Table Cloths - old fashioned?

It's Christmas only for me. Big occasion.

My dining table currently had a pure white hand crochet tablecloth. It is made in fine cotton and the lady who made it lives in Hungary. How I came by it was a woman I know donated it to a fete I was involved with and I couldn't believe she was getting rid of it. Her Hungarian aunty made it and when I expressed surprise, she said, 'no matter I have plenty more at home'!!! I love it, it
washes well and looks beautiful.

I use a tablecloth on the dining room table all the time, it protects the table and looks attractive. My Lille grandson has sat to the table since he was coming three and except for the odd gravy sauce related accident has good careful table manners. As soon as his two and a half sister can have her mouth higher than the table top with only one cushion she will join him. I think it makes Sunday lunch more of an occasion for them as weekdays they sit at the kitchen table for dinner whilst their mother makes the evening meal. I would like to buy a new tablecloth for my oval table but can only seem to find rectangular ones.

I'm in my 50s and all my tables have cloths Most recently bought in Asda Dunelm and TJ Hughes

We've got a green & white spotted pvc one permanently on the kitchen table to hide it as it's ot an attractive piece of furniture! The beautiful oak dining table in the dining room is never covered up and we just use table mats on it when we're eating in there. I think somewhere we may have some tablecloths but I'm not sure where....

We have a pretty large oval dining table and I've only ever found one cloth to fit it, bought in Spain on holiday about 40 years ago! It's lace in a man-made yarn, and really quite pretty. It is always on the table for Xmas, and occasionally during the year. However, the table itself has a lovely inlaid pattern on it (no doubt also considered old fashioned) but we like to see that as well, so use placemats to protect the surface.

The only flaw is the gouge my husband managed to put in the top, by flying a model helicopter indoors (strictly forbidden but I'd gone out.....) and he lost control of it. He cut his hand on the blades trying to grab it - serves him right.

Only on special occasions, Christmas etc. and then rather to protect the table ! Family gatherings can become quite lively here so would prefer to wash a few tablecloths than scrub and polish my dining table .
Plus the fact I have some lovely tablecloths made by my Great Grandmother who was a lacemaker.

i lived most of my life with my gran, she used a tablecloth when we had visitors, usually one of her brothers, we had the tiny salmon sandwiches and scones with jam and cream and her handmade embroidered napkins, she made crochet doilies for under the ornaments, but the one thing that puzzled me was buying a new 3 piece suite and covering it with those stretchy nylon covers (dark mustard with large flowers), the armchairs always had the antimacassars on them as the men used brylcreem.. i am in my late 50s and lots of little things i do come from my gran.

I love a tablecloth. My kitchen table is covered with a pvc/oil cloth in greens and blue. My table top isn't very nice but it doesn't matter as its covered. Bring out the white cotton for special occasions only usually xmas and Easter.

I use a tablecloth but my sons don’t - one son complains that the children have scratched the dining table.
When he got married it was a diy reception at the local church hall - I was in charge of getting the white tablecloths. I bought white paper ‘linen’ tablecloths from Sainsburys - everyone thought they were the real thing, they looked very smart. I’ve seen them in the Pound shop too, they come in other colours.

Varian, are you sure you don't live in my house? We do all of those things. table extension, same colour cloth and huge wipeable one too.

Love a tablecloth + napkins!

I love a proper embroidered tablecloth plus napkins .
I have a lovely collection -all embroidered at a convent .
But their care takes time !

I only use one at Xmas and new year but with being only two of us now we just have a tray on our knees. I also have bone china mugs for my tea as I hate ordinary mugs

I have quite a few white linen table covers with matching napkins. Also a couple of white linen with a very discrete shiny pattern through them. Never used them for about 15 years. They have to go to a laundry after use as too big for me to iron. I do use plastic ones for say GC birthday teas, halloween, when I know there will be a mess. Table mats are so much easier.

Over the years I have inherited lots of tablecloths, damask, linen, cotton, embroidered, some easy to iron, others a nightmare. I love them all but only use them for high days and holidays, ie Christmas! Some I know were embroidered by my Mum (probably during WW2) but others, I can’t identify. I am a keen patchwork and quilter and have cut and patched some to make blocks which will make a very pretty quilt in due course and will be a lovely momento and maybe more usable than a pile of tablecloths. My family never use cloth tablecloths and I fear they will probably skip everything like this when they (eventually) clear the house, hopefully not for many years though!

I use a tablecloth all the time. Partly to elkeep the table clean but also because the table is past its best and doesn’t look great. It hadn’t occurred to me that they’re old fashioned, but I have 3 DDs and I don’t think any of them use cloths, so maybe they are out of style.

I love tablecloths and always have! I have several different ones which I use in accordance with the time of year and the colour of the soft furnishings I swap around (yes I’m that sad!). I think it’s a shame they are no longer so popular-my children have never used them and groan at yet more evidence of mum’s serial decline into old age! I also think it rather nice when tablecloths are used with matching napkins, but disposable ones will suffice (as long as they tone/match, of course!).

As we are meant to be cutting down on water and chemical (detergent) usage and with the spiralling cost of electricity they ought not to be used in restaurants. I am not a fan of extra washing/ironing in the home either so I don’t use one.

We have an oak dining table which DH obsesses about getting sun damaged. So we have a table protector AND a pvc cloth for every day.( to be fair table protector saved a whole glass of red wine that was tipped over ?) Only use proper fabric cloths when entertaining! But do like to see them on. Most bought in Italy or Portugal with 12 napkins included! My favourite is a beautiful embroidered one that was less than £10 on eBay that I bought for tea party following DGD’s baptism
DC only use table cloths at Christmas!

I somehow managed to inherit an immense white tablecloth that used to grace my paternal granny's huge dining table.
I am sure it could be cut in half and still be usable on two normal dining tables! Or someone could make dozens of white napkins! The problem with such a big item is laundering and Granny must have sent it to a laundry.
The only tablecloth I will keep when I further downsize is a cheerful Austrian one which I bought in Vienna in 1964. Almost an antique!

I have a number of table cloths for special occasions, but the one most used was bought in France and is plastic coated, so is great for messy grandchildren.
I am going to start another thread about napkins.

I love tablecloths! They are an easy way to add seasonal warmth and charm while also bring supremely practical. Newness, that allow for quick machine washing and no ironing, are my favorites.

My dining table has an ancient mark in it from when my father- much to my mom’s chagrin- was gluing a model airplane on top without adequate protection from spills. So tablecloths are necessary as well as decorative.

We have two dining tables which we can put together when we have visitors. They both open out in various ways. I got a very nice king size cotton duvet cover and pillowcases in shades of green. It was nearly new and I got two tablecloths and 8 napkins out of it, for £3.

Here you can get any amount of tablecloths you want in charity shops, which is a fairly sure indication that they are NOT in fashion.

I no longer use mine, as our current table is used for all sorts of different purposes, being as it is in our kitchen-cum-living-room.

My son and DIL don't use table cloths, but our generation seems still to do so on more formal occasions, like when they invite guests on their birthday. At other times we all tend just to eat in the kitchen with as little fuss and bother as possible.

We don't use serving dishes when we are on our own, but lift our food directly from the pot or frying pan onto our plates.