Wow. This was an excellent tutorial. Clear, precise, step by step and not patronising. I'm going to see if you have done one on altering curtains. Thank you. X
I love that your nails match the table cloth! I am curious about when you said to finish the joined fabric panels with a zig zag stitch. can you explain how you do that? thanks!
Thanks! You can use several methods to finish the raw edges of the seam where the fabric is joined so the fabric doesn't fray. If you have a serger, that's the fastest and best option. If not, you can use a zigzag or overlock stitch along the edges to prevent it from fraying. Use a zigzag stitch that's wide but with a fairly short length and sew along the edge so the needle goes off or nearly off the edge to encase it. You can do this before or after sewing the fabric together but it's a bit easier to do it before.
How do you cut the fabric in a STRAIGHT line? It looks as though the seamstress is just eye-balling it. If >I< did that, my finished tablecloth would NOT be a rectangle.
With burlap its easy because you can follow the threads along the whole edge! It depends on the material you are working with! Sometimes you need to mark out with a pencil or chalk to make sure your lines are straight.
If I would want to make an oval tablecloth,how would I measure it? Also if I cant find the size of fabric I need for my tablecloth how do I solve this problem?
Check out our article on how to measure a tablecloth! www.onlinefabricstore.net/makersmill/measuring-yardage-for-a-tablecloth/ We sell fabrics that are up to 104" wide so you should be able to find the width you need! If not, follow the instruction in the video when we make side panels to get the width we needed!
In the video we used the selvage edges where the fabric is joined so it won't fray, but if that won't work for you, you can use a serger or a zig zag stitch on the sewing machine to finish the edges. Or you could use a different type of seam, like a flat felled seam.
