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Running late!

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So much to do. The Farm Circle meets tomorrow. There’s a 41 page paper I was asked to edit. I need to gather up some stuff for Kat and get it in the mail. And then there are the aphids on the blackeyes.

I will take a break, though and ask a question. Why is it so hard these days to find a really nice tablecloth? I know the answer but the answer ticks me off. Just because YOU (not you, Dear Friends, the other you) decided to turn your dining room into a play room or office or yoga studio does not mean I decided to do that. I have a formal dining room and I want a new tablecloth.

One of you said the other day that grammar was the first to go. I have been thinking about that for days. Do I agree or not? Maybe. But definitely a contender is dining. Not eating. Dining. In a room whose sole purpose in life is to facilitate family and friends dining together. Doesn’t have to be fancy or formal– though occasional formality is nice– just a place to gather, enjoy, and linger. Some place nice to look at when not in use.

Mr. Big Food needed to go to campus yesterday. I took the opportunity to drop into Tuesday Morning to search for a tablecloth. This place was wiped out. Empty shelves. ?? And the tablecloth selection was abysmal. The best they had was $19.99. I bought it. It’s okay but I wasn’t paying attention and picked up the wrong size and am not making a trip to Starkvegas to return it. I’ll probably use it on the picnic table.

My upper bound on a tablecloth is $100 or so. That’s how much I like a nice table cloth. I mean, I iron and lightly starch my tablecloths. That’s how much I like a nice tablecloth.

Why don’t I just look online? How to you touch something online? I need to know what it feels like. And that’s another thing. Back in the crappy olden days one used to be able to look at the manufacturer and make an educated assumption about quality. No more, my friends. At least not when it comes to tablecloths. (Don’t get me started on draperies.)

/rant Carry on.

5 Responses

    1. With both leaves in (which is the only way it looks good in the space) my table measures 44 x 72. I like a 15″ drop. So somewhere in the 74 x 102 range.

  2. I agree on the need/want for a formal dining room. We have a small one off our kitchen and it’s only big enough for the dining table (at an angle), which is 44″ x 92″. We can seat 8 around it without squeezing but 12 have been known to fit reasonably well (before CoVid 19 of course). Along with the dining table (from my parents when they downsized) came an assortment of table cloths. The older ones are of much better quality than the recent ones. I was extremely unhappy with my choices when I decided to get a new Christmas/holiday table cloth last winter. Cloth napkins are also an issue. Let me know if you find a good source of quality table cloths.

    1. I certainly will let you know. John’s aunt reads the blog and she sent me an email today with a photo of a linen tablecloth (no napkins, she says) that was Gran’s– her mother’s. It’s yellow linen and it looks lovely. I think it will work. The drop on the sides will be longer than the ends. But I don’t care!

      Which leads me to believe that it’s going to be antique stores or thrift shops where the good stuff is.

      My mom has a linen tablecloth made of flax that grew on her childhood home. Never uses it, but she has it.

      I will keep looking for sources. Dillards used to have nice things. I’ll check there.

  3. Ebay isn’t especially helpful. One of the categories that they _don’t_ list is size. Since they have about 2500+ entries, size would sure be a good parameter to use. As it is, I checked through it somewhat and decided that although I usually use “price- lowest first”, that wasn’t especially helpful, even if I shifted ahead 5 pages at a time. I tried “Price-highest first” which was more helpful, but I still didn’t find much. And nothing that was of appropriate size – which, I kind of remember as being a fairly standard size.
    Lots of nice ones though…just all too small.

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