Making it: DIY Table Skirt

 

A few weeks ago, Adeline asked me to make a table skirt to put around the manicure table.  The whole salon is decorated very romantic and whimsical, and the plain grey manicure table just didn't fit it. 

 

The first thing I did was take measurements of the table.  Since it's really more of a desk shape, I decided to make two separate pieces, instead of one big skirt.  Obviously, if you have an actual table then you can just make one big piece.

Since we wanted the skirt to cover the front two sections,  I measured from the back of the table to the front corner, and then the front of one section. (Both my pieces are going to be identical, so I only need to measure one side of the table.)  In case anyone is interested, my back to corner measurement was 13.5" and my front was 12".

 

I used:

Fabric (amount depends on how big your table is)

Ruler (or other measuring device)

Bias Tape

Velcro

Scissors

Pins

Basic Sewing Supplies (either a sewing machine, or needle and thread)

The first thing I did was measure out my pieces.  Since I wanted to put a couple of pleats in each panel, to give the skirt some volume, I added on a couple of inches to each piece I cut.  I actually just eyeballed this but feel free to add 2-4 (or more!) inches depending on how much fullness you want.  You can also skip the pleats all together, but I like the way to falls with some volume.  Another option would be to add gathers, instead, or even more, smaller pleats. 

Of course the minute I lay my fabric down on the floor, Marco decides it's a bed.

So now we have two panels of fabric, one that is roughly 18" and another that is roughly 16".  I didn't cut a length, yet, because I wanted to hem it on the actual table.  Clearly, this fabric also needs to be ironed.  Once I cut out these pieces, I cut out two more that are identical.  Remember, this is going to be two separate pieces that are identical.

Here you can see the size difference between the side panel and the front panel.  The front is the smaller one.

The next step is to stitch together the side panel and front panel (right sides together) for both sections. 

I wanted to give the top edge a nice looking finish, so I opted for bias tape.  You could also just hem it, or leave it raw if your fabric won't unravel and you like the look!  (Sometimes bias tape is hard to use if you are unfamiliar with it, so keep that in mind)

Next, I guesstimated the middle of each panel and made a couple of pleats.  I didn't measure them while I was making them, but I did make sure that the panels all ended up being the correct size and that the pleats matched up.  I then hand-stitched each pleat down.

Lastly, I hemmed the sides and bottom of each section and added velcro to the top edges.

I put sticky-back velcro on the table, as well.  This way, the skirt can be switched out easily.

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