Do you ever buy something and wonder why? Me, too. I should not have bought this adorable table cloth but I couldn’t help myself. With those fresh colors and gingham; it was too cute! Plus, it was from a shopping trip with girlfriends to the Goodwill Clearance Center so was inexpensive. Once I got it home and washed it, I asked myself the burning question: Now what?
Sorting through closets, I found this polyester blanket with edging that was unraveling. It was not worth mending and I was tired of it. It was my dorm room blanket from the ’80s!
Then I came across this khaki flat sheet that didn’t work out as a quilt backer. Two rejects and a cute table cloth? This sounded like a winning combination to me!
Once I spread out the 3 layers to make sure my plan would work (sandwiching the old 80’s blanket between the other 2), I sewed the polyester blanket to the table cloth. Then I pinned the sheet (bottom layer) to the top two. After the 3 layers were pinned together, I used my serger and went around the outside – twice!
Even with a tight stitch, it looked better with tighter stitches. I also rounded the corners – that’s easier to do when sewing with a serger. When it was done, I spread it out and smoothed it and pinned it again. Then I added 4 machine sewn “quilted” spots to hold the blanket together. I used a button-hole setting with khaki thread.
The layers were too thick to sew right sides together and then turn. Plus, this quilt was going in the basement – where teenagers watch movies while eating pizza – it didn’t need to be fancy. It needed to be sturdy!
This winning combination of ’80s blanket + cute table cloth + khaki colored flat sheet is a warm addition to our basement. Next time I’m at Goodwill with girlfriends, I promise not to buy cute table cloths – unless the table cloths have gingham!
What have you bought that you didn’t know what you’d do with it? Do you have an ’80s blanket in your linen closet?
Go Gingham related links:
A dining room table table-cloth for Flag Day – or another summer holiday
Thanksgiving table-cloth made for our dining room table
Matching napkins for the table-cloth – made from an old skirt
How to make a waistband smaller without pins!
How to turn jeans into capris – easier than you think!
How to make skinny jeans from wide leg jeans – make your own “jeggings”
How to mend pillow cases to improve your sleeping ā hah!
Go Gingham 
I did the same thing when the girls needed nap blankets for daycare – I took two tablecloths that we too small for our long table and backed them with a flannel sheet. I didn’t use any batting, just sewed right sides together. then turned it right side out and sewed another seam along all sides and one seam up the middle, plus one across to hold it all together. They looked great and were the perfect weight and size for a nap blanket.
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Heidi, those sound perfect for napping! I might need one in an adult size – for myself š LOL!
What a great use of table cloths that didn’t work for your table. Well done!
Thanks for sharing ~
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Clever idea! A friend of mine was revamping her kids’ baby blankets this weekend by buying some fleece to add a border onto the original blankets which are now too short. This eliminated (a) the need to make all new blankets and (b) the need to throw away their baby blankets now that they’re big kids! After all, who could bear to do that?
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Oh, very clever use! I love that!
It’s true that lots of items can get reused and fashioned into something ‘new’ rather than pitching. Thanks, EFB!
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I still have my college dorm comforter that I sewed the summer before leaving for college. It could be going to college with my daughter this fall, with a cute new duvet cover over it. We will see . . .
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Michelle,
I’m crossing my fingers that it goes to college in the fall! That would be very sweet. Good for you for sewing it and keeping it. Can’t wait to hear if it goes to _______ college or university. š Thanks, Michelle!!
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Nice work! Smiling at the 80s farm animal blanket … country decorating at its best!
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Didn’t everyone have that blanket in the ’80s? I also had the sheets, too! We used it for years and on the grass when kids were babies/crawling. Notice no up close shots of that – it was looking pretty ratty. š
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