topic Re: Retro tablecloths in Home

Retro tablecloths

151949 — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 13:26:13 GMT

I have a few retro tablecloths that I inherited from my MIL. They are too small for our table and our table is octagon shaped and they are square so I use them as toppers. Anyway, I was reading that retro tablecloths are a new trend. Anyone heard this? I love them - we don't eat on them - they are in the dining room and for show only. They are 100% cotton so they have to be starched and ironed. Mine seem to all be from the 50's era.

Re: Retro tablecloths

ChynnaBlue — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 13:38:39 GMT

I don't use tablecloths.

Re: Retro tablecloths

luv-the-Q — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 13:39:31 GMT

I have a collection of 50's and 60's tablecloths and I would love to see your collection. I love them and I use mine all of the time. Yes, they are a big trend now, but I've been collecting them for about 30 years or more from junk stores, estate sales and relatives. They used to be very cheap, but now they are pricey. I blame it all on Mad Men. 😕

Re: Retro tablecloths

151949 — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 13:47:28 GMT

@luv-the-Q Having to wash & iron them I have worn some out, but still have a few left. Like you I have been using them for years & years. I love to look for them at antique stores and on e bay. Now they are trendy you can find them on sites on the web. I agree though that they have gotten pricey.

Re: Retro tablecloths

Gram W — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 13:48:17 GMT

I enjoy using table cloths. They protect the wood, look nice and are an easy way to change the look of the room. I also use my old ones for toppers. My mother and her mother chroched. I still have a few of their hand made treasurers. I also have quilts made by my mother and my dad's mother. All of these things have a treasured place in my home. For those of us who have been around awhile " everything old is new again". We know most good styles never go away they just take a rest whether it is fashion or home deco.

Re: Retro tablecloths

151949 — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 13:55:12 GMT

@Gram W We are fortunate to have inherited some of these things. I think my DH likes when he sees things in our home that were around when he was growing up. It touches his heart. Occasionally I will see him just looking at something that was his Moms or he'll just put his hand on something - he says it is almost like being able to reach out to her.

Re: Retro tablecloths

Jacie — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 14:01:08 GMT

I have a collection of wonderful cotton cloths from a great Aunt who saved everything.

When I got them, some had never been used. They had those great prints that you often see in oilcloth tablecloths. Mostly from the 40's.

I use them! We live on a lake and often eat al fresco! I love the bright vintage against deck furniture!

Re: Retro tablecloths

millieshops — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 14:08:07 GMT

I gave 3 vintage cloths to the daughter of a friend when I sold my house a few years back. No place to use them and not expecting to have a suitable table again. I kept just one, the smallestone

Then just a few months ago I gave a huge, very old linen table cloth to two sister friends who are both crafty sewers. I have finally decided I just have to let go of more things so I can actually be more comfortable in my apartment.

I know I did the right thing for me. I hadn't thought about either "gift" for a very long time. I'm glad I have a few items to remind me of people and places and events in my past. I just can't give space to everything even when I like what I'm offering to others.

Re: Retro tablecloths

JeanLouiseFinch — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 14:16:13 GMT

I like a lace tablecloth, with a few tabletop decorations, on my dining room table when we're not eating there. When we do eat there, all of that comes off and a different tablecloth goes on, either a color that will coordinate to the decor or a seasonal one, it just depends.

In the kitchen, I accidentally set my turkey roaster on the table last year without protection underneath and made a pretty good size burn on the table. I eventually want to paint the table and all the chairs, but haven't gotten around to it yet. In the meantime, I've been using assorted tablecloths but none have been handed down. All of those linens went to other family members.

Re: Retro tablecloths

151949 — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 14:10:27 GMT

Last summer we went to the Smuckers outlet store in Orville, Ohio and I bought a vintage print oilcloth apron. I keep it here at camp and wear it often. It gets a great many compliments, and a lot of attention.

Re: Retro tablecloths

151949 — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 14:15:43 GMT

@JeanLouiseFinch One of DH's relatives gave me a lace tablecloth that was in the white house during the Eisenhower administration. Apparently Jackie Kennedy sold a lot of things she thought were out of style when she was in the WH and this person bought it at an auction. It is beautiful and perfectly fits my table, but I don't use it all the time as I have so many I rotate around. I care for it very very gently.

Re: Retro tablecloths

JeanLouiseFinch — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 14:18:48 GMT

@151949 wrote:
@JeanLouiseFinch One of DH's relatives gave me a lace tablecloth that was in the white house during the Eisenhower administration. Apparently Jackie Kennedy sold a lot of things she thought were out of style when she was in the WH and this person bought it at an auction. It is beautiful and perfectly fits my table, but I don't use it all the time as I have so many I rotate around. I care for it very very gently.

Wow, @151949, what a gift and a treasure indeed!

Re: Retro tablecloths

house_cat — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 14:27:00 GMT

i have always loved them. I have a few that I purchased from "antique" stores over the years, when they used to be a bargain. I regulary peruse Ebay to see what's available and I did notice they have gotten pricier. My table is a little too big for most of them, but I have used them as toppers. I also made kitchen curtains from a couple of them, though they don't work in my current house. I also have a couple that will eventually become cushion covers for my patio chairs... if I ever get around to it. I realize that as I age I am becoming more and more nostalgic and none of the newer styles seem to appeal to me.

Re: Retro tablecloths

maestra — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 14:28:48 GMT

I have many of these same retro tablecloths and coverings, also from my MIL, and her mother. They are lovely and I use mine for seasonal decor also.

Re: Retro tablecloths

151949 — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 14:29:28 GMT

@house_cat Yes, I agree, iot's all about nostalgia.

Re: Retro tablecloths

athenian — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 14:29:29 GMT

Love tablecloths, and use a lot of vintage damask for every day. I hang to dry and don't iron, and tell myself it is the shabby chic look. Linen will last for generations. I keep one ironed for formal occasions.😀

Re: Retro tablecloths

CelticCrafter — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 14:37:18 GMT

I have one my grandmother cross stitched (stamped) for me 40 years ago tucked away in the closet.

It's white with red X's and it has stains on it that I don't know if I would ever be able to get out. I don't want to use bleach on it and fade the stitching.

Re: Retro tablecloths

151949 — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 15:03:47 GMT

My table is 44" across and octagon shaped so a standard round tablecloth fits it perfectly and almost all card table cloths from the 40's - 50's and 60's will fit as a topper. I have a few nice round poly tablecloths I put under the vintage cloths then use the small ones as toppers. I don't know what ever possesed me to want an octagon shaped table - I guess at the time I liked it, but I had a true dining room then. Now I have the table in a corner of the LR and wish I had a square table as it would fit into that space better.

Re: Retro tablecloths

JeanLouiseFinch — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 15:10:10 GMT

@CelticCrafter wrote:
I have one my grandmother cross stitched (stamped) for me 40 years ago tucked away in the closet.

It's white with red X's and it has stains on it that I don't know if I would ever be able to get out. I don't want to use bleach on it and fade the stitching.

@CelticCrafter There's a product called Restoration Fabric Restorer that's supposed to remove stains on vintage linens, but is safe for colors.

Re: Retro tablecloths

CelticCrafter — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 15:12:02 GMT

@JeanLouiseFinch wrote:
@CelticCrafter wrote:
I have one my grandmother cross stitched (stamped) for me 40 years ago tucked away in the closet.

It's white with red X's and it has stains on it that I don't know if I would ever be able to get out. I don't want to use bleach on it and fade the stitching.

@CelticCrafter There's a product called Restoration Fabric Restorer that's supposed to remove stains on vintage linens, but is safe for colors.

Thanks @JeanLouiseFinch - I know I have seen it in quilting and needlecraft catalogs, just don't remember which one it was and couldn't remember the name of it!