Table Linens: The Topic

[SLB]

42 minutes ago, TdeV said:

@SLB, was the tablecloth handmade or machine made?

My guess is machine-made; the pattern of the holes is so consistent and orderly.  There's no label; how would I be able to tell??  

[MaryIsobel]

My husbands's mother had a huge tablecloth that her mother had crocheted. It was brought out for special occaisions for my husband's family of 10.(two parents and 8 kids) At about age 5 my husband took scissors to it - little brat that he was. He recalls being sent to his room by his teary-eyed mother. To this day, he remembers the shame he felt. Not for destroying the tablecloth, but for making his mother cry. This was over 60 years ago. I still tease him when I put a tablecloth on our dining room table and say "please don't cut this!'

[blue_dolphin]

Thanks for sharing that photo, @SLB. My mom had one with that vibe. I loved seeing the pattern stand out against the different solid color tablecloths used for each season. Crimson or deep green for Christmas, pink or mint green in spring and gold or brown in the fall. Sweet memories!

[liuzhou]

I never use the things. I don't see the point. They're just another thing to wash later. Anyway, I like the the look of wood.

 

 

[SLB]

11 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I never use the things. I don't see the point. They're just another thing to wash later. Anyway, I like the the look of wood.

 

 

I love the look of wood, too.  What I don't love is the look of aged, crazed, discolored "book-matched veneer", which is what I'm working with. 

 

Trust me, I'd replace this table with a lovely long rectangle of wood if it made any money sense at all.

 

[Also -- thanks to whomever -- my guess is Smithy -- got these posts seated in the appropriate forum.  I searched and searched, I can't believe I somehow missed "The Topic" ?!  Anyway, now it's straight]

Edited December 3 by SLB
Forgot something that won't make sense later. (log)

[FauxPas]

On 12/1/2025 at 12:04 PM, SLB said:

I have no memory of it having stains during my mother's custody, but when I pulled it out yesterday, it featured several large yellowed areas.  

 

On 12/1/2025 at 8:55 PM, Smithy said:

I don't think it's quite as old as the one you describe, but it also has yellowing that I don't remember. I'm not sure what to do about it. I know my mother tried to bleach the yellow out of some ancient piece of table covering and just made it worse.

 

There are products designed for this like Retro Clean (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) and  Vintage Fabric Stain Remover. Some people have recommended Retro Clean for vintage quilts, I'm sure it would work on other textiles. I used a product to clean up an old quilt or two but I can't remember what I used now and don't have it around anymore. I do remember it seemed to work well. 

[Shelby]

I have quite a few tablecloths passed down from my Grammy.  I'll have to ask my mom but I'm sure some are from my great grandmother.  Quite a few are what I'd call vintage 50's patterns.  Some beautiful lace ones like @SLB's.  I'll have to dig around and see what I have.  I like tablecloths, I just rarely use them because I'm messy lol.

[lemniscate]

I was asked to source a tablecloth for Christmas decor.   I dislike the twee looking cheap Christmas designs I have been finding online.   I found that Marimekko did some vivid interesting designs for Crate and Barrel a few years back and got some luck and found them on eBay.  Not your average Holiday prints.   I got a red one and a green one.   They haven't been setup yet but I think they are going to look very nice for a Christmas table.   Marimekko prints are something you either like or you don't.

 

 

[Shelby]

I went through some drawers in the dining room and pulled out a few things:

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of lace tablecloths and a billion lace?  Crocheted?  Things in all shapes and sizes like this:

 

 

 

[FauxPas]

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

Lots of lace tablecloths and a billion lace?  Crocheted?  Things in all shapes and sizes like this:

 

 

Doilies!  🙂

 

https://pieceworkmagazine.com/push-pull-doily/

 

[Smithy]

That's vintage stuff, @Shelby!

[SLB]

On 12/11/2025 at 11:20 AM, lemniscate said:

Marimekko prints are something you either like or you don't.

Me, I like.  And these gems you've got don't seem like the more challenging Marimekko, you know?  These seem like they will be downright subtle under a set table.  

 

And @Shelby, your Grammy's stuff is beautiful!  I *love* the flower prints, and I confess that I would probably steal the plaid one if you ever let me in your house.  Are they cotton or linen??

 

I've got a bunch of doily-thingies, and rectangular textiles in similar knit/crochet; I literally just put them in the donate pile because, while I wasn't prepared to discard them when my mom passed; I'm now prepared to own the fact that I can't even imagine putting out anything like that, anywhere.  

Edited 12 hours ago by SLB (log)

[Maison Rustique]

I wish I still had a bunch of doilies (and/or old hankies), but I got rid of most many years ago. I'd like to use them to stitch together to use as curtains or a table runner.

[Darienne]

41 minutes ago, Maison Rustique said:

I wish I still had a bunch of doilies (and/or old hankies), but I got rid of most many years ago. I'd like to use them to stitch together to use as curtains or a table runner.

And it all comes around, doesn't it?  Our parents' belonging that we discarded along the way...and now we wish we had kept them.