Table Cloths - old fashioned?

Musicgirl

I still like to use a table cloth. It offers a little protection to the table and is a cheerful sight. I have several different patterns and prefer polyester cotton as they are easier to take care of. I also have two beautiful hand embroidered cloths, which were made by my two grandmothers and given to us when we were engaged. One has hyacinths and the other more summery flowers so I swap them according to the season and have them on a side table in the living room with ornaments on. They are a lovely reminder of my grandmothers. However, I seems to be increasingly difficult to buy table cloths. In common with many items they seem to be seen as completely old hat. Does anyone else still like to use them? What other once everyday items are now seen as completely passé? Incidentally, I still think tea tastes better when made in a pot and treat myself to drinking it from cups and saucers from time to time. I’m only in my mid-fifties. Am I really an ancient relic already?

I can assure you that it is nothing old. Although it is true that the new generations are more minimalist in terms of decoration. But in my family it is normal for us all to use tablecloths on our tables. I know people who have many, themed and even personalized. Personally, I prefer to have one or two, but they have to be of very high quality. For that I highly recommend premiertablelinens.com

I recently bought from them the tablecloth that is my favorite, "etched velvet" and it is absolutely beautiful. Since they are in Miami, I was able to go see some fabrics in person, but they told me that they also ship to anywhere in the United States, and there is really a lot of activity in that warehouse. Everyone is very friendly and the quality of their fabrics is amazing.

They even have more fabrics than I knew that existed!

There are still plenty for sale on Amazon :-) So I like tableclothes but I won't use anything that needs ironing ha ha. We have a nice William Morris oilcloth one that lives on the kitchen table - easy to clean and cheerful. I have a couple more but only really used them when children were around - easier to pick up and shake the crumbs off outside and stick in the wash.

We use them in the dining room. Our table is quite large so I like to buy cloths in Walmart when I am in the States. They are cheap and wash and tumble dry but look good. I buy two matching that each fit our table and then can be overlapped to fit the table when it is extended. I had a beautiful linen and lace one from Cyprus but it cost far too much to have it laundered and ironed. I’m sure it went to a good home via the charity shop.

Just to point out that this is an old thread, brought back by a spam post yesterday.

I think most people now eat off their laps. Tiny modern homes don’t have room for a dining table and chairs. So yes, tablecloths are old fashioned along with net curtains and doilies.

The only tablecloth I possess is a not very big Christmas one that was a present ages ago. It has only been used when we’ve had more guests than usual for Christmas dinner, so the round garden table had to be brought in and ‘dressed’.

My mother had a lot, some hand embroidered by her many years ago. I don’t remember what happened to them after she died - probably the charity shop. TBH I wouldn’t have had room for them anyway. I did however keep her white linen table napkins (and have added to them) - and they’re used when we have guests.

I have a pretty flowery tablecloth that I use for special occasions in the summer, and a beautiful heirloom Christmas tablecloth. It is embroidered with hollyleaves and berries, and was made by some distant and long forgotten relative. It must be over a hundred years old and amazes me because I can machine wash it and the colours never fade or run. I also have a white tablecloth for formal dinners, but I don't seem to have them any more.

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Margiknot

I use a wipeable cloth for everyday ( to protect our oak table from spill marks) and a posher cloth one for special occasions. I have a few wipeable cloths in different patterns.

Same here.

We had all the 'Little Treaters' over for soup on islands and tables in the kitchen. I can't even imagine washing tablecloths covered with pumpkin soup and berry cobbler. No thank you!

Scrubbing up with soap and water, once they left booooing and cackling to their homes, was easy. I'll wax tables tomorrow.

I use a wipeable cloth for everyday ( to protect our oak table from spill marks) and a posher cloth one for special occasions. I have a few wipeable cloths in different patterns.

Many years ago we looked at some new houses, very standard run of the mill houses size wise. They had effectively taken the wall down between kitchen and dining room and the kitchen remained the size it would otherwise have been, as did the dining roo There was a row of floor units dividing the two spaces so the dining room had as much space as before for dining furniture.

M0nica

Many people, where they can, have knocked seperate kitchens and dining rooms into one big room. I noticed Kirsty suggesting that to someone on Locationx3 this week.

I thought for a long time about doing that but after seeing my neighbours' conversions decided against it. The resulting room still isn't really big enough for a decent size kitchen table and chairs without adding an extension as well, except in one house where they extended the kitchen right out to include part of the hall way, so the downstairs toilet now comes off the kitchen. I actually don't know where my next door neighbours eat apart from a small island which doesn't look very comfortable at all. Not somewhere to sit and chat about the day and make plans over a meal and a glass of wine.

Calendargirl

I should add that I don’t mind close family, i.e. DS, DIL and GC seeing me cook, it’s more the ‘dinner party’ guests, (not that we have ‘dinner parties’ as such) who come and hover that I don’t want in the kitchen.

But as previously stated, I don’t ‘host’ very often.

We use table cloths for dinner party guests. My husband has people who require entertaining, but not nearly as much as years ago.

Now he just does much of what is needed in restaurants or pubs. One pub he seemingly keeps open by his entertainment budget.

To question - we rarely use table cloths. Sometimes on dining room tables, but china looks lovely, maybe better, on dark waxed wood.

I've enough laundry with daily life. I dislike ironing. Bare wood suits us.

We'll have many GC GGC later (Halloween soup, bread, fruit, pudding), any tablecloths would end a mess, no thank you.

I should add that I don’t mind close family, i.e. DS, DIL and GC seeing me cook, it’s more the ‘dinner party’ guests, (not that we have ‘dinner parties’ as such) who come and hover that I don’t want in the kitchen.

But as previously stated, I don’t ‘host’ very often.

Since we extended our kitchen 3 years ago, we now have a big attached breakfast/family room.

It rarely means I get company unless I ask for it. If anyone is in the room they will probably be sitting at the table reading the paper or a book, or else they will be in the living room, out of sight and sound.

Calendargirl

Yes, they can MOnica, but I find they tend to come in, then hover round chatting whilst I am lifting pots in and out of the oven.

I try to shoo them into the sitting room, telling DH to get them a drink, but it’s awkward.

I can see the attraction of cooking and chatting at the same time, but not for me.

I always shoo them out too - our kitchen just isn’t big enough - someone will always be in the way when I need to get to a cupboard/drawer/the oven.

If I had a lovely big kitchen/diner, like dd1, who has a sofa in hers too, it might be a different matter.

I have an oilcloth one for everyday because the table has an ugly top to make it bigger but I probably would anyway. At Christmas I have a beautiful white linen one (eBay) and Christmas placemats and runner (made by me) and embroidered linen napkins. Call me old-fashioned, outdated, whatever, I like them!

Calendargirl

Yes, they can MOnica, but I find they tend to come in, then hover round chatting whilst I am lifting pots in and out of the oven.

I try to shoo them into the sitting room, telling DH to get them a drink, but it’s awkward.

I can see the attraction of cooking and chatting at the same time, but not for me.

I gave up shooing people away whist I cook after my second attempt. I agree, annoying, perhaps change the narrative to flattering?

People seem to find kitchens a cosy space - ours is with a fireplace and choice of seating. Thus it is nice for keeping GC in safe view.

Yes, they can MOnica, but I find they tend to come in, then hover round chatting whilst I am lifting pots in and out of the oven.

I try to shoo them into the sitting room, telling DH to get them a drink, but it’s awkward.

I can see the attraction of cooking and chatting at the same time, but not for me.

Can't they sit in the living room while you cook?

DH would like to make our kitchen and dining room into one.

Not while I have breath in my body! If I peg out, he can do as he likes.

I prefer separate rooms. On the rare occasions I have people for a meal, I don’t want them seeing me do the cooking. I like them out the way.

And yes, I realise this doesn’t make me sound ‘the hostess with the mostess’.

I’m not.

Many people, where they can, have knocked seperate kitchens and dining rooms into one big room. I noticed Kirsty suggesting that to someone on Locationx3 this week.

We (nearly) always eat at the table as well. Usually in the kitchen if there's just two of us - the dining table gets laid when we have visitors. If we're just having a snack in the evening while we're watching a film we might have trays on our laps. Our ACs and their families always had meals at the table when the GCs were younger and even now they all get together most days for a meal in the evening. I don't think it's at all unusual. Using a dining room is probably more unusual, as so many people have larger kitchens and tend to eat in there.