Repurposing old tablecloths / upcycling tablecloths

Dear users, dear authors,
does repurposing tablecloths work the same way as repurposing bed linens, or are there any special considerations?
Repurposing old bed linens / upcycling bed linens (No advertising)

I don’t have any tablecloths at all these days, but we used to have a huge table for which it was hard to find matching tablecloths—and even when I did, I thought they were ugly. So I bought some cotton fabric, hemmed it, and voilà—the tablecloth was ready. When we moved, we didn’t take the table with us, and I didn’t need tablecloths anymore either. A neighbor took all my tablecloths and sewed them into children’s clothes for the thrift store because the cotton fabrics were so beautifully colorful.

I think tablecloths work well for bags. Especially when they’re made of sturdy fabric, I like to sew fabric bags out of them, like this one :D.



Best regards, Sonja

Hi Sonja, the bag looks amazing. Such great colors and patterns! It’s wonderful that you turned that old tablecloth into something so great.

Best regards, Ina

Sonja, your bag is a real eye-catcher. So beautifully colorful.

I made a wedding gift for my daughter out of an old tablecloth (still in good condition—my grandma had so many because she used to run a restaurant back in the late 1950s). 



All the wedding guests signed it, and then I stitched over the signatures with my sewing machine using a very fine zigzag stitch





A lasting memory. And now, whenever we have a big celebration, we lay out this tablecloth. 

That’s such a great idea!

Wow, Petra, that’s such a brilliant idea and execution! I’m absolutely thrilled. It’s a wonderful keepsake, but also a lot of hard work. It’s great that you’re such a skilled seamstress.

Best regards, Ina

You’ve all created some amazing things out of tablecloths. I especially love Ruth’s wedding idea.

We love tablecloths, and—except in the summer—they’re always on our dining room table. I find that very cozy. In the summer, we also have a colorful tablecloth out in the garden.

What I don’t really like are the old, plain, light-colored tablecloths. For spring and Easter, we have beautiful, colorful ones with little flowers on them.

We always eat with cloth tablecloths, too. Since ironing them isn’t exactly easy, I’ve started using a large (also old) curtain when we have guests. I drape it over my tablecloth. The curtain catches a lot of the spills, is easy to wash, and doesn’t need to be ironed.

  But I have to say, I love vintage glassware (yes, I always wash those by hand), old dishes, old tablecloths, etc.

Like Monika, when it’s just the two of us eating, we also go with the seasons. I just find it beautiful and cozy. 

This also used to be a very thin small tablecloth; now it’s holding our baked Easter cookies. 

Do you have any other ideas on this topic?

Yes, I actually have a new idea in the works right now. 



Flea market find—a bag full of old lace



And then there are lots of old lace tablecloths and table runners (also flea market and street finds. Many people don’t like them anymore and often give them away)



Right now, everything is just pinned together, but I think it’ll turn into a new tablecloth along these lines