After the blow-out yard sale we had last week, I needed an easy project for this week’s home organization project. The sale went well – in case you were wondering – not that we made loads of money – but we got rid of almost everything. Almost is the key word because Brad conveniently priced several of his items way too high, ‘forgot’ to put items out for several hours, and then when they didn’t sell, insisted on bringing them back inside. Does that sound sneaky to you? It does to me!
This week I sorted all of our table linens – cloth napkins and tablecloths. Tablecloths are my way of decorating for the different seasons and I’ve sewed many over the years. The reason I love decorating with tablecloths is that you buy them once – or sew them once – and you have them forever. When they only get trotted out once-a-year, they always look new! (How to sew your own patriotic tablecloth is here.)
So, I sorted through all of the tablecloths and hung them up. That’s my big news – tablecloths are hanging in a closet and that means no ironing when I go to put them out. Because we cleared out so many coats and jackets (remember Home Organization Project #4 – coats and jackets?) we had space in our office closet to hang them. Since we live in a 100-year-old house, closet space is practically unheard of and we have to get creative with our lack of space. (Tips on having “Coat Closet Woes” can be found here.)
Home Organization Project Week #25
- Weekly. This week’s project: cloth napkins and tablecloths
- Small. This was an easy week. I do have a stack of cloth napkins that need mending. They’re down in the sewing area – which has yet to be tackled this year. I do have a mending stack and mend as many items as possible. (My pillow case mending project can be found here.)
- Clear and clean. After taking everything out of the drawer with cloth napkins and place mats, I did need to vacuum. Because I didn’t feel like lugging out the broken vacuum, I didn’t. My kids keep handing vacuum cleaner parts that have fallen off while they’re vacuuming and doing their chores. We should talk more about vacuums sometime. We’ve yet to own one that doesn’t cost a huge amount and then proceed to not work well and then fall apart – usually in that order.
- Get set. I rounded up all of my suit clip hangers from redoing my closet (find the details of sorting out my entire closet by checking here) and used those to hang all of the tablecloths. Love it!
- Pack it out. I’m donating all 7 of our little kid, plastic place mats – except one. The presidents of the United States is staying. We like to whip that out after dinner (when the teens don’t leave the table in 2.7 minutes flat) and see who can name all the presidents or at least name the 32nd one (Franklin D. Roosevelt) or perhaps the 11th (James K. Polk).
- Stop buying. Aside from sewing the cloth napkins for our kitchen – because we eliminated buying paper products including napkins and went to cloth instead – I haven’t bought any new items. I would like to sew a sweet little tablecloth for Easter but I never remember to do it until maybe Good Friday. Next year…
- Less is more. Less is more – yes, truly, this project has kept me from buying new stuff and from buying second-hand stuff but…I do have my eyes peeled for cute fabric for my new-to-me vintage travel trailer! We kept the flooring scraps from our bathroom re-do (find all of the bathroom re-do sources here) and they will look adorable in the ‘scamper!’ First, I have to get a title issued for it and am working on that.
I hope your clean out projects are going well. Next week marks 6-months of this year-long crazy, hair-brained idea of mine to organize and/or clear out our house. After 19-years in our home, we needed it!
How are your projects coming along? What area did you clean out this week?
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
Want to learn to sew? Start here with easy cloth napkins
Homemade Halloween decorations – sewing tablecloths for Halloween transforms a room quickly
As part of our New Year’s resolution, we’re cleaning out a different area of our house every week this year. Find all of the “weekly home organization projects” – or click the image below.
Go Gingham 
“New-to-me vintage travel trailer”? Did I miss a post? It sounds like fun!
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Well, it was little teaser picture 🙂
You’ll get the full virtual tour soon! It’s completely a project – totally trashed inside but soon to be swaddled in gingham and all things outdoorsy! 🙂
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I love the idea of hanging up tablecloths. With a spare bedroom now, I’m going to work on that!
I also love the way you made the tablecloths. A couple of years ago, I followed your instructions and also made a patriotic one. I love it. I love the edging and the grommets to hold it down. I also made a couple of table runners as gifts following your same instructions.
You have great ideas!
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Ahhhh….thanks, Ruthie!
I wish I had longer (or is it wider?) clip hangers for my tablecloths. If they were a bit longer, it would be better.
Excited that you made a tablecloth, too, and following my instructions. Hopefully you weren’t scratching your head and wondering what I was talking about! LOL!
Thanks for sharing…
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I’m more of a placemat girl. Speaking of which … I have reversible placemats for summer and both involve gingham. Red and white large checks on one side, blue gingham with watermelon slices on the other. You would be proud.
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Oh, Kris! Warming my gingham heart!! I am so proud 🙂
This proves that gingham really goes with every season and adorning placemats is an excellent use of it.
We use placemats for dinner every night – and they’re gingham, too. Well, we don’t use the placemats when dinner gets inhaled in the kitchen when we’re all standing! LOL! Almost every night….
Thanks, Kris. Love the gingham.
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While I haven’t been doing an organizing project every week, you’ve still inspired me. We moved again last year and while our main living areas are organized, our basement has remained a disaster. It has seemed so overwhelming, I have ignored it for a year. Reading your weekly posts has motivated me to finally tackle it, just as you have your home…a little at a time. You should be proud of how much you’ve accomplished in sixth months!! (I’m looking forward to seeing your cute camper project, too!)
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Thanks, Rebecca! Well, it was either move or tackle our home – and we didn’t want to move.
When we moved into our house (19 years ago), I had several boxes left in our basement from our move for 5-years! When I finally opened them, 98% got donated or sold (or maybe that was my first garage sale?). That is one strategy – if you haven’t touched it in a set amount of time, it should go. Well, maybe sort through the box first just in cash you’ve hidden a box of cash! 🙂
So glad you’re tackling your home. I am glad about our progress…
Thanks, Rebecca!!
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SO seriously sneaky!!! Bad, Brad!
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I know it! He acted surprised when I said, “Hey, where’s the ____?” Then when items didn’t sell – back in they came. Grrrrr……
The good news is the remaining items got put on free Craig’s List and disappeared over the weekend. Yay!!
Thanks, Erin! 🙂
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Has it really been six months? You’ve certainly inspired a lot of people (including me) to get with it! Did I read once that you made cloth napkins from old sheets? If so, I think that’s a good idea and I’m going to do that! We don’t use paper products, either. Keep up the good work, Sara!
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Thanks, Vanessa! It has been 6-months and the areas that need it the most – my sewing studio in particular – are driving me crazy. I can’t wait to get it done so that I can do a little sewing. Right now, it’s unmanageable and I don’t even try to find my machine!
I made cloth napkins from an old Ralph Lauren skirt:
https://gogingham.com/2011/11/mitered-cloth-napkins-for-thanksgiving/
An old sheet might work – although our sheets are so worn by the time we’re done with them! Really inspect the fabric, first. It would be awful to sew napkins only to have the reused fabric wear-thru in very little time.
Way to go on no-paper in your kitchen!! 🙂
Thanks for writing in, Vanessa.
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