BRAIDED PLACEMAT

Turn strips of lightweight fabric, such as a bed sheet, into a pretty mat. They look most effective in single colours where the texture can be clearly seen.

Tear several strips roughly 5cm-5.5cm wide from the longest length of the sheet. Plait together in threes, knotting at both ends. Cut a 30cm circle of thick felt or use a felt or cork placemat as a base and begin to coil one of the plaited lengths out from the centre, sticking it in place with fabric glue as you go. To attach another plaited length, cut away the knots, fold over the edges (it can help to loosely sew them so they hold) and line up the plaits before gluing them in place. Continue until the base is covered, leaving the knot of the last piece as it is. You could also sew the lengths together using a zigzag stitch on a sewing machine instead of gluing them to a base.

Pink flat sheet, £15/kingsize; fabric glue, from a selection, both John Lewis & Partners