I still have all things tutti fruity party on my mind at the moment and I was thinking of an easy way to make the trestle table I’ll be serving lunch at not look so plain and I was thinking that a fruity tablecloth would do the trick. So when I saw this canvas weight watermelon fabric at Spotlight* the other day I decided that it would be perfect for the job! I wanted to share how I made the easy tablecloth so you can too!
What you’ll need:
- Fun Fabric for my trestle table I needed 2 metres to cover it. This is a canvas weight cotton that I found at Spotlight.
- Sewing Pins for the edges
- White Thread or whatever colour goes with your fabric choice
- Snips for cutting the thread (if you don’t have a pair, scissors will do)
- Scissors for cutting the selvage off
- Measuring Tape in case you need to cut your fabric to size
- Sewing Machine I use my Janome that was a 21st present
How to:
- First measure your fabric with the measuring tape and measure the table you want to cover, to make sure your fabric will cover it. I got 2 metres of fabric that’s 112cm wide after the selvedge is removed. I didn’t need to cut my piece to size. Then cut the selvedge (the size edge with the holes poking through) off one side, keeping to where the fabric weave starts and the selvedge ends
- This will give you a nice clean edge, but don’t worry if there is a small amount of fraying. Repeat Steps 1 & 2 for the other side
- Set up your Sewing machine and thread it. I have mine set to the A stitch at a length of 2.5
- On one long side, take some sewing pins and with the patterned side facing away from you, fold the edge in approximately 1cm-1″ and pin. You can either pin the whole side or pin a couple to get you started and reuse those pins as you sew. (If you do the second make sure the needle of the sewing machine is in the fabric when you pin so that you don’t pull the fabric out of the machine)
- Place your piece in the sewing machine with the pattern side down and select a seam allowance line on the machine that you will keep. I chose the 10mm line on my machine as shown. Follow that line as you sew. (Make sure to do a back stitch at the beginning and end so the stitches don’t come loose)
- Sew all the way to the end and then flip it over to check the stitch
- Then with the snips (or scissors) carefully snip off the excess thread from either end. Repeat steps 5, 6 & 7 for the other long side
- Now it’s time to do the short sides. Fold over as in step 4, but tip the bottom edge in slightly so that it won’t stick out over the folded edge. Fix with a pin and carefully place in the sewing machine and put the sewing needle with the foot down before removing the sewing pin. Follow as you would in step 5 but make sure to do the slight fold in with the edge at the other end. Also remember to back stitch to fasten. Repeat for the other end.
- Now you have nicely stitched edges for your table cloth!
- The table cloth is ready for any occasion needed!
Thoughts on the project:
This was super easy and fun to make and I love that I now have a fruity tablecloth that will fit my long trestle table but that will also work for my indoor dining table too! Because I bought just the right amount I didn’t have to measure and cut it to size and really only needed to neaten the edges. It’s a great project for getting used to your sewing machine and is pretty quick to make if you have some experience. I couldn’t see any tablecloths that I liked in the shops and this worked out to cost no more than I would have paid for one.
I love that whilst the pattern is perfect for my tutti fruity party, it will also be great at any dinner party or colourful event in the future. It’s a canvas weight cotton so I can pop it in the washing machine if it gets dirty and doesn’t feel flimsy. I’m so happy with how it turned out! I can’t wait to use it!
Do you use tablecloths? Would you have a go at making your own?
If you do try this, I’d love to see a photo or hear about how it went! Tweet me your pics at: @danniellecresp or instagram me at: @dannielle with the hashtag: #styleforahappyhome
Note: This post isn’t sponsored by Spotlight, it’s just where I shop for fabric and I like to let you know where I find stuff so you can get it too, if you like! D x