Monday, February 9, 2009

The Best of the Tablecloth Dresses

(image: Flickr)

I couldn't help but notice the cutest little girls' dress on SugarcityLynn's Sugar City Journal, which got me thinking about the topic of tablecloth dresses. How many pictures of them must be uploaded onto the Internet. So I naturally Googled the words "tablecloth dress" to see what I could find. In my quest, I found the tablecloth-turned-dress is the topic of a play: "My Life in a Tablecloth Dress." I was disappointed to find there are no reality shows on this peculiar garment and picture books for six-year-olds either. Really. What little girl doesn't want to read about the misadventures of one of her peers in a dress made from a piece of fabric that usually covers a table? I would. You know only spilled Coke, lots of ants and giggles would ensue! Oh, and perhaps a bee sting, if only for some picturesque drama!

Back to my mission. Besides the above-mentioned play, I got lots of other hits on Google. I firmly ignored ready-to-wear (so no Betsey Johnson), just one-of-kinds. Most of what bubbled to the top was....sigh...for little girls. Here's one from Flickr, another adorable jumper, and a whole slew of dresses from tableclothes on Etsy: A Waverly fabric version, and Turquoise Daisies. Still I was delighted to find some for Girls Who Happen to Have Longer Legs and Slightly Older Hearts: the Slapdash Sewist's and An Embroidered One. I love this one, minus the cleavage.

I understand the yardage from a tablecloth is limited and works best for toddler's clothing, but there are cute and stylish possibilities out there especially if you're willing to cobble together several vintage tableclothes. The outcome doesn't have to look like Dorothy arrived from Kansas either. Technically, I'm not sure how to do it, although I know I've got a torn tablecloth in my linen closet. If I didn't already have an outstanding stash collection, I'd work that cover like a Project Runway business. There you have it, I'm just saying, not doing anything because I just did a whole afternoon's worth of stitching yesterday afternoon (a bathing, a mock-up for my hat class, and hemming a dress, pictures still to come), and I cannot start anything right now.

Would you sew an adult-sized dress made from a table linen?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would - for sure! One way it could be done is to do a quilt inspired look like the dresses from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Or, use the tablecloth to do a matching hat, purse & belt, since the yardage is limited.

Auset's Stitched Treasures said...

I would definitely sew a dress from a tablecloth. A friend of mine gave me a tablecloth and napkin set from Pakistan. Of course a dress is the first thing I thought of. And I'll probably use the napkins as a border on a pair of trousers.
Angela

Primatoide futile said...

Yes, certainly: my to-do list already extends to the moon and back, but I will have to try this kind of dress out, and probably sooner than later (reshuffling a to-sew list is a much needed activity, but right now it got to the point where I cannot decide what to attack next, so I don't start anything).