DIY no-sew scalloped tablecloth

Many years ago, I bought white flannel-backed vinyl by the yard at Walmart with the intention of making a scallop-edged tablecloth for my round pedestal table. Fast forward past two moves and the sale of that table, and this fabric remained rolled up in a closet. I finally pulled it out of the closet last week.

Our dining tabletop needs to be refinished, so we’ve been covering it with tablecloths until we get around to that project. But I got tired of stain-treating and laundering tablecloths. The vinyl surface of this tablecloth is easily wiped clean. No laundering needed. And it’s perfect for when my husband’s kids come to visit.

Making a house a home on a budget, one DIY project at a time.

Making the scalloped edge is simple, as long as you plan before diving in and cutting. And it works with practically any oilcloth, vinyl, leather, plastic, or non-fraying fabric. You can buy fabric by the yard, or buy a tablecloth and customize it with scallops.

According to Crate & Barrel, an 8-9-inch drop is ideal for casual dining tablecloths. For formal events, a 15-inch drop is preferred. My tablecloth has a 9½ inch drop (measuring to the tip of the scallops), which makes it perfect for a casual dining.

I love the windows, built-ins, white dish collection, chandelier, and sconces in our dining room. As soon as I finish some projects in this room, I’ll show you pictures of all of it.

How to make a scallop-edged tablecloth

SUPPLIES

Any non-fraying fabric or tablecloth that’s big enough to cover your table, including leather, vinyl, oilcloth, or plastic. Here are some sources.
- leather – tandyleather.com or leatherunltd.com
- vinyl – Joann or other fabric stores
- flannel-backed vinyl fabric – onlinefabricstore.net or Walmart
- flannel-backed vinyl tablecloths – partycity.com
- oilcloth – Oilclothbytheyard.com or oilclothalley.com

TOOLS

bowl or other round object to trace (I used an old Ikea bowl that’s nearly 5 inches in diameter. This Ikea bowl is about the same size.)
scissors or kitchen shears
binder clips
tape measure

INSTRUCTIONS

Supplies to make a scalloped tablecloth, photo

1. Find a bowl or other round object to trace. Measure the length and width of your table and the diameter of the bowl. Then you have to do some math. My fabric width is 55 inches, and table width is 36 inches, which makes a 9½ inch drop. The length of my table is 70 inches, so the length of my tablecloth needed to be about 89 inches (70 + 9½-inch drop at each end). Once you know the desired length and width of your tablecloth, measure it in bowls. The diameter of my bowl is about 5 inches. So my tablecloth is 11 x 18 bowls (55 x 90 inches).

2. Fold the fabric in half. Trace the curve of the bowl with a pencil on the back of the fabric along the three edges. When you reach to fold, make sure the bowl either sits exactly halfway over the fold, or the bowl’s edge touches the fold.

3. Clip the fabric together with binder clips before cutting. Because this fabric is plastic-, vinyl-, or leather-based, straight pins will leave visible holes, so I do not recommend their use. (My fabric had an extra inch of flannel that I folded over in this picture. I ended up cutting it off before cutting the scallops.)

4. After all your circles are traced, cut along your traced lines through both layers of fabric (if it’s thin enough — leather might be too thick for cutting two layers at once).