drop cloth tablecloth

They say necessity is the mother of invention. And I have a rockin’ drop cloth tablecloth to prove it. A few weeks ago, I hosted an informal alfresco dinner. My cozy courtyard was the perfect sitting for an intimate evening with friends, and I had all the essentials – good food, great wine, a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and whimsical dotted napkins. With one exception. I didn’t have a suitable table covering.

Out came an unused drop cloth I had stored in my basement. Four feet wide by 12 feet long, and I bought it for less than $15. Sure beats a $100 tablecloth from Sur la Table.

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supplies needed

4′ x 12′ canvas drop cloth
Frogtape
Pen
Fabric paint & brushes
measuring tape

step 1 – shorten the drop cloth length

Easy enough. The width was perfect, so I just cut off the extra yardage from the end and machine-hemmed the raw edge.

step 2 – create diamond stencils

First I placed pieces of cardboard on top of my patio table to protect it from paint seeping through. Next, to create random diamond shapes on top of the cloth, I cut pieces of Frogtape approximately 18″ long. Using a measuring tape and pen, I marked the center of the piece of tape.

After placing the first piece of tape down, use two more pieces (also 18″ long with centers marked) to create an “X” across the center of the first piece, as shown below. Using six shorter pieces of tape, seal off the outside segments of the diamond.

step 3 – apply paint

With fabric paint and foam brushes, apply paint to each diamond segment. I used a sherbet color palette. Raspberry pink, creamsicle orange, and pastel mint. Once dry, I removed the tape, uncovering the whimsical diamonds.

step 4 – add flowers

This is always my favorite part of creating lovely tablescapes. Flower arranging. And sometimes supermarket flowers are the best.

One last piece of advice. Be creative when entertaining. Use what you have at home – even a drop cloth as a table covering. But never, ever cut corners with the wine. And may I suggest a French one?