How to Decorate Tables With Bed Sheets

The basis of those spectacular table settings you see in home dcor magazines is almost always a solid color tablecloth. Table linens can be extremely expensive, however, and the cost can add up once place mats, chargers, dishes, napkins, flatware, and other items are added to the tabletop. Using a bed sheet in place of fine linen will give the same appearance for a fraction of the cost. Sheets you need will vary in size according to the width and length of your table. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Invest in four solid-color bed sheets: a golden yellow shade, grass green, a medium shade of blue, and fire engine red. With these colors, and a little imagination, you will be able to create the backdrop for a variety of holidays and special occasions. Choose sheets that are wrinkle-proof to save on ironing time; after washing, if these sheets are immediately put into the dryer and taken out and folded the moment they are dry, you should be able to avoid ironing altogether.

2

Use the red sheet as a basis for decorating your table for Valentine's Day and Christmas. A romantic table for Valentine's Day can start with a red tablecloth sheet whose sides have been made into swags by pulling the sheet sides up to the tabletop every two feet and fastening the sheet to the table with double-stick tape. Cover the tape with red satin bows. Start with the red sheet for Christmas and then add Christmas tree placemats that you've cut from green vinyl fabric.

3

Create a background for St. Patrick's Day and Easter using your grass green sheet. For St. Patrick's Day, buy a long skinny shamrock border at a party shop and tack it to the border of the tablecloth with large basting stitches. For Easter, top your grass green sheet with clumps of commercial Easter grass for a table-length runner; intersperse miniature bunnies and Easter eggs throughout the grass.

4

Start Chanukah and Fourth of July table decorations with a medium blue sheet. For an attractive Chanukah table, top the blue sheet with a giant menorah you have cut from gold felt. On each night you might place a white felt candle with an orange flame on the menorah. On the Fourth of July, weave red and white ribbons to make a grid across the entire table.

5

Leave a golden yellow tablecloth on your dining room table from Halloween through Thanksgiving. For Halloween, use black poster board to make witch hat placemats, Parade toy bats, ghosts, and zombies down the center of the table. On Thanksgiving, change the table toppers to rustic looking placemats, which you can make by simply fringing the edges of burlap rectangles.