Rusted Gingham: From Table to Top!

Back in April when I had the fun time of setting up a booth at Miss Marnie's Coughran Market Days I was eying a tablecloth she had. Actually- she had it on! Yes- Literally and Really- she was wearing a vintage tablecloth! I asked if she had made it and she laughed and said- 'Oh no- I bought it in Round Top'!

So- next time I was out and about...junking, garage sale shopping with my friend Amy Boland I found a vintage tablecloth that I liked a-lot!!! It had my favorite colors and was in good shape- and cost $3!!! I was super happy!

It was great that this cloth was in a square as it made it much easier for me to figure out how to cut it to make it fit..... Right down the middle! I did waft over which way the top should go- white at top and red at bottom or vice versa? Once I knew that it was time to make a simple casing for my top.

After that super simple stitch was complete I pinned my elastic and ran it through the tunnel.

When it got to the back I stitched the two pieces of elastic together. Then I stitched my back seam where the tablecloth met. I contemplated making that seam on the side- but based on how the pattern of the cloth ran it worked best to put it in the back.

After that I stitched some dark red ribbon to lengths of elastic that fit over my shoulders with some 'give'. As I did this stitching I was stretching the elastic so that it would have a 'ruffled' look. Sorry I didn't take a pic of this shot---- you can see it in finished product!

Here I am smiling in the completed Table to Top! I was super happy with this as my niece would say 'easy peasy' project! I wore it to my daughter's recent rodeo and had a friend want a shirt just like it- 'Great' I told her- I have the other half!

It's hard to see --- but there are some earrings dangling from my ears that I thought really 'topped' off this ensemble... They are old soda tops from a SQUEEZE Imitation Cherry Soda bottle. I just Know at some point in it's other life- this tablecloth had an ice cold bottle of this stuff sitting on it! I purchased the tops after digging through a box to find a match in Warrenton a few years back- found the smallest bit on Cattleman's drill bit- and made me some dangly earrings!