Dollhouse Miniature Table Cloth

 

Watch the video here.

I have something a bit different for a Saturday tutorial today, I thought we could tackle making a table cloth that drapes like a real table cloth. This is a really fun and easy project and I love the results. I have had this tutorial in mind for a very long time but never got around to it. Since I have been a bit under the weather the last couple of weeks I decided this was the perfect time since it is a really easy project.

I know a lot of us have made miniature table cloths in past using something like starch to get the correct drape. I usually have very mixed results with that method. Also in the past I have had issues with some fabric starches turning yellow over time. Or leaving a residue on the top of my tables. Now with the table I use in the demo that wouldn't be terrible but if you have a more valuable table you might want to not take the chance.

Also this method of making a table cloth is meant to be able to be changed out and stored so perfect if you want to add some holiday table decor to your dollhouse (note slight hint of possible future planning....)

For the demo I am just using some plain white fabric but you can certainly use any color or design you wish. I think these would be absolutely adorable in tiny holiday prints. After the holiday just remove the table cloth from the table, flatten it out and store it with all the other holiday items.

I do recommend using a 100% cotton fabric if at all possible, that will work much better since we need to use an iron to put this together.

Other than your fabric of choice you will need a piece of aluminum foil and some paper-backed fusible web, I prefer Heat 'N Bond Ultrahold for this. You can pick whatever brand you wish but do try to use a permanent, ultra bond, one that is meant to hold and not need to be sewn. If you are not familiar with this product it is basically heat activated glue that is joined to a paper backing. Your use the heat from an iron to transfer that glue to your fabric and to glue/bond your two pieces to become one. This stuff can be purchased in packages (like the one I have) or by the yard in a fabric store.

The first step is to decide how big you want your table cloth to be. I looked up the proper sizing of table cloths online and found that most places recommend a drop of 6” to 12” on each side for real life tables. This translates to ½” to 1” in our mini world. This is for standard dining tables, if you want to go very formal you can choose to have the table cloth all the way to the floor if you wish. I like the 1” drop on the table I used in the demo, I tried one with ¾” drop and it just looked a bit too short. I think on a smaller table it would have been fine though.

So since my table top measures 3 ½” by 6” I need to add 2” to each of those dimensions to get an inch on each side. So my finished table cloth needs to be 5 ½” by 8”, the same rules would apply to round or oval tables also.

The first step is to draw the finished table cloth size on the paper side of the Heat 'N Bond, then cut that with a bit of extra all the way around. This way we will have the fusible glue all the way to the edge of the table cloth and it won't need to be hemmed.

Following the directions on your package/piece of fusible web use your iron to apply it to the back of your table cloth fabric. Usually this first step is a very quick iron, then I like to allow it to cool before trimming on the drawn line.

Next carefully remove the backing paper starting in a corner is usually easiest. This will leave a shiny layer of glue on the backside of your fabric.

Now it is time to use the iron again to bond the fabric to the aluminum foil, this is usually a longer press with the iron and I like to do a quick press on the back side also. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then allow to cool completely before you try to trim to size.

Now all that is left is to fold the edges up, I like to do this using one of my quilting rulers then place on the table and form the corners.

 

 

 And here you can see what the same table looks like with the ¾” drop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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