How to "make" a tablecloth with fabric?

Rappel

Fri, Sep 18 2020, 8:19 am

rgr wrote:

The average fabric isn't wide enough to cover a table

It's easy enough to find. Most fabric stores carry extra-wide bolts, especially among the heavier fabrics.

OP , yes: just buy a wide enough fabric in the length you need, and then hem the edges.

yo'ma

Fri, Sep 18 2020, 8:28 am

Rappel wrote:

It's easy enough to find. Most fabric stores carry extra-wide bolts, especially among the heavier fabrics.

OP , yes: just buy a wide enough fabric in the length you need, and then hem the edges.

Or be lazy like me and don’t. I did for my dining room, but not all my kitchen. Very Happy

zaq

Fri, Sep 18 2020, 2:41 pm

If the fabric is woven, not knit, you can make self-fringed edges.
1. trim the ends so they're straight and even.
2. Sew a plain straight stitch along the full width of the fabric on each end, about two inches in from the edge, depending on how long you want the fringe to be. for greater strength, sew two lines, one on top of the other.
3. carefully unravel the weaving (weft threads) from the edges till just before the line you just sewed. Once all the weft threads are removed, straighten and fluff the free ends of the warp threads. this is your fringe. the selvages (lengthwise edges) don't have to be hemmed.

Talk to the salespersons in the store. tell them what you want the fabric for and what your specs are e.g. machine washable, bleachable, yes-iron, no-iron, heavy, lightweight, fire resistant (just kidding, FR fabrics are specialty items, very costly and sold to manufacturers, not to consumers), antimicrobial, whatever.

ChanieMommy

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 3:12 pm

I prefer synthetic tablecloths, because they do not stain and you don't have to iron them...

You should check how washable the fabric is..

Also you might want to calculate some margin for shrinking at first washing (or wash the fabric before you make the tablecloth)

amother

Honeydew

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 3:23 pm

You want to get yardage that is DOUBLE the length of your favorite tablecloth. So if the tablecloth you usually use is 108" ie 3 yards, purchase 6 yards. Most quilting cottons are 42-44 inches wide which will not be wide enough hence the need to buy double the yardage as you are going to have to sew sections together.

I'm going to use the measurements of 108 and 42 as that's what I have made for my table which is 72 inches long by 40 inches wide (only seats 6).

Cut your yardage in half so that you now have 2 pieces that are each 42 by 108. One 108 inch length will create a drop of 18 inches ( (108-72)/2) for each end. Take ONE of the yardages and cut an 18 x 108 piece along the length of the yardage. Cut another 18 x 108 piece from this yardage.

Sew each of the 18 x 108 pieces to the length of the yardage you didn't cut. You will now have a pieced project that is 3 pieces together 18 x 108 next to the 42 x 108 next to the second 18 x 108. The seams will fall along the edge of your table and will be barely noticible. The reason you don't simply sew the two 108 x 42 pieces together is that you don't want the seam running down the middle of your table.

Once the piece is together, fold each edge 1/4" and iron. Then fold it over again, iron and stitch it down ie hem it.