after.

You may notice that I didn't photograph the binding. It's a disaster. I watched several videos on this particular technique for binding the edges and it's really quite simple, in concept. But in execution, mine leaves a bit to be desired. So, I plan to remove the binding and try it again.

You may also notice the shadows of the strawberries behind the light fabric. Cheap JellyRoll from Amazon; never again.

The mat is perfectly usable as is. But I'm not happy with the binding and until I am, it won't appear in my kitchen. I used up all of the cheap Amazon JellyRoll in this experiment (it was smaller than standard, too) so I ordered another, better, one which should get here tomorrow. Then I'll cut off the old binding (no point in trying to salvage it) and try binding again. Wish me luck!

dks, 30 Sept 2025