Black and White Ticking Tablecloth... Pottery Barn Inspired

 Sometimes when I have a vision of a table that gets stuck in my head, I spend the next six months looking for exactly the right tablecloth. After making these guest towels, I wanted a tablecloth that matched.

Eventually, I just have to make the tablecloth. The tablecloth for this table is absolutely a result of that agony!!!

Tablecloths are typically 54 to 70 inches wide, and I like 120 inch long tablecloth. That size fits my largest table and can creatively be folded under for a shorter table. This fabric was 45 inches wide, so I added 10 inches of the fabric to each side. The seams for the additional fabric falls on either side of the table.

 

See, no seam in the middle.

Next comes the ruffle... Typically any ruffled fabric requires 2 times a much fabric to cover the area. In other words, a 120 inch long tablecloth requires a strip of fabric of 240 inches long. Cut the fabric 5 inches wide and 960 inches long, at 45 inches wide, I would actually cut 960/45 = 22 strips of the fabric. When I purchased the ruffle for the tablecloth, I ordered 3 1/8 yard of fabric.

 

Fold the fabric in half, lengthwise and sew together.

Turn right side out... using this handy dandy tool. It works fabulous and you will never turn fabric again without it. 

 Push through all the fabric

And catch on the end of the fabric tube.

 Pull to turn it inside out.

Press with the seam running down the middle.

Now I have a ruffler foot but it had trouble ruffling this fabric so I started sewing the strip right down the middle and every 1/2 inch tuck the fabric under the foot. 

Exactly what the ruffling foot would do... it did not be perfect because i wanted it to be uneven.

After all the strips are ruffled, I attached the ruffle two inches from the bottom of the tablecloth

and another strip one inch from the other ruffle, tucking the raw edges under as I went along. 

Next ten napkins... cut the fabric 20 inch by 20 inch. 

I am joining Yvonne at her Tutorial Wednesday. She has some really great ideas.