Thoughts on a Thursday

Tablecloths 

I've always loved tablecloths or any kind of linens. I like to layer them, sometimes I like ironing them. My grandmas' always had tablecloths on their tables. Sometimes I like white on white and sometimes I like vintage colorful ones. I particularly like them on picnic tables.

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Was there ever a time when table linens did not have a feminine appeal? From the de rigueur of fine damasks and laces, the fascination has now turned to the common print tablecloth. This month’s guest columnist, tablecloth author and collector Pamela Glasell, takes us on a memory trip decade by decade from origins to rise in popularity of these cloths. Printed tablecloths.

Beautiful tropical designs, quaint cartoon figures, bold geometric, abstract designs and luscious fruit and flowers. Who would have thought even a few years ago that the printed tablecloth, so enjoyed by the families in the 40s and 50s, would make such a stunning comeback as a popular collectible. There is now great demand for these classic kitchen textile treasures from the past.

More and more collectors are drawn to these wonderful cloths, bringing delightful memories from America’s glorious past to their present kitchen tables. Just as fashions changed and evolved thorough the decades, so did the styles of the vintage tablecloth. Knowing the history of the printed tablecloth allows collectors to date their treasures and have fun assembling a collection spanning the hundred or more years of tablecloth production and designs.

Victorian – 1865-1899 Tablecloths have always played a rich part in Americans’ daily lives and family traditions. During the 35 years between the Civil War and the end of the century, America was changing rapidly. The country was in the midst of widespread industrialization. New inventions not only revolutionized the American textile manufacturing industry but also lightened the load of the average housewife.

Her new freedom resulted in more time for artistic endeavors such as the incredibly detailed embroidery and lacework on tablecloths from this era. During most of the late 1800s, Queen Victoria, who had lost her beloved Prince Albert, made it fashionable to be a widow. The fashion became the dark, somber, and opulent Victorian colors and styles that characterize the textile fabrics from 1850-1900.

Table linens of this period were dark heavy tapestries, fringed Turkey Red and white damask cloths, and heavily decorated plush and velvet table toppers. The dark, somber crimsons, browns, and gold found in Victorian table linens were soon succeeded by the less dramatic but more spirited bright color schemes made possible by the creation of new chemical dyes from Germany.

https://yourtablecloth.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/the-tablecloth-in-history/   more information and more pictures

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Tablecloths were originally used as napkins in Ancient Rome. 

Tablecloths were popularized by the Europeans. They originally started appearing on Roman tables in the 1st century. The first written mention of a tablecloth dated from 103 AD. Back then, the Romans considered their tables too beautiful to cover up completely, so tablecloths were smaller and intended for individual use, like a napkin. 

By the 10th century, the tablecloth had evolved into the giant table covering that we know today as it spread through the Byzantine empire and feudal Western Europe. By the 14th century it became customary even for peasants to use tablecloths

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You can use quilts for tablecloths.....although woe to anyone who spills something on it.

You could make aprons out of tablecloths that have outlived their usefulness....not sure when that would happen.

And what about those napkins for the table?

You can make them to match or not match. I love the old ones. I read somewhere about the shabby chic way is that it is not necessary to iron them. I like doing this only I want people to know that I did it on purpose and not because I was too lazy to iron.

Get fancy

There is nothing retro about Napkin Folding, like Origami it is a creative art form.

A Brief History of Napkin Folding

The use of the napkin in Europe began in 1400 on the tables of royalty, where they started to use napkins made from warm or even perfumed cloth.

At the beginning of the 1800s, napkins became part of the bourgeois lifestyle, mostly to protect the sumptuous dresses of the period during meals. This is the era when the folding of napkins as decoration for dining tables began. The art really took off around 1880 with the incoming prosperity of the Industrial Revolution.

Mrs Beeton’s book of Household Management, published in 1861, had an extensive reference section on napkin folding. These designs have now become classics and are still used today. Some of them, with modified instruction are featured in Luigi's book.

The First and Second World Wars were periods of interlude in terms of the development of these decorations.

At the beginning of the 1950s, with the war over, decorations and creativity flowed again reviving the art of folded napkins as a means of expression. This is when the development of very elaborate and complex napkin folds took place.

The James Ginder book on Napkin Folding, first published in 1978 by Virtue in over 54 languages, has been my inspiration and my guide through my career — not always very easy to follow but the only one available at the time.

Since the early 1980s we have become more reluctant to use napkin folding as part of the table preparation on the grounds of hygiene. With no practice there is no training and napkin folding has seen a decline in application in favour of a new style of table setting.

A new trend of minimalism has been embraced. Elaborate napkin folding went out of favour and a new term “simplicity in style” has been has adopted. This new minimalist trend is very popular today with many fine dining operations.

Even so, we still use fancy napkin folds — particularly for weddings and special occasions where the “Fare la bella figura”¹ is of great importance and considered a valuable asset.

There is no doubt that the development of napkin folding has been greatly influenced by Origami, the ancient Japanese art of paper folding. I would go as far as saying that it is an extension of this noble art, after all it does give the same pleasure and satisfaction to the creator.

http://www.luigisnapkins.com/napkin:04-history

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I hope this will inspire you to set a pretty table. Maybe have a tea party with someone special.

Wisdom Words

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