Friday, December 31, 2010

Colorful No-Wash Elasticized Tablecloth

by Lois Breneman, © 2005, Heart to Heart 
 
        I enjoy colorful tablecloths, but don't enjoy the extra work of having to launder them so often, as is necessary when you have people and food in one place - especially with children.  So when our children were small, I tried to figure out a solution for our oval kitchen table.  Of course, after I thought of this idea, I saw it in magazines, so I wasn't the first person to come up with the idea! 

        This idea works well for a round or oval table, but not a square or rectangular table where there are corners.  Using a pretty fabric, I cut it two inches larger than the table all around the edge.  Using 1/4 inch wide elastic, I sewed it around the edge, stretching all the way, even along the straight edges, especially stretching hard around the curves.  Then I cut and sewed elastic on a heavy piece of clear vinyl in the same way. 

        The fabric tablecloth gets placed on the table first, then the vinyl one and you'll never need to wash your tablecloth!  If you would rather do this sewing procedure only once, purchase one of the many beautiful vinyl prints available in stores.  Then don't worry about the spills!

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