When we moved from Massachusetts to California, we traded our 1/2-acre yard (which bordered who knows how much conservation land) in for this little patio – and we were incredibly lucky to get that! I have struggled a little bit with ways to make it look more cheerful without incurring the wrath of our homeowner’s association (we can’t, for example, attach anything to the fence or change the way the fence looks). When BurlapFabric.com offered me the chance to try out some of their burlap products, I saw this beautiful Bahama Turquoise colored burlap and knew of one easy way to make a big difference! The bright blue instantly cheers up the space, and it invites our entire family to sit at the table to chat.
Burlap Tablecloth Tutorial
Making the tablecloth was easy. I started with three yards of material, and left the selvage untouched for the long sides of the tablecloth. You can see the selvage in the lower right corner of the photo above – it has a nice raw-looking edge that will not come undone. I used my beloved Clover Wonder clips (affiliate link) to hold the rolled hem in place as I stitched down the row. I could have/should have pressed it first, but burlap for me is all about embracing the rustic side of the coarse strands that make up this fabric.
The concrete and brown walls surrounding our little patio suddenly look magical next to the blue tablecloth, especially with the sunshine dappling through tree leaves. It’s amazing what a splash of color can do for a space!
If you decide to try this project on your own, be aware that burlap is a hand wash material – so you have to be okay with that. We will probably mainly use ours as a table covering, and then eat at it for special occasions (including days that just need that burst of color).
Do you have any fun DIY projects in the works? How have you used color to cheer up part of your home?
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
LOVE that blue! I love tablecloths. I frequently buy fabric and make tablecloths out of it. This is lovely!
I love the vibrant color! Reminds me of Spring!!
I made bags for the kiddos when we went to Disney World this time.
Ooh neat! I hope you blog about them!
That material looks too nice to be burlap! And your are right it really cheers up the space.
I did get my kids a bright red bookcase for Christmas :-)
What a cheerful way to store books!
What a happy burst of colour! It might work to put a piece of plastic over it if you wanted to keep it out more often, but you would lose some of the happy rustic effect.
Maybe we could just put a plastic cover over it for eating – thanks for the idea!