TABLE SETTINGS Easy linens create elegant yule spread

Turn the tables with these easy napkins and tablecloths.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
No-sew projects are always enticing, even for those who sew. 'Tis the season to consider holiday linens, and if you do, no-sew is a pleasant way to go.
Hem tape is the secret weapon. It's a strip of fabric glue that melts when ironed. You can hem the edges of napkins and tablecloths without ever breaking out the bobbin. There's not much more that's needed to make table linens -- just a way to finish off the fabric edges and perhaps some craft treatment to make it interesting.
Here are three easy projects that require only an iron, scissors and a flat place to cut and iron the fabric.
Beginning
Measure the width and length of your dining table. Some tables are narrow enough that dressmaking fabrics with widths up to 45 inches will work, which is beneficial because these fabrics are usually less expensive. Upholstery fabrics, with widths of 54 inches or more, are needed to accommodate most tables. Remember to add at least 6 inches at each end to allow for drape.
Decide how many napkins you will need to make. The width of the fabric will determine how much yardage you need. An 18-inch-square piece of fabric is sufficient for one napkin, so a yard of fabric that is 36 to 45 inches wide will be enough for four napkins. One yard of fabric that is 54 to 60 inches wide will be sufficient for six napkins. Match your napkin fabric to the tablecloth fabric or choose a contrasting color or pattern.
Inspiration
Tablecloths that aren't exactly in pristine condition anymore can be used as a bottom layer for this project. Decorated with calligraphy, or strewn with holiday cards, confetti, leaves or ribbon, and then overlaid with a panel of sheer fabric, they take on a new life. Even paper (from large rolls) can be used for the underlayer. We painted freezer paper using gold calligraphy pens. It took just a few minutes to decorate the paper.
Not sure what to write? Use your imagination, create place cards, convey good wishes, record the menu, or write down guests' names, especially if there are new people at the table.
To make the sheer layer, buy enough fabric to cover the length of the table plus an extra 6 inches at each end for drape. The special-occasion fabric (meaning it was found in the corner with the evening-wear fabric) we used had a nice selvage so that only the two cut ends needed to be finished with the hem tape. The directions for using the tape are on the package. Adding a tassel or an ornament at each corner will help hold the fabric in place.
The napkins were on hand, well past their prime, but once they were gussied up with a bit of monogramming or messages of the season (courtesy of the calligraphy pen), they seemed nice enough to use again.
Quaint quilting
Fabrics from the quilters' corner can be quite useful for table linens. Quilters' squares are pre-cut, pre-packaged 18-by-22-inch pieces of fabric with a common color (but often in a variety of prints), or of a similar print in a variety of colors. Each package contains seven pieces of fabric, enough for seven napkins. The average price of these packages is about $7, so the napkins can be made for about $1 each.
Cut the napkins into 18-inch squares and finish off the edges with hem tape.
The bright-red quilted fabric seemed perfect for the kids' Christmas table. It was too heavy to fold under and glue, so a ruffle with double-sided bias tape edge was used to encase the raw edge of fabric, and it was glued in place. Lengths of braid or fringe could also be used to finish off edges of quilted fabric.
Velvet
A velvet tablecloth would be prohibitively expensive, but when you make it yourself, it's affordable. To make the burned-out design, find a velvet that has some wiggle in the nap. A dense pile, which is often more expensive anyway, does not burn out as dramatically. Buy a small amount of extra fabric -- a 6-inch length of whatever width you get should be sufficient. Use this extra fabric to practice the burn-out technique before you commit to the bigger cloth.
Choose a rubber stamp affixed to a wood block. (Stamps with foam backing don't hold up to the high heat needed in this project.) Use a firm surface for this part of the project -- a padded ironing board is too soft. Place your rubber stamp, stamp side up, on your surface. Place a small piece of your extra fabric with the nap side against the face of the rubber stamp and press an iron set to fairly high heat firmly to the wrong side (back side) of the fabric. Hold for about 15 seconds. Carefully turn the iron 90 degrees and press again. This will ensure that all of the edges of the stamp are pressed into the fabric. You will want to use a heat that the fabric can withstand to make the impression. This is where you want to experiment a bit, to find how long you have to press the iron to the fabric to leave the desired impression.
If you want to create a regular pattern to your burn-out designs, draw a grid on the wrong side of your velvet tablecloth for placement purposes. Some stamps will lend themselves to a random design -- others almost demand a regular pattern. For your napkins, you can use a single burn-out on one corner, burn out all four corners or do an overall design that matches the design on the tablecloth.
A cautionary note: Be careful when ironing velvet because the fabric will tend to take on the mark of the iron, especially if you use the steam setting. Use a dry iron, at a low temperature, for finishing off the edges with hem tape, and try to iron only the hem edge of the fabric.