a hole in the tablecloth

a hole in the tablecloth < From: snipped-for-privacy@tin.it (Marina)

Great idea Cea, espcially the advise about repeating the repair on the other three corners and center......yeah! it's s'posed to be that way!

If you have an embroidery machine you could choose a pattern that would cover the hole, hoop up some sticky back and place it on that to do the embroidery to make sure the edges are secure, then embroider the other three corners and do a larger co ordinating design in the center.......might as well embroider some corners of matching napkins while you're at it. Oh look! Lovely new linen set!!

Val

Well, thank you very much! I understand the point, but it doesn't seems to me so important to make the mending symmetric. I wouldn't mind telling everyone: "Yes, this happened on New Year's Eve of 2004, it was Andrea's party...." What I would like is something handmade (I do not have an embroidery machine), sort of..."intaglio". But the hole is quite huge! I could make a scallop all around, but what in the middle? Thanks again! Marina

Marina, have you ever tried hardanger? You might be able to incorporate a hardanger design in the area and do some open work over the hole. How big is the hole?

I'm afraid I wrote my second message at the bottom, I'm quite new on groups. What is a hardanger? I didn't find it on the dictionary. The hole is big, the diameter is about 5 cm. Aarggh!

How about some needle-made lace? Sort of like reticella or punto in aria, though it wouldn't have to be a symmetrical design; you could do something free-form.

You'd have to hem or otherwise stabilize the edges of the hole (try machine stitching with small stitches around the edge of the hole, then doing a satin or close buttonhole stitch). Use new threads across the hole as the basis for your needlelace.

A modified Teneriffe embroidery technique would also work well...

I misunderstood, I was under the impression you wanted to HIDE the hole. If all you want is a mended hole that you can point out and reminisce about you could always just trim off the ragged edges (or not) depending on how you want it to look. Put a piece of matching or similar cloth, somewhat larger than the hole, behind it and just do a sort of button hole or blanket stitch l_l_l_l_l_l around the edges of the hole to securely sew it down on the scrap of cloth underneath. Then turn it over and trim off the excess patching fabric, maybe do the edges in Fray Check stuff to make sure it stays put and not ravel further. Better yet, use a contrasting embroidery floss to stitch down the patch and then in a circular pattern around the hole you can hand embroider " Andrea's Party - New Year's Eve - 2004" That way you wouldn't even have to point out the patched hole and explain, everyone would know who, why and where it came from. This could start quite a fade, sort of like memory quilts. When you get another hole in it, patch and label it, same goes for stains that don't come out "David's Red Wine - Anniversary Party - 2006" or 'Baby Maria's First Birthday - Strained Apricot's - 2010" and "Aunt Sofia's Careless Cigarette - Easter Dinner -

2005". You could have a family heirloom of celebrations that would be added to and passed down for generations.

Val P.S. For the metrically impaired 5cm is just about 2 inches. Actually

1.9685039 inches to be pretty exact.

Thank you very much. I think I could make a needle-made lace. I did one once, but I had the original threads to work on. Now I'll have to sew new threads. But the addresses you give me will sure help me. Thank you again!

Well, if I were making the repair, I'd tat a medallion of about the right size in a harmonizing thread, and either sew the points of the medallion to the fabric and buttonhole around the hole, or finish the hole, center the medallion and sort of lace it in with threads zig-zagging from the points to the finished edge -- this should be fairly easy to do if you baste everything to stiff, tough paper (or whatever is handy) first -- then buttonhole, overcast, or weave the threads.

Another plan would be to cut a shape from harmonizing fabric, work an edge around it, insert as above.

Make a patchwork patch, or reduce the size of one repeat of an applique'-quilt pattern.

Make a reversible design by whatever technique appeals to you, turn the edges under, lay it over the hole, stitch close to the edges all around -- perhaps with fine thread that matches the tablecloth, perhaps with an embroidery stitch that looks good on the other side. Trim the raw edges on the back to a uniform width, turn them under, hem them down.

As above, but lay the patch on with the edges raw, embroider around it, trim close to the stitching on both sides. (I would zig-zag around it, trim close to the zig-zagging, then work the embroidery.

Joy Beeson

Too wanderful! I didn't think exactly this way, but now I can. And I could became very upset if in time no disaster would happen! I would feel deprived of the historian's role! Ok, I go to begin the work. Thank you very much, for making me laugh so much! Marina

I forgot: I'm Italian, I do not know anything about inches. Well, I didn't untill to day!

Hoo boy! I can just see the relatives/dinner guests conspiring. "Who's gonna mess it up this time?"

--Karen M.