A Christmas tablecloth

To my loyal readers, you know that my great plans for new poinsettia themed Christmas decoration were mostly dashed because of tighter work deadlines than I was expecting ...

BUT, I really wanted to turn this pretty, pretty fabric into a tablecloth for when my various guests arrive and I did manage to sew it up in 1 3/4 hours on Christmas Eve.

I bought 5 yards of 44" wide fabric to make a tablecloth 90" long and 56" wide.  After a little math that took into account 1/2" seam allowances and 1 1/2" hems all around, I ended up cutting the 5 yard piece in half.  Well actually it was 5 yards plus 6" which gave me 2 pieces 93" long.  The selvedges are really good and smooth on this fabric, so I can leave them be and not have raw cut edges that need finishing or my long joining seams.

One piece I left whole and the other I cut 9" strips along each edge, which I will sew to the edges of the whole piece to get the 56" width after it is hemmed.  I want the seams off to the sides, that is why I will sew two narrow pieces on either side of the main full width piece.  This will leave me with enough fabric from the center of the cut piece for 6 napkins ... not sure when they will happen.

I do a lot of sewing without pinning, but with pieces this long it is so easy for one side to stretch just a little and then you end up with a puckered seam and ends that don't match up.  So, I smooth my fabrics together on my table and put in occasional pins to make sure this doesn't happen.

After the pieces are assembled I press up all the side 1 1/2" and then finger press a second 1/4" fold as I topstitch the hem.

It takes a little bit more time, but mitering the corners makes a homemade table cloth look professional.

I am so glad I got his made. Doesn't it look nice with the candle stick holders my sister gave me years ago ... the napkins will probably happen next year.


I still have more holiday guests to arrive!