Tablecloth Crafts

A handcrafted tablecloth represents an unusual creation that can be personalized to fit the dcor of the home and the personality of the decorator. From skilled needlework to homemade projects that involve the kids, tablecloth crafts not only offer the opportunity to create a beautiful and personalized home dcor item, but also yield a real sense of accomplishment when completed.

Hand Crafted Table Linen

The simplest way to make a hand crafted tablecloth is to buy a ready made tablecloth in a solid color. You can add embellishments in a variety of ways including stenciling and hand painting. Utilizing a no-sew applique technique is another relatively simple way to create a customized tablecloth. Select a simple shapes such as leaves for autumn or flowers for spring, and cut a pattern that can be repeated around the edge of the tablecloth. Use this pattern to create fabric shapes and adhere these shapes to the ready-made tablecloth with iron-on fusible webbing. For the holidays, a festive, floor-length, red felt tablecloth can be a beautiful addition to any home. Since felt does not require hemming, simply place an abundant yardage of the fabric on the table and place heavy books on the table to weight the fabric down. Cut the fabric where it meets the floor, taking care not to move the cloth. Add silhouettes of snowflakes, Christmas trees or other holiday shapes cut from white felt along the bottom edge of the table cloth. Attach these silhouettes with white craft glue.

Involving the kids

Tablecloths present many opportunities for involving children in a craft project. For a stunning Thanksgiving tablecloth, dip autumn leaves in acrylic craft paint and stamp these painted leaves on a ready-made white or cream colored tablecloth. You can also allow children to coat their hands in green paint and their lower arms in brown paint. Instruct children to open their palms and press their hand and lower arms on the cloth. An abstract representation of a tree will result. You can also trace cookie cutters onto the tablecloth and let kids paint inside of these shapes. For a very simple project, just give kids a paper table cloth and some markers and tell them to get creative. These projects are best accomplished outdoors. Make sure to heat set painted fabric tablecloths with an iron.