Do you find that fabric tablecloths sometimes:

• take up a lot of storage room
• become easily stained
• have to be ironed again & again
• don’t always match, in color, size or theme

Me too!

So, I came up with an idea for an easier, inexpensive (once-in-a-while) solution that — afterwards — can also be reused as a:

• protective cover (for tables, floor, etc.) or poncho (for kids) during messy arts & crafts
• dust cover for something in your garage or storage unit
• gift wrap/disguise for an odd-shaped present by closing it up with a ribbon

And once it’s finally time to dispose of it, they can be recycled

alongside plastic shopping bags because they are usually made of HDPE (resin code 2).

I love fabric tablecloths, but when this idea popped into my head, I just had to try making it.

MY INSPIRATION…. that old Fall staple… CANDY CORN!

So, here’s the D.I.Y. details AND my ideas for 3 creative ways to use it! 🙂

INSTRUCTIONS:

First, find round table covers (in stores or on-line) close to the size of your own round table.

SHOPPING HINT: plastic OR paper table covers will work fine for this project.

Luckily, my local party store’s 84″ round, plastic table covers were a (close-enough) match to my own 85″ round table (yaaaaay!)

HELPFUL HINT –  To determine the “round” measurement of your table(s) before shopping…  measure the diameter of tabletop as well as the “drop” (the length from the table top to the floor).  Double the “drop” measurement & add that number to the tabletop diameter measurement.  Use this “total” measurement as a guide when shopping for round table covers.

The easiest (no-sew) way to mimic the look of CANDY CORN is to create a tiered tablecloth,

using 3 different colors (yellow, orange & white) of round table covers.

COST:  only $9

HELPFUL HINT:  Even though the table covers were inexpensive… before I trimmed 2 of them, to create a tiered look,

I made a mini pattern (on scrap paper) first.

Mini patterns are the perfect tool for “testing” a design theory prior to cutting the real thing! LOL

The success of my mini pattern gave me the confidence to move forward with my idea.

Before determining how much to cut, I placed all 3 table covers on the table, in the order they appear on a piece of candy corn.

Doing this provided me with the opportunity to visually estimate how much of each color should show ~ to mimic a candy corn.

I decided that the color pattern should show 20% of the yellow, 50% of the orange and 30% of the white.

After I adjusted the table covers in this formation, I used a ruler to measure how much should be

removed/cut-off the bottom of the 2 top (orange & white) table covers.

Then, I removed the top 2 table covers, folded the round ORANGE tablecloth into a cone, marked & trimmed off 7″.

I repeated the process with the round WHITE tablecloth, but trimming off 20″ instead.

I placed the yellow, then orange and finally, white table covers on my table (matte side facing up) and

VIOLA’… had a Candy Corn Tablecloth!!

And as promised, here are 3 ways to use it!

A Halloween Candy Table!

      

A Decorated Dessert Table for Thanksgiving

    

As the table for an Enchanted Witches’ Tea Party

where they Tell Spooky Secrets…

    

Cast Magical Spells…

Enjoy Yummy Halloween Cupcakes…

and have an Apple Cider Toast to a Bewitching Halloween!

MORE IDEAS! 

This tiered table cover would look great in ANY color combination.  Consider:

• Red, White & Blue for a Patriotic version
• Red, White & Green for Christmas
• School or Pro Sports Team Colors
• Pastels for Easter & Spring

And here’s a cute video of the process for you to enjoy and please share. 🙂

Enjoy the Creativity!