Sew Easy Tablecloth and Napkins

I wanted a new tablecloth for the small square table in my breakfast nook. I looked for a red checked one, but couldn't find exactly what I had in mind. In a fabric store one afternoon, I found a fabric I liked, and decided to make one. I'm glad I did- I got what I wanted, and very inexpensively. The fabric was on clearance. I got enough for the tablecloth and four napkins, all for about $6.00.

This makes a 42" square tablecloth and 15" napkins. All you do is cut out squares, press up hems, and sew straight lines. Easy! OR, you can make this project even easier by making it NO SEW- just press the hems using a heat-bond hemming tape product following the directions on the package. I've used that method with good results.

Of course, you would probably cut your pieces with the fabric folded in half (selvage to selvage) as it comes when you buy it...these are the total pieces you would end up with.

Start with fabric that is 42" wide. In my case, I purchased a little over two yards. Cut a 43" square for the table cloth, and 16" squares for the napkins. I hemmed all four edges of each napkin, but skipped the hemming on the two selvage sides of the tablecloth.

(Sometimes selvages don't look very good- in that case, you could hem all four sides. Cut the square 42" and hem all four sides. You'll have a 41" tablecloth).

For the hems, I pressed 1/4", folded over another 1/4" and pressed. Then just sewed close to the edge:

There are prettier ways to make corners, but these worked fine. 

If your table is larger, just use the tablecloth as a topper, above. I liked the check for summer, but you can select fabric suitable for the season- Easter, Thanksgiving, whatever you want to dress your table up for.

My kitchen has lots of red in it. Now it has even more.

You might also enjoy Royal Elephant Pillow Cover:

and Best Banana Bread:

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