How to Make a Round Tablecloth
One of the smartest pieces of furniture you can add to any room in a skirted table. The reason why is that they add pretty to a room, but also can hide your clutter underneath. I have always had a one in my studioffice, but recently updated it by making a pink and white round tablecloth for it.
I made a round tablecloth to cover my sewing machine table in my studioffice. It used to be covered in a plain ole beige tablecloth. It worked just fine for many years, but it was time to banish the beige and think Pink!
If you are an old movie lover you may remember that line from the Audrey Hepburn movie Funny Face. The beige didn’t add much interest or style to the room, but the new pink and white tablecloth does though… Pink and white cowhide!
I have been searching for a long time to find just the right fabric to make a new cover. I wanted something pink, fun, and that would drape nicely over the table.
When I was searching online for fabrics recently and spotted this, I knew it was “the one” right away. It was a little pricey, but since I LOVED it and knew I would use it for a long time, I went for it. I am so glad I did. It adds just that right amount of style and energy to the room.
It is upholstery fabric called Udder Madness Cow Upholstery. It also comes in a variety of different colors.
I didn’t have to hem the tablecloth since the fabric is an upholstery weight where the edges won’t unravel. I did have to sew seams to piece the cloth together though.
- Seams were required since when you make a round tablecloth, you need to create a large square of fabric in which to cut the round shape/circle out.
- Decorator fabric is 54″ wide. To make the square, you need to seam two or more pieces of fabric together to get the fabric wide enough to cover the table and drape to the floor. I will explain how to do this in more detail further down in the post.
I like to cover my sewing machine cabinet for three reasons:
- To create hidden storage underneath.
- Add softness to the room. Since most of the furniture in the room has legs or is made of wood, having something covered in fabric adds interest to the room and breaks up all the wood and legs.
- Adding round shapes to a room are soothing and good Feng Shui.
I place a table round on top of the cabinet to create the look of a round table.
Once I decided to place the tablecloth over the round table top, I had a piece of glass made to the same size as the round table top to keep dust off the cover.
When I need to use my sewing machine, I simply take the glass, cloth, and round table top off in one fell swoop and lean them against the bookshelf. Once I finish sewing, they all get placed back over the sewing machine cabinet. Very easy – nothing too complex.
How to Make a Round Tablecloth
supplies needed:
- Fabric
- Thread
- Measuring tape and or string
- Scissors
- Straight pins
- Chalk or pencil
- Push pin or tack
Helpful Tips When Making a Round Tablecloth
- If using a cotton fabric, pre-shrink fabric before sewing.
- You may need more fabric if you need to match a pattern. Since my fabric was an overall pattern, I didn’t need to do this.
- Don’t forget to add yardage for seams and hems when measuring and cutting.
Determine the amount of fabric needed:
MEASURE:
- Measure each side and top of your table and add all the dimensions together (example above: 30″ + 30″ + 30″ is equal to 90″ round)
- Add in extra for seams and hem: 90″ + Hem + Seams = Diameter of circle
FIGURE YARDAGE:
- Divide the diameter by the width of the fabric you have chosen to determine the number of lengths of fabric you will need to sew together to achieve the desired width. Multiply the number of lengths needed x diameter to find the total number of inches of fabric needed. (divide this by 36 to convert to yards.)
Here is a little cheat sheet:
Once you determine your table size and fabric yardage needed, you will need to cut the fabric as shown above so that you can use these cut pieces to make a large square of fabric that you can then seam together to make your tablecloth.
I needed 5 yards of fabric to make a tablecloth that would be 90″ round in diameter.
- #1 in the diagram above is: 54″ wide and 92″ long. (2″ extra for seam allowance.)
- Fabric pieces #2 + #3 are: 27″ wide and 92″ long. Pieces # 2 + #3 will be sewn to the sides of #1 to create one wide piece of fabric.
Here is a diagram to give you a visual on how you will seam a round tablecloth. You want to create two seams on the tablecloth so that once it is placed over a round table they will fall on the sides of the table. This way you won’t have one seam running down the center top of your cloth.
I moved the furniture from the center of my family room to give me a large space to lay out my fabric so that I could easily pin my cut pieces of fabric together. Pin the side pieces right sides together to the center piece of fabric.
This is what it will look like when both side pieces are pinned right side together to the center piece of fabric.
Sew the seams on a machine.
How to Cut Out Fabric to Get a Perfectly Round Shape
- Fold the fabric in half so the seams run horizontally.
- Tack a tape measure or string to the center of the fold in the middle of your fabric.
- Swing the tape measure/string like a compass using pencil or chalk to mark the diameter.
- Pin along your drawn line and cut both through both layers at the same time.
My cut out round tablecloth. See the scraps that used to form the square on the bottom right of the photo? There are some pretty big pieces that I will use for another project someday.
Unfold the fabric to reveal a round tablecloth.
How to Hem a Round Tablecloth
I didn’t need to hem my round cloth since the edge on my fabric won’t fray, but if you are using a lighter weight fabric you will need to add a sewn or fused hem.
- Press the seams open to flatten the seams on the cloth.
- Then press the fabric around the bottom edge of the tablecloth 1″ under and then fold over again and press. This creates a finished edge. You may need to pleat the fabric a few times as you work your way around the hem since it is not a straight edge.
- Use Iron-On Fuse to hem the cloth or pin the folds and sew the hem on your machine. Remove the pins and then press the cloth.
I am loving the infusion of pink and white in the room and want to add more of it. I found the pink magazine files on the bookshelves at IKEA. I think I may have to go back and get a few more.
More Home Decorating With Fabric Ideas
- How to Make a Round Tablecloth for a Thanksgiving Table
- One Yard, No Sew Window Treatment –3 Ways
- How To Make a Window Treatment Using a Tablecloth