Vintage Tablecloth-Skirt

Back in June, my mother took me to an antique fair and craft show, and we each came home with some vintage tablecloths. Two of mine I have used for pretty tablecloths, one for a pretty picnic blanket, and one has been sitting waiting for me to turn it into a skirt! While at the event a couple months ago, I saw some really fun skirts with handkerchief hemlines that were tagged at $52 apiece (and the tablecloths were only $10-15 apiece), and really wanted one! So I dedicated one cloth to the idea, and yesterday I finally did it.

My sweet and capable mother did all the figuring-out-of-things, and I just followed along. 🙂 It really was quite simple! And, like I said, my mother is very capable at figuring things out. She even had a small zipper and bias tape in her stash of craft goodies, so it involved nothing more than supplies we already had and time we could spare anyway.

What we started with:

Sewing:

Ironing:

Modeling:

10 Replies to “Vintage Tablecloth-Skirt”

  1. Very cute and aren’t mothers great? *smiles*
    I love the idea of turning tableclothes into skirts!

  2. Cute! Your mom is like mine… always ready to encourage me in a craft project (which she is always ready to do the bulk of if it’s over my head) and so handy with ideas and little needed items.
    The picture of you sewing (smiling) with Gabriel watching (patiently, hands folded) is priceless. ::love::

  3. I love it! Now I will be on the lookout for a vintage tablecloth! ;o)
    Is the skirt double layered?
    (Just trying to figure the logistics out…)

  4. Yes, using a tablecloth is excellent because there is no hemming involved! Cuts out an entire step, and the handkerchief hem just happens on its own. 🙂
    No, it isn’t double layered, although I thought about making a contrasting layer for underneath to give a layered/petticoat type look (doubt I’ll actually get around to it though!).
    I am not sure the dimensions of the tablecloth… but it was a square. We folded it in half, pinned some things, basically cut it into a trapezoid (two trapezoids, actually, but folded at the top), sewed the side seams, cut the top/fold of the trapezoid (for my waist to sit in), stuck in the side-zipper, and added bias tape around the waist. That’s really it. I think the angles of the trapezoid and the size of the waist measurement are the only tricky parts. It took a couple of tries to get the skirt to sit where I wanted it to, and it’s still a little on the low side actually: but better too big than too small at this point in life! 😉

  5. This is beautiful, Melissa! I am not a sewer, but this makes me want to try again. And I love the photos of Gabriel sitting right next to you.

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