Making Plates More Personal

I’m nearing the end of “birthday season” right now (with my three boys’ birthdays falling within four weeks of each other), and I wanted to share with you a little tradition our family has. We have a special Birthday Plate that I pull out when we’re celebrating a birthday in our family. It’s a simple glass plate that I’ve adhered fabric to on the back. It’s a quick and easy craft using just a few materials. I’m going to walk you through the process while I make a similar plate for St. Patrick’s Day…

You can pick up these clear glass plates at Dollar Tree (for you guessed it, a buck!). The dinner plates are 10.5″ wide and the salad/dessert plates are 7.5″ wide. All you have to do to prep the plate for this project is to remove any price tags or stickers, making sure there’s no leftover residue. (I apologize that some of these pictures are blurry; I took screen shots of my video tutorial.)

Choose any cotton fabric you desire and have it cut to 12″ (for a 10.5″ plate).  You can make three separate plates with the same cut of fabric if you space them correctly.

Depending on how dark your fabric is, you’re going to trace the rim of the plate with either a pencil, pen, or even a Sharpie. Turn your fabric upside down and turn your plate upside down on top of that. Trace the curve of the plate all the way around marking it at an angle. You want to draw a circle that’s slightly larger than your plate to take into account the curve of the plate. Then, cut your fabric circle out.

Using a foam brush, apply a good layer of Mod Podge (Gloss) to the entire back of the plate with a foam brush. Don’t worry about it appearing too thick; it dries clear. (Those are Amazon Affiliate links, meaning if you purchase from them, I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, so thank you. 😊)

While the plate is still wet, carefully lay the fabric circle (good side towards the plate) onto the back of the plate, trying to center it as best you can. (If you’ve placed it too far to one side, it’s best to just remove it, possibly apply more Mod Podge, and try again.)

Starting at the middle of the plate, (the flat part), smooth out the fabric, pushing it into the Mod Podge on the plate. Make sure it’s nice and smooth, leaving no wrinkles in the fabric.

Then, work in small sections, moving down from the center to the edge of your plate. Use all your fingertips to smooth downwards. This can be tricky- since the fabric is flat and the plate is round, you may start to get wrinkles. Smooth them out as best you can. The fabric should have a little “give” to it, allowing you to smoosh it closer or farther apart.

Work all around the plate smoothing down the fabric in all areas.

If you’ve discovered that there’s a section on the edge that’s not sticking at all, add a little more Mod Podge with your foam brush and push it down again.

When the fabric is applied how you want it, add another good layer of Mod Podge on top of the fabric, making sure to go all the way to the edges of the plate (to keep the fabric from pulling up).

Allow for it to dry for a good 45-60 minutes.

Once it’s dry, if you see a little bit of fabric hanging over the edge of your plate, you can just use a pair of scissors to trim it right off.

You’re done!

These plates are NOT dishwasher safe or waterproof. They are completely safe to eat on. We use ours for birthdays, special occasions, and/or holidays. I just simply do a quick rinse under the faucet and wipe any food off. Then I make sure to dry the back with a towel or paper towel and then air dry completely, upside down. If you get the back too wet, try to dry it as soon as possible. The Mod Podge can start to get tacky and you weaken that “glue”.

I think these plates make gifts too. What a fun housewarming or “Welcome to the Neighborhood!” gift with some freshly baked cookies! They make great gifts for teachers too. Here are some pictures of other plates I’ve made…

You can watch the video tutorial on my Instagram (@createdbeloved), under Highlights, labeled “Plates”.

If you have any questions, feel free to post them below.
Happy crafting!


“I am<span class=”crossreference” data-cr=”#cen-NIV-26293A” data-link=”(A)” style=”background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;”> the bread of life.<span class=”crossreference” data-cr=”#cen-NIV-26293B” data-link=”(B)” style=”background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;”> Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes<span class=”crossreference” data-cr=”#cen-NIV-26293C” data-link=”(C)” style=”background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;”> in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35, NIV