‘Gee, Mrs. Cleaver, I love your tablecloth.’ ‘Thank you, Eddie. But you’ll still need to drop that waffle and back away.’ (No, Leave It to Beaver fans, I made that up!) This delightful reversible tablecloth is two-two-two tablecloths in one. The top is created with three fabrics from Barbara Jones’ Simply Sweet collection. The back is a soft egg-yolk yellow with an accent kick of Simply Sweet for the flounces. Each corner comes together like a perfect four-way intersection… without the stop sign, of course. The blend of vintage patterns and colors makes me want a bowl of Maypo or, at the very least, some Ovaltine .

‘Gee, Mrs. Cleaver, I love your tablecloth.’ ‘Thank you, Eddie. But you’ll still need to drop that waffle and back away.’ (No, Leave It to Beaver fans, I made that up!) This delightful reversible tablecloth is two-two-two tablecloths in one. The top is created with three fabrics from Barbara Jones’ Simply Sweet collection. The back is a soft egg-yolk yellow with an accent kick of Simply Sweet for the flounces. Each corner comes together like a perfect four-way intersection… without the stop sign, of course. The blend of vintage patterns and colors makes me want a bowl of Maypo or, at the very least, some Ovaltine .

BIG thanks to our new friend, Barbara Jones, the designer of the beautiful Simply Sweet fabric collection for Henry Glass & Company. She very generously provided all the fabric for our retro kitchen projects, and has it all in-stock and available for order on her site, QuiltSoup. We looked at a lot of fabrics for this series, but Barbara’s designs are the ones that jumped right off the page as the perfect vintage kitchen combo. There are additional colorways and designs within the collection. Check it out.

Sewing Tools You Need

• Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome DC4030)

Fabric and Other Supplies

 

• Fabric for the top center panel: 1 yard of 44-45″ wide fabric: we used Barbara Jones’ Simply Sweet in #5116-8 Floral Diamonds for Henry Glass & Co Fabric
• Fabric for the top drop panels: 2 yards of 44-45″ wide fabric: we used Barbara Jones’ Simply Sweet in #5117-1 Blue Floral Stripe for Henry Glass & Co. Fabric
• Fabric for the top corner flounces: 1½ yards of 44-45″ wide fabric: we used Barbara Jones’ Simply Sweet in #5120-82 Jumbo Pink Dot on Red for Henry Glass & Co. Fabric
• Fabric for the reversible side drop and center panels: 3 yards of 44-45″ wide fabric: we used a medium weight cotton broadcloth in soft yellow
• Fabric for the reversible side corner flounces: 1½ yards of 44-45″ wide fabric: we used Barbara Jones’ Simply Sweet in #5122-8 Tiny Red Dot for Henry Glass & Co. Fabric
• All purpose thread
• See-through ruler
• Fabric pencil
• Iron and ironing board
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Straight pins

Getting Started

1. Download and print our pattern: Tablecloth Flounce
   IMPORTANT : This pattern consists of EIGHT 8.5″ x 11″ sheets. You must print this PDF file at 100%. DO NOT SCALE to fit the page.
2. Butt the pages together and tape to create the full pie-shaped pattern. Do NOT overlap. Cut out the pattern piece along the solid line. You could cut one and re-use (what we did) or re-print four times and cut four flounces.
3. From the fabric for the top corner flounces ( the Simply Sweet Jumbo Dot in our sample) , use the pattern to cut four flounces.
4. From the fabric for the reverse flounces (the Simply Sweet Tiny Dot in our sample) , use the pattern to cut four flounces.
5. It’s most efficient to layout and cut the flounces as shown below.
   
6. From the fabric for the center panel (Simply Sweet Diamonds in our sample) cut one 35″ x 35″ square.
7. From the fabric for the drop panels (Simply Sweet Floral Stripe in our sample) cut four 35″ x 16″ rectangles.
8. From the fabric for the reverse center and drop panels (soft yellow broadcloth in our sample) , cut one 35″ x 35″ square and four 35″ x 16″ rectangles.
9. Set all the reverse-side fabric pieces aside. You will assemble the top first.

At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

1. Collect the four flounce pieces and two of the drop panels. Pin a flounce to each end of each drop panel, right sides together.
   
2. Using a ½” seam allowances, sew the flounces and side panels together to create two three piece units. START the stitching ½” from the point of the flounce. Press seam allowances open.
   
3. When done, the flounces on the two units should be mirror images of one another with the raw edges facing in.
   
4. Collect the two remaining drop panels and the center panel. Pin one drop panel to each side of the center panel, right sides together.
   
5. Using a ½” seam allowances, sew the panels together to create the center three-piece unit. START and STOP both lines of stitching ½” from the edge. Press seam allowances open.
6. You now have three, three-piece units ready to assemble: two sides and one center.
   
7. To sew the sides to the center, start by lifting up all your seam allowances to find your start and stop points.
   
8. Place a pin at each of these points, you will use these pins to match up your seams.
   
9. Using these pins as your guide, pin the center section of side unit to the center section of the center unit, corner to corner, right sides together.
   NOTE: I know, that’s a lot of centers. What you need to remember is that you are creating a neat inset corner where all your pieces come together. It’s important to go step-by-step, section-by-section. The first step is to seam the drop panel to the center panel.
10. Using a ½” seam allowance, stitch from corner to corner – in other words, from the first pin point to the opposite corner pin point.
11. Match the remaining raw edge of the flounce to the remaining raw edge of the drop panel. Pin right sides together, again matching your ‘guide pins’ at the inside .
12. Using a ½” seam allowance, stitch from the bottom edge into the corner, matching your seam line as you come into the corner.
    
13. Press all seams open. They should all come together in a beautifully-inset corner.
    
14. Repeat steps 11-12 to stitch the opposite flounce to the opposite drop panel.
15. Repeat ALL steps (7-12) to attach the remaining side unit to the center unit.
16. Then… repeat EVERYTHING to create the reverse side of the tablecloth.
17. When both sides are complete, place the two tablecloths right sides together, carefully matching all your seams. Pin in place.
18. Stitch around the entire outside edge, using a ½” seam allowance. Leave a 5″ opening along one of the side panels.
19. Turn the tablecloth right side out through the 5″ opening and press.
20. Topstitch around the entire outside edge of the tablecloth, using the edge of the presser foot as a guide to stitch approximately ¼” from the edge. The topstitching will close the opening used to turn the tablecloth.

NOTE: Your finished reversible tablecloth needs no additional topstitching other than the bottom hem. The combined weight of the fabric and the large size of the panels allow the tablecloth to lie nice and flat on both sides.

Project Design: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation and Instructional Outline: Michele Mishler

Other machines suitable for this project include the Kenmore 18221 and the Bernina activa 240.