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DIY Oilcloth Table Cover
March 9th, 2009
I seem to be on a mission to ruin our dinning table with all of my craft projects. In order to save our meal companion from further abuse I thought it’d be a good idea to make a work tablecloth. I wanted something that could be cute enough for an informal dinner and durable enough for a kids painting party. It took me about a half a day to make and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Below are step-by-step instructions for the whole project.
Materials Needed
Oil Cloth
Measuring Tape
Scissors
Sewing Machine
Thread
Pencil
Instructions
Step 1: Measure the surface of your table. Determine how much of an over-hang you’d like. I left 5 inches on either side. Measure and cut your oilcloth to the table dimensions plus the overhang for each side. My table, for example, is 35″ x 35″ plus 5″ over-hang on each side so I cut my cloth to 45″ x 45″.
Step 2: To make the scalloped edge I created a template of 3″ scallops on my computer which you can download here. Print the template and trim out with scissors or an x-acto knife. On the the back of the oil cloth mark where the over-hang is on each corner. This will determine where the scallops will begin and end (see the image below). Trace the scallops pattern onto the back of the oil cloth with a pencil along the edge of the cloth. Once the scallops are drawn along each side cut them out with fabric shears.
Step 3: To stiffen up the scallops and minimize curling, stitch along the edge of the cloth about an 1/8″ in. I used a wide zig-zag stitch with a low tension level on my sewing machine so that the stitches were close together. Any decorative stitch would work here.
Step 4: For an accurate fit, place your cloth upside down and centered on your table. At each of the corners grab the extra cloth and pin it vertically and snug to the table edges. Sew shut with a straight stitch.
Step 5: To finish it off, trim the extra fabric from the corners,turn right side out and enjoy!
*If you want your scallops to meet exactly at the edges you may need to adjust the size of the scallops to fit your table. Use this formula to determine the specific scallop width for your table: Divide the length of your table by 3. Round that number up to the nearest whole number. Then take the length of your table and divide it by that whole number. That’s how wide to make your scallops. You can make your own template using your computer’s creative software. Note: If your table is rectangular you’ll have to do that formula for both the long and short side.
March 9th, 2009 at 7:50 am
What a clever and adorable idea! I love it.
March 9th, 2009 at 8:56 am
So cute! I have lots of lovely oilcloth collected from my days working at Cath Kidston in London. This will be worthy cause for a cut up! Thanks for the idea : )
March 9th, 2009 at 9:54 am
I love this. But I have an oval table. Any suggestions for that…short of sawing off the curves.
Thanks.
Lynn
March 9th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Aww, that is so sweet, I love it! Thanks so much for sharing this, I’ll be linking tot this post.
March 9th, 2009 at 11:01 am
what a great project! i love, love, love this!!!
March 9th, 2009 at 11:22 am
i love oil cloth! i have never seen it in anything but the big funky retro type floral and fruit patterns, which i love… but polka dots are fun too!
March 9th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Oooh, this is simply amazing! I love scalloped anything…and for a tablecloth, perfect!
March 9th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Wow – I love this idea – who wouldn’t want to play a shower game when it is this cute?!
March 9th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
I love this idea. It looks great too. I have an extra large table (about 54″ by 72″) and wonder where I can find oil cloth large enough (and cute!) Any suggestions?
March 9th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Looks great!
March 9th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
I have only seen oilcloth come in 45″ wide rolls. I tried to find a source for wider oilcloth and didn’t have any luck. I’d suggest sewing two pieces together and having the seam run down the center. Sorry I can’t be of more help. If anyone knows where to find wider rolls of oilcloth please share!
March 9th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Hi Lynn, I have to admit that I am quite the amateur sewer so you’ve got me stumped on the oval table. It seems like there has to be a way! If I was going to try it out I would probably cut the oval out slightly larger than your table plus an inch for a seam. Then cut a long strip for the over-hang. Cut out the scallops along the bottom edge of the long piece and then sew the two pieces together. Without having tried this I don’t really know if it would work though. :p I’m going to do a little test and I’ll get back to you. Kathleen
March 10th, 2009 at 12:35 am
I love the scalloped border!
March 10th, 2009 at 7:41 am
love this idea. may need to try it.
March 10th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Hiya Nicole – I just measured a piece of my Cath Kidston fabric and it is 60″ wide. You can order from a good selection at cathkidston.co.uk. I’m loving the ‘Breakfast’ print!
March 10th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Practical and adorable! I really love how you stitched down the corners to make it fit perfectly. It’s a slipcover for your table. I’m looking forward to etching out some time to create my own.
March 11th, 2009 at 6:11 am
I love this idea. I did free-hand scallops on fabric once–but your template and stitching on the oil cloth is brilliant. I recently picked up a vinyl table cloth for my craft table and I will definitely follow your instructions.
Thanks for the share~
March 11th, 2009 at 11:29 am
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March 13th, 2009 at 7:36 am
Oilcloth is the best! Thanks for the project.
March 15th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
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March 15th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Beautiful!!! I love that it’s pretty and practical at the same time! I posted a link to your project on Craft Gossip Sewing Blog: http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-prett…for-your-tabletutorial-pretty-oilcloth-cover-for-your-table/2009/03/15/
–Anne
March 16th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Love this. So pretty….I am addicted to tablecovers. This opens up a whole new world for me! Thanks for sharing.
March 17th, 2009 at 4:52 am
This is a great idea! Besides painting, I was trying to think of a cute way to cover a kid’s tabletop. This cover will be great to keep the surface easy to clean. Thank so much for sharing.
March 17th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
I love these red polka dots and the form of the tablecloth! This is funny and fits very well with this more serious black table and its chairs. Good choice, made with talent.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
This is fantastic! I was looking for an outdoor table cloth in lieu of the plast table cloths at the party store for my son’s upcoming 1st birthday.
Thank you!
http://www.itsallabouto.blogspot.com
March 19th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
[...] March 19, 2009 I want to do this. [...]
March 26th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Love the idea! I have a very large round table though! im not crafty at all but will give it a shot. Any suggestions on how to make the tablecloth fitted on a round table?
thanks!!
March 30th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
I love this! My current table cloth is always moving and tearing. By the way, how do I do edges for a round table?? Any suggestions??
March 31st, 2009 at 9:43 am
Thanks for the great idea!
April 16th, 2009 at 12:06 am
this is fab! just the thing i needed for my next craft show!
May 1st, 2009 at 6:45 am
Your covered table is beautiful! Nice job.
I saw some of the questions about what to do for a oval/round table, as well as your “theoretical” answer. Just wanted to let you know, what you described is essentially exactly what I did for a cover a few years ago (here’s a link with a photo: http://madebyk.blogspot.com/2007/07/table-cover.html) except mine didn’t have scalloped edges.
Also, I used vinyl, which was NOT easy to work with. So thick!
Now I got to wondering what it would look like if you did “Step 4″ all along the curved edges – does that make sense? So instead of doing “Step 4″ just 4 times, once at each corner, you’d do it a bunch of times. Perhaps it could even be done every 3″ (or so) and then you could cut the scallops from seam line to seam line. Hmmm, wonder what that would look like? And if it would be easier than what I did…
My red cover is starting to look beat up and I’ve been thinking about making a new one — I think I just found my inspiration for how. Thanks!
May 3rd, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Hi Karin, thank you so much for the insight and the link, your cover turned out so perfect! I have been testing this out on some smaller pieces but still didn’t feel confident giving advice on the best way to do it. What you described does make sense and I think that would probably be the best way to approach it. The thickness of oilcloth makes it a challenge to work with so I think the cuts are necessary. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!
June 5th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Hi,
Great project you’ve done there. My dad has used oilcloth for years on his tables.
We use it on our patio table, but not being as creative as you, we just staple gunned it to the underside of the table! Last years piece was looking a bit faded now, so we just ripped it off and bought a new piece! Looks like a brand new table!
Just wondering if anyone knew of a stockist of larger than 60″ wide oilcloth? We’ve just bought a 63″ round table, and don’t really wanted to have to sew 2 pieces together.
June 30th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
OMG = that is so smart! Cute!!! Love it!! Thanks for sharing!!!
September 19th, 2009 at 3:31 am
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January 12th, 2010 at 11:20 am
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June 11th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
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September 2nd, 2011 at 3:21 pm
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October 25th, 2011 at 6:39 am
Thank you so much for this tutorial, I’ve been trying to puzzle out how to stop the oilcloth being yanked on the floor by my three boys. Amy husband didn’t want me to staple gun it on, so this is PERFECT! Thanks again!
January 3rd, 2012 at 2:02 am
Hi Kathleen,
Thanks for this great post, idea and template. I’ve made this already twice and it never fails to impress my female friends.
I’ve linked your post in my blog.
Happy Crafting!
Jacqueline
January 13th, 2012 at 2:26 am
[...] idea of a fancy edge, I didn’t know how to go about producing one. Thanks to Kathleen whose great blog post I found, I only had to download a template, measure and [...]