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DIY No Sew Ruffle Tablecloth For Less Than $10

When planning my daughter’s 1st birthday, I began looking for the trendy ruffled tablecloths that look so stunningly cute and beautiful on tables.  However, I was unprepared for the cost- $200-$400 depending on the colors, sizes etc.  I was not willing to spend that kind of money on a tablecloth and without any sewing abilities whatsoever, I let the idea of a ruffled tablecloth stay a dream.

Then one lovely day at the thrift store- I found 3 of these pink ruffled sheets (unfortunately, this was after her party):

With no particular plan in mind, I grabbed them up and knew I could make something work? (even if I cannot sew)  For $1.99 each, I could not pass it up!

*When looking for your own- keep size and measurement in mind

I wanted a tablecloth for a standard event table of 30 X 72, I did not have the measurements on me at the time, but I could tell by eyeballing them, that it would work.


Supplies:
Ruffled material, bed skirt, curtain or other thrifted supply with ruffles
(I used 3 ruffled sheets measuring 41.5 X 85 each)
Washable Fabric glue
Some heavy books












Directions:

PREP
– When I pick up any item from a thirft/yard/Craigslist I clean it thoroughly- I ran this item through the wash with bleach
– my most hatest task- IRON

–  Take two of the sheets, lay one down on your surface, take other sheet and place on top of bottom sheet and choose your desired look for the ruffle.

– I chose for the ruffle to end right above where the other ruffle begins.  You may want to space them out if you desire, I liked the very ruffled look for mine.  
– Apply glue onto one sheet and press firmly together with the other sheet.  
–  Lay books (or other heavy objects)  on top to seal the glue*.

This is about .001% of my cookbook collection 🙂

–  The glue says it will hold in 3-5 minutes, mine did not.  I waited at least 45 minutes and the sheets were securely bonded.  
– Repeat until all sheets are glued together.   Since I had three sheets I did this 6 times: one layer of glue on the long side, one layer of glue on the two short sides.  If you are working on a large surface to accommodate entire sheet, you can glue all at once.

* If your sheets are of thin material- use caution with the surface you are gluing on, the glue will bleed through to the surface.  Use something below the sheet to protect the surface.



Thrifted note–  you may have thought I got lucky with the ruffled cloths, but I see them every time I visit thrift stores (this is not an example of that rare jewel at the store!) (unless it is an Ohio thing?)
 I DID get lucky with the soft pink color, which is what I wanted.

However, if you do not find your desired color- dye it!  Or get multiple shades for an ombre look! With persistence, you can find your own thrifted DIY beauty!

This three tiered ruffle tablecloth would have been perfect for my daughter’s party but I did make another tablecloth using a twin bedsheet and ribbon- I will share that later!

I need someone girly to need a wedding shower thrown by me, I cannot wait to find a reason to use the tablecloth.  Hmm maybe a shabby chic tea? Anyone in Ohio want to join me?


For $10.00 including the cost of glue that I can use for other projects, it can fit anyone’s budget!
I am so happy with the results that I now regret not picking up the blue ones I saw a week ago…


If you enjoy this DIY, please pin it or share it!

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  1. Anonymous says:

    so creative and you make
    it sound so easy..

  2. susan says:

    ok, that's brilliant. i have no use for it in my boy world right now, but i'm still pinning it. thanks.

    love this idea.

  3. ellysan says:

    WOW!!! The surprises just keep coming…..

  4. Debi says:

    Cute idea. I have a link party, and I would love it if you would link this post. You can find it at
    http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2012/07/face-cleansing-oil-and-wednesdays.html
    It is called Wednesdays Adorned From Above Link Party.
    I hope to see you there. Have a great Day.
    Debi Bolocofsky
    Adorned From Above
    http://www.adornedfromabove.com

  5. Ang says:

    I can't sew either but I'm so inspired now!:) I hope you'll come visit me at jugglingactmama.blogspot.com

  6. That's beautiful!! Hope you all had a fun party!

  7. Lindsay says:

    Absolutely LOVE this! Thanks for the tutorial!

  8. Susan Cooper says:

    What a great idea. I will be bookmark this for later use. It would be so much fun to make this for one of my outdoor girl nights. Thanks for sharing. :-), Susan Cooper

  9. Love, love, love this! So pretty and feminine. Thanks for sharing at the Pomp Party! Pinning to our Pomp Party board!

  10. Jennifer says:

    Love it!! How lucky are you to find them pink already!! I'll have to keep my eye out now! Thanks for sharing at Show & Share! Featuring this tomorrow!

  11. Thanks so much for sharing with Wednesdays Adorned From Above Link Party. I can't believe you did this without sewing. Great job.
    Debi

  12. Betty Lleces says:

    Did you cut the ruffles from the two sheets to pu on one?

    • Laurel says:

      Hi Betty! No, I kept the sheets as is, because I needed to keep the width for the dining table, I wanted the ruffles to hang pretty low, so I could not cut it.

  13. bambier says:

    What did you do with the sides?

  14. Hi Bambler! I glued the sides as well:
    Since I had three sheets I did this 6 times: one layer of glue on the long side, one layer of glue on the two short sides. If you are working on a large surface to accommodate entire sheet, you can glue all at once.

  15. Lovely cloth. I made one the old fashioned way with a sewing machine. Wow. I love gluing stuff. thanks for the tip. I'm following on Facebook and Pinterest. Would love to have you link to What to do Weekends. This is a wonderful weekend project, don't you think? Thanks for showing how. Linda

    http://www.craftsalamode.com/2013/04/what-to-do-weekends-16.html

  16. YAY!! You joined What to do Weekends!! Love your "bubbliness", too. Linda

  17. Anonymous says:

    i'm completely in LOVE with these, I've been seeing them everywhere but for a small fortune… I have a barn wedding next year and I am trying to figure out how to make it shabby chic ….. this is so inspiring without paying a fortune for the look….i need 16 round tables total, so I guess i need to pray that I can find enough bedskirts in good/clean condition to make these for my tables!?

    • If you have a few months, you can do it!! I see them every-time I go to the thrift store! Usually stores do not sell really dirty or bad condition things, so hopefully you will find as many as you need. Congrats on your wedding!!!

  18. Anonymous says:

    I would think you could use a window valance also, although you might need a few! I use the heat-bond tape and iron it together, no messy glue. Just a thought. This is a great idea, love the ruffles.

  19. Christina says:

    That looks great! I will keep my eye open at the thrift store. Thanks for sharing.

  20. What brand of sheets are they?

  21. I'm confused about attaching the sheets together…How are the sheets able to hang at different lengths. I think I'm confused on how your are placing the sheet when you glue them on top of one another. Can you please clarify this small but important detail for me please. Thank you…

    • Hi Cynthia! If you examine the photo with the cookbooks, it shows how I layered it (it is difficult to see) with the cookbooks). I put one sheet down and leave the ruffle exposed on the bottom sheet when I add the other sheet on top. So I glue ABOVE the ruffle. Let me know if that helps, or you can email direct at laurelATabubblylife.com

  22. Leah says:

    What does the other side look like? Would this work for an oval dining room table or would it have to be pushed against the wall? It seems when you add the second sheet it would drape longer on the alternate side…or are you cutting them apart?

    • Hi Leah! I am so sorry for the delay! In this case it only worked with it against the wall. If you got a fuller longer sheet, the ruffles would work, but mine were more like bed skirts so there were not ruffles on all four sides.

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