If you follow me on Instagram you know I’ve been slaving over a tablecloth for Bennett’s first birthday party. This child LOVES giraffes so we decided to plan a safari theme party. I scrolled through Pinterest and found so much inspiration! I fell in love with the idea of doing a mud cloth tablecloth – However, the one I loved was over $100! WHAT!
Don’t get me wrong, I love our daughter but $149 for a table runner? Not happening. Insert Hobby Lobby. The table I am covering is 11 feet long so I bought 12 feet of black canvas-like fabric from Hobby Lobby.
Inspiration
We folded the fabric in half hot dog style (do people still say hot dog and hamburger style, by the way??) One paint pen lasted me a little over a foot of the way. I ended up using a total of TEN paint pens. I made up the design as I went, looking at the expensive table runner for inspiration. If this is a project you plan on tackling – Use a straight edge from the start! I did not use a straight edge in the beginning and my lines looked terrible. We ended up painting over the first few rows with black paint and redoing them to straighten them up. This project was tedious but I had so much fun working on it over the past few weeks – Especially knowing who it was for!
Ready to see the finished product?? Drum roll please…
Several of y’all on Instagram suggested I cut the fabric after the party and make pillows (I love this idea), or reuse it for future parties. I have yet to decide what I will do with the tablecloth when the party is over but I’m sure I will come up with something. All together this table cloth cost about $50 – The runner I loved from CB2 was not nearly as long and cost $150.
So tell me – What do y’all think? Anyone ready to tackle this project?
Let me know what questions y’all have!
Jamie
Love this project! Thanks for sharing your great ideas!
Great project! I have to ask, how many hours did it take? If you paid yourself $10 hour + $50 in materials what is it’s true cost?
Ok, I’m biased because I sell ethically sourced mud cloth. I have to speak up for the artisans in Africa who paint patterns on mud cloth by hand, just like with your beautiful piece.
But I’m also all about DIY because you get exactly what you want, such as the size. And, you can say you did it yourself!
Well done you.
No need to post this. I just wanted to explain why the authentic mud cloth costs so much. It’s all done by hand.🌞
Great point! Thank you for bringing this to my attention! Authentic mudcloth is definitely worth the cost given it is handpainted and a true art. I’m not sure exactly how long it took me to do this piece but that is definitely something to consider when weighing your options (to buy or DIY)!