Napkins are a great project for beginning sewers and an excellent way for anyone to practice hemming. Adding a simple fabric border kicks them up a notch, and the clever beaded ties are a cute alternative to place cards.
Plates are traditionally round, but placemats are usually rectangles. Hmmmm. Square peg/round hole? How about a round mat? Ours are a generous 16″ in diameter, and they’re reversible: patchwork on the front, solid on the back.