Tablecloths - do you use them ?

I do because when I married my husband had a very nice dining table. I was divorced with two young children so a tablecloth was totally necessary.
I had a pair of curtains tablecloth and napkins made from a lovely floral cloth I bought. I matched it with table mats coasters and candles and there is always a vase of fresh flowers and lovely glasses. Christmas the room and table is dressed and takes on a different look that embraces the season very colourful.
I also bought from charity shops gold rimmed china tableware to complete the look on special occasions. My now grownup family say its old fashioned but it’s nice I love the look.

I do use tablecloths occasionally especially at Christmas and when friends and family come for dinner. It is lovely to see a dressed table.
On a daily basis I use fabric placemats and large heat resistant placemats on my table to protect it.

Always have a tablecloth on the table at mealtimes.

Catches crumbs and any ‘bits’.

Then after we finish, I ‘shake the cloth’ outside.

Not bothered if fashionable or not.

My husband was a messy eater and all tablecloths were soon spoiled. Now I live alone and can have the prettiest, laciest cloths without worrying about something being spilled.

Tablecloths come out for occasions only now.
I remember my Granny had a chenille cloth on her dining table all the time and replaced it at mealtimes with a more functional one which could be washed.

It's years since I used tablecloths. I use place mats and cloth napkins. I've always used cloth napkins, except for guests who come for coffee /tea, cake /biscuits. Then I offer attractive paper napkins.

I enjoy using tablecloths, including the linen ones beautifully embroidered by my ma in law, some over 70 years old. Our family never use them though.

I do use tablecloths occasionally but always use linen napkins if we are entertaining.

Yes, I use them, although day to day we eat in the kitchen. My dining table is french polished, and therefore marks easily, so a tablecloth (and a felt heat protector underneath) makes sense. Also some old tablecloths are works of art, so much work has gone into them that it would be a shame if they never saw the light of day.

I have a beautiful handmade crocheted white cloth that looks like lace it's made from very fine cotton. I use it on my round table everyday as the table looks 'dressed' and so bare without it.

I use a tablecloth whenever we eat in the dining room which is usually every Friday night and whenever we have visitors. I stock up on them when I visit the USA. We have a large table even before it is extended and I buy tablecloths in Walmart. They are stain resistant, washable and tumble dry without needing ironing. We generally use paper napkins but get out the cloth ones if people are staying over.

No I don’t eat at a table and I ve always had a scrubbed wood
(non polished) table so only ever used place mats but no one eats at mine now anyway just me

Only at Christmas. I find them a pain and like to see the wood of the dining table - it's Danish teak.

Mostly though we eat in the kitchen at an extending table. We use cork mats and cotton napkins but no tablecloth.

My table, a large square pine affair which we had made to fit our then dining room, now acts as ‘office’ work place, filing space, sewing/art area & general dumping ground for items with no home as well as for dining, so yes, it is always covered firstly with a table protector then with a cloth. I interchange Indian throws with a French red & white check cloth. On high days and holidays I throw caution to the wind and use a beautiful white cloth now liberally sprinkled with red wine blobs. I really should be brave and use the table au naturel. It looks so much better naked.

I bought a length of oil cloth table covering from Dunelm - it is really pretty and wipes easily. But we do have handmade table mats which do need to be washed from time to time but they do make the place settings look nice.

Tend to use a proper table cloth at Christmas and when we have people over for dinner, which isn't often now.

Yes. I use tablecloths, always have, mainly because they protect the surface of the dining table. I do use a cloth mat if it is just me and all the food is already on the plate, so no splodges between serving dishes and plate.

I love a tablecloth, and napkins, and use them when I have guests. My collection includes white linen, beige check and a bright provencal print. I like a nicely presented table. I prefer a restaurant with tablecloths, too.
My daughters borrow mine from time to time, then return them to me for laundering....

We have a large wipeable tablecloth; blue & white; patterned with large stylised fish from John Lewis. It protects our refectory oak table purchased from a friend.

I have an Ercol table in the kitchen/family room and that is permanently protected by a heat protector and a plastic table cloth that is permanently there, (except when people come to view the house, it is currently for sale)

We have a formal dining table in the hall, which is used for high days and holidays and always has a table cloth on it when being used for dining. This is because the first ting I do when using the table is put the heat protector on it and hide it under a table cloth.

I have given mine to charity shops. I use mats and a decorative cloth at Christmas.

Any spills get wiped off.

I have a lovely oval dining table and the only time the surface has seen the light of day was when we were selling our last house when it had a crystal bowl full of flowers on it. They reflected beautifully in the polished wood which has a lovely grain. The rest of the time it has a heat protector and a cloth on it and is in use every day. Its a waste really; it deserves to be seen. These days I tend to use a wipeable cloth which looks like linen. I bought it from Dunelm.

At Christmas a red one, I like to go with a red and green Christmas theme, and dress the dining room with candles and other paraphernalia at that time of the year. Normally no tablecloth, we only eat in the dining room when we have visitors. When it's the two of us we eat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen. I do like oil cloth type table cloths, that can be wiped, very practical, I always had one of those on a kitchen table, in the house we had when the children were young.

We have a very very old rustic pine table and I always use a table cloth as when we first had it MzOops put a saucepan on it straight from the cooker and burnt it.

When the GCs were staying with us ( they stayed a lot) I bought a waterproof one, with a fleecy back, it’s on the table at the moment as my preferred one is in the wash, they always loved to see ‘their’ table cloth and used we when painting and gluing, just a wipe over and it was good for putting the plates on to eat.

I have a Cath Kidston one which MzOops says gives her a migraine (!) so that’s packed away as she’s been staying here and a very pretty pale oilcloth one that I use in the summer.

No matching napkins , but some pretty Vintage ones that we use, (if we have a take away we get the kitchen roll out).

I also use my Mums table cloths too.

Gosh I’m turning into an old lady, it’ll be antimacassars on the sofa next!

I was always afraid that toddlers would snatch at the cloth and pull something hot onto themselves so stopped using.
Never bothered after that, same with any “grabbable” jewellery 😌