How to Make a Tablecloth for a Coffee Table

Tablecloths come in all shapes, sizes and materials. They are one of the easiest projects to sew. If you are a beginner seamstress you will be able to make a plain tablecloth with no problem. You can pick a material to match your decor and style. There are also a couple of ways to dress it up that are not hard to do. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Measure the length and width of your coffee table. Add on your overhang, about 6 to 8 inches and another inch for hemming. Pick out a material that will match your decor and buy enough to meet your measurements. If you are buying a pattern, decide which way you want your pattern to go across your table so you know which is the length and which is the width. You should get a cotton or cotton, polyester blend. Pick out a thread to match your material or just a shade lighter.

2

Wash your material before you start in case it shrinks. Cut your material to match your measurements. Iron over the edges a half of an inch, then turn in the raw edge and iron again. Pin your edges so the points of the pins stick into the center of the material. If you don't pin it down and the material stretches while your sewing, your ends won't meet. Pin the corners by tucking one side under the other.

3

Sew the edges. When you get to a corner, leave the needle in the material, lift the pressure foot and turn, put the foot back down. Leaving the needle in the material, prevents you from moving the material so you have a nice even line. Let the material go through under the foot, guiding it but not pulling it. If you pull it you will cause uneven stitching. Once you've gone all the way around, you are done. Place it on your coffee table.

4

Make a runner instead of a full table cloth. Measure the length of your table and your overhang. Measure the width leaving three or four inches of table showing on either side. Remember to add an inch to each measurement for hemming. You can keep it straight or cut the overhang to a triangle with the point at the end. Pin and sew the same as you did the full tablecloth.

5

Dress it up by sewing on some cording. Measure all the way around your table cloth and cut some cording. Pin the cording all along your hem. Sew on the same way you sewed your hem. On the runner you may want to add tassels to the points at the ends. If your material is a solid color you can add appliques, or do some stenciling around the bottom. There are any number of craft projects you can find at your local craft store that you can add to your tablecloth to jazz it up.