In our house here in Texas, I don't have a breakfast counter. It is the cause of much angst for me. I have an island in the kitchen, but it doesn't have one of those marvelous overhangs where you can slide three barstools under it and prop your kids up to eat. Breakfast counters are wonderful as they are so durable. You can prepare a meal, feed a kid and easily clean up without any destruction to the counter top.
We are using the one WOOD dining room set we have for all food consumption purposes, and it has been a nightmare to keep clean and polished. I've tried various table clothes. Fabric table cloths are a pain; you can use them once and then you have to wash them. I have tried different kinds of plastic covers, but they get all sticky and gross (do yo know what I mean, when you rest your arms on the table and then lift them up and the plastic table cover comes with them... even though it's been wiped down and supposed to be "clean") looking no matter how well you wipe them up, plus they rip and start to smell bad after awhile.
My friend Rachel (she's all things creative and fabulous) showed me a table cover she made out of laminated cotton, or oil cloth. I went to her house and checked hers out. It was exactly what I needed! It was cute, durable and wiped up easy without getting sticky and nasty!
It was an easy project. #1. Purchase oil cloth. #2. Cut it to the length of the table with pinking shears. #3. Cut the width of the oil cloth with pinking shears to fit table. #4. Cinch corners and sew to make a snug fit. Voila!
I bought my oil cloth and brought it home. Threw it on top of my table to measure the length and.... uh, oh.... my table was too wide. Plan B... hmmm, I didn't have a plan "B", but I did have 2 yards of oil cloth for $10 a yard.
Rachel had mentioned making the table covering like a slip cover, I decided to go with that idea. I had to go buy one more yard of the oil cloth. Then when I came home I went upstairs to the guest room, and unearthed the sewing machine I had bought five years ago and have NEVER opened. I opened the box, it was liberating. I read the set-up instructions, thought back to my seventh grade home education class and to the time when I helped my sister-in-law sew baby hats for a young women's project, and then I began.
I ran into a few snags, but overall, I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out. And this morning after breakfast, I cheered and threw my arms up in victory up after seeing how easily milk and toast crumbs cleaned up! The simple pleasures, right?
My kids shared my enthusiasm!
3 comments:
Whoda thunk moven to Texas woulda domesticated ya... (Do I type Texan??)
Way to go Sher... and I am so glad your Mom came to visit!
I am sending you something for your Birthday... any guesses on what it is??
Whoot Whoot! Sew baby sew!
I love it! I'm impressed that this sewing project came together so easily for you after not having even used your sewing machine. I have sewed a ton this year and still make a mistake EVERY freakin' time I sew something. My one hang up when we were looking for homes was that we have a big bar for the kiddos to sit at. Fortunately we found the perfect set up with a gigantic island with five barstools attached. It's where my kids spend a lot of time doing homework, eating, making crafts.
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