Table Cloths - old fashioned?

I have many tablecloths. I like gingham and Provence style prints and have a few classic white linen. My daughters and daughter in law don't own any. They don't need to because when needed they borrow mine - and return them to be laundered...

I have a plastic tablecloth on my kitchen table as it is a bit battered. It 's isn't battered in a good way. The plastic cloth kept slithering about plus we had a DGC so pulled it tight and I staple gunned it underneath. I change it for a new one when I fancy something different.

I have a wonderful ercol flip top dining table, the only time I really use it when large is for cutting out fabric, either with scissors on a cardboard base or with a rotary cutter on self healing mats

The table in its smaller state is useful for pattern altering and for form filling or card writing. I never use it for dining alone

Back to the op, yes I do keep it protected with a hand made table cloth and that keeps it nice and also protects against sun-damage

Casdon

Callistemon21

Casdon

I don’t know anybody who doesn’t have a dining table watermeadow, even if they eat some meals on their laps. A table is a lot easier if you have young children, it keeps the mess contained.
I’ve just had an old oak table restored, and I’ve been looking at tablecloths for it this afternoon, it’s oval and I wanted a pale beige or grey cotton gingham cloth - as usual I’m on a looking for a hens tooth quest I think.

Have you got a sewing machine? Could you make or adapt one or, if not, is there a local sewing shop which could make you one?

You’re right, that’s the only way I think. I do have a sewing machine, but I’m not confident. I think I’ll ask my friend to make one for me though, she’ll know how to make a template etc. I’m sure, she’s really good at that sort of thing.

I won't offer, it could end up skew whiff!

Know a lot of people do not like using Amazon but.....*Casdon*, just type gkingham tablecloths on there and they come up in every colour and size and materials imaginable.

Heavy oil cloth types are good though, with loads of designs AC went for multiplication table design and world map design - so educational as well for the grandchildren

I've got a length of the world map one, Granmarderby, which I used to put under the high chair for the DGC, must see if it fits the table. When I bought it I was given a lecture by the sales person who was a flat earther - I thought she was joking but no, she was absolutely serious. 🌏

Callistemon21

Casdon

I don’t know anybody who doesn’t have a dining table watermeadow, even if they eat some meals on their laps. A table is a lot easier if you have young children, it keeps the mess contained.
I’ve just had an old oak table restored, and I’ve been looking at tablecloths for it this afternoon, it’s oval and I wanted a pale beige or grey cotton gingham cloth - as usual I’m on a looking for a hens tooth quest I think.

Have you got a sewing machine? Could you make or adapt one or, if not, is there a local sewing shop which could make you one?

You’re right, that’s the only way I think. I do have a sewing machine, but I’m not confident. I think I’ll ask my friend to make one for me though, she’ll know how to make a template etc. I’m sure, she’s really good at that sort of thing.

Casdon

I don’t know anybody who doesn’t have a dining table watermeadow, even if they eat some meals on their laps. A table is a lot easier if you have young children, it keeps the mess contained.
I’ve just had an old oak table restored, and I’ve been looking at tablecloths for it this afternoon, it’s oval and I wanted a pale beige or grey cotton gingham cloth - as usual I’m on a looking for a hens tooth quest I think.

Have you got a sewing machine? Could you make or adapt one or, if not, is there a local sewing shop which could make you one?

I don’t know anybody who doesn’t have a dining table watermeadow, even if they eat some meals on their laps. A table is a lot easier if you have young children, it keeps the mess contained.
I’ve just had an old oak table restored, and I’ve been looking at tablecloths for it this afternoon, it’s oval and I wanted a pale beige or grey cotton gingham cloth - as usual I’m on a looking for a hens tooth quest I think.

Not only table cloths but dining tables are also very old fashioned. Most families seem to eat off their laps now.
When I ask old (70+) friends to tea I get out my tea set because they like cups and saucers and I make that most boring of cakes, a Victoria sponge.
In between whiles it’s a mug of coffee for me.

Slightly off topic maybe but a couple who come to the same coffee shop as us bring a little tablecloth to spread on the table.

I have a nice collection of tablecloths and napkins -mainly embroidered by nuns for fund raising .
The ones that were used by my grandmother have long since completely worn out .

Old fashioned -maybe , but they look nice for special occasions .

I found that tablecloths and toddlers were incompatible and dangerous for the kitchen table ( hot tea pots /drinks etc being dragged off. - then just got used to mats.
Heavy oil cloth types are good though, with loads of designs AC went for multiplication table design and world map design - so educational as well for the grandchildren.

I do like a seer sucker table cloth in summer though because it brings back memories of childhood home breakfasts in a sunny kitchen.
I plan to start using a tea pot again, definitely better for the china mugs.

aggie

Old thread , but still interesting , I craft on my oak table and use a wipeable tablecloth .
I have a Christmas one , a spring one , the summer one is still on and I think I like it best as it is light coloured and brightens the room

Ours gets used more for puzzles, sewing and craft than dining!

Old thread , but still interesting , I craft on my oak table and use a wipeable tablecloth .
I have a Christmas one , a spring one , the summer one is still on and I think I like it best as it is light coloured and brightens the room

Oh dear - old thread
Alway check the date 😁

I have a long mahogany table in our dinning room - very old fashioned as "no one does brown furniture these days" but I love it

I like mine too, dolphindaisy and do use a table protector and tablecloth but goodness knows why because I expect the lovely table will get dumped in a skip one day, unless mahogany comes back into fashion. ☹

I’ve gone back to them after many years without. I have a large red and white check linen one which reminds me of Italy and just looks really homely. I also have a linen one with olives on a white background which I actually got at Aldi. I noticed they were snapped up , I got the last one! I use them outside, too, if we have a BBQ because all sorts of possums, birds and other beasties perch on our outdoor table and it is more hygienic to cover it even after a good scrub.

In my summerhouse I use a beautiful hand embroidered tablecloth which a lady in her 90s gave me before she died. It is white linen with brightly coloured spring flowers on all the corners and edges. Daffodils, crocus, tulips etc it is stunning.

We have wipeable tablecloths. You buy the fabric by the metre. Currently we have llamas wearing red sombreros on a bright yellow background but we have had pale green with white dots, dachshunds, tartan etc. our kitchen table is used for lots of things as well as eating so it’s best choice for us.

I tend only to use tablecloths on special occasions such as Christmas. I treasure one that was passed on from my Mum. In the 1930s my parents were nurses in a secure psychiatric hospital known then as the asylum. A long term patient embroidered a heavy duty bedsheet and presented it to my Mum as a tablecloth.

I still occasionally use it on the table for my grandchildren as they are fascinated by the history behind it and they enjoy tracing their fingers round the flowers. I’ve attached a photo of one section.

Another old thread dug up. But it is a timeless topic so let's stick with it. Many of the contributors on the first pages are no longer on the site though.

We have an expensive Scandinavian dining table which it would be a shame to cover with a tablecloth. If I have to improvise a huge table for a large party I use a sheet.

Mummer, that sounds lovely. that era was fantastic for design. My daughter also loves that 'vibe' . You can sometimes find fab barkcloth type fabric on ebay to make a stunning runner or place mats!

I have lots of tablecloths and they are used all the time.
I often used to buy cloth and napkin sets in France so have some in traditional Provencal patterns and one I particularly like which has sunflowers on a blue background.
I do have white damask cloths but tend not to use them for regular family dinners, gravy and tomato sauce stains are the devil to shift.

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