As I pondered how to set my table to capture the theme of our Dead Man’s BBQ, I remembered an amazing Flayed Flesh Tablecloth from one of my favorite Halloween creators, at eatthedead.com. She made the most realistic faux skin tablecloth with foam fabric, latex and paint that is truly just mind-blowing, it looks so real. All of her creations are awe-inspiring from her props to her Halloween recipes, she is so incredibly talented. Subscribe to her website and make sure to give her a follow on social media if you don’t already. So, rather than attempt to make one like she did and have it look terrible, since I’ve never used latex before, I made some faux quilted skin placemats using marine vinyl, hot glue and paint. It’s not quite as realistic as hers, but I like how they came out and they lend the right amount of creepiness to our Halloween table. Enjoy!
👀Keep an ‘eye’ out for the next post on how to make the eyeball napkin rings pictured below.👀
Post Mortem Placemats
Materials
- 1 yard marine vinyl
- acrylic paints (tan, light brown, dark brown, red, yellow)
- ½ cup Mod Podge (matte)
- ½ oz red food coloring plus 1-2 drops of green food coloring
- ¼ cup clear glue
- ¼ cup fake blood
- wax thread (black)
- spray clear sealer (matte)
- hot glue gun
Instructions
- Cut marine vinyl into 6- 13" x 18" rectangles. Mark each placemat with irregular lines to mimic where the seams of the flesh will join. (Note: I used the marine vinyl as a drop cloth to catch fake blood paint from another project which definitely adds to the gory look of them.)
- Use a sponge to apply a light coat of tan acrylic paint.
- Use the dark brown to sponge paint along the drawn seam lines.
- Continue to sponge on the lighter brown, a touch of red and yellow along the seams until you are happy with the look of it.
- Mix together ½ cup of mod podge and ½ oz of red food coloring and 1-2 drops of green food coloring. Paint the lines to create the seams of flesh and around the outside edges of the placemat with this mixture. It will go on bright red, but when it dries it will be a brownish red color. Feel free to do a few blood drips or splatter with this mixture.
- Hot glue the outside edges and along both sides of the seams to create the ridges of flesh.
- Mix together 1/4 cup clear glue and 1/4 cup fake blood to create a more transparent glossy paint and paint between the hot glue ridges and along the outside edges to make the faux seams of flesh look bloodier. Paint other areas of the placemats with this glossier paint anywhere you'd like, allowing it to pool at the seams. Let this dry overnight
- Spray with clear sealer to set all the water-based paints we used.
- Use wax thread to stitch edges and seams using irregular stitches to create a faux patchwork look. When done, seal stiches with Mod Podge.
- Once dry seal the entire thing with spray clear sealer again. Time to set the table!
Thanks again Lori for the instructions for this project too. It was time consuming, but not difficult to do, and the end result is mind blowing. Regular upholstery vinyl worked fine and it only very slightly curled at the edges from the hot glue (not necessarily a bad thing). I have added a link to a Facebook page (within my details) that I posted to so I could show u photos, but because it’s a private page, I’m not sure that u can view it?
Awesome Helen! I’m excited to see your finished project! I requested to join your FB group, so hopefully I’ll be able to see it! Happy Halloween my dear!
🖤Lori