Photo: Allison Lind
Photo: Allison Lind
I recently hosted a formal dinner party for a few friends. Four course meal, wine, candlelight. It was to be the perfect evening to treat my friends to a special dinner. But about an hour before they were to arrive, I went to set the table. Gasp! My tablecloth was nowhere to be found.
Because I couldn't possibly serve a formal dinner atop a bare, casual table (I know: the horror!), I needed to get crafty. Thankfully I'm one of those people that buys yards of great fabric for no reason – other than it's pretty, on sale and I'll likely someday find a use for it.
So, with 50 minutes remaining, I pull out my favorite piece of raw fabric, which is luckily about 3 yards in length, and I get to work. A mere 20 minutes later, I had a new fabulous one-of-a-kind tablecloth and plenty of time to set the table. It all appeared so seemingly effortless. I didn't even use a needle and thread.
Find out how I did it below!
Materials
Piece of fabric the length of your table plus at least 12 more inches (an old flat sheet or drapery will work too)
Fabric glue (I prefer Unique Stitch)
Phonebook or other heavy, flat object
Here's how to do it
1. If needed, iron your fabric.
2. Lay the fabric flat, with the wrong side facing up. Starting at one corner edge of the fabric, place a dot of glue on the corner and fold it about a half inch in, creating a 45 degree diagonal line. Repeat on all four corners.
3. Starting at one corner, place a thin line of fabric glue, about a quarter inch in, along the entire edge. Fold over the fabric so that the crease is along the glue, pressing each segment with the phone book for about 30 seconds to set. NOTE: At the corners, your folded-over edge should only come half-way to the inner point of your folded corner. Repeat this on the same side you just worked on, by gluing and folding the side another quarter inch in, creating a clean edge (this will prevent fraying in the wash). The corner of your final fold should meet the folded part of the fabric corners at their half-way point.
4. Repeat this on the other three sides, adding a little extra glue under each corner to ensure they're properly tapered and secure. Press all sides with heavy books until the glue is dry. If needed give it a quick once-over with the iron.
Read more:
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