summer tablecloth

You may not know this about me, but years ago (actually decades now), I was a collector of all things mid-century modern.  Starburst clocks, a ridiculous amount of anodized aluminum everything, a sleek vintage black sofa, at one point we even had 4 six-feet tall aluminum Christmas trees. Now we live in a 1920's Tudor cottage so I find myself drawn to older designs when decorating.  That's not to say there aren't plenty of bits of Fire King and Pyrex around the kitchen.

Some stuff you just can't let go of.

I think that's why Jeni's Color Me Retro line pulled at my heart.  It's filled with all those vibrant colors that are all over my dishes so I wanted to come up with a project that I could use in the dining room to really play off my collections.

My second inspiration came from this version, Katy made from her Spring Carnival pattern.  I love the pieces that are floating away or maybe back into their proper place.

I used Katy's templates for all the cutting and along with paper shapes from Paper Pieces.  I appliqued the pieces by hand to a couple of yards of linen.

To help the corners to look pretty and polished, I did a 1" hem on opposite sides and then added a second row of top stitching 1/8" away from the first.  Then I turned up the corner 1 1/2" before I hemmed the remaining two sides.

Once hemmed, I added the second row of top stitching just 1/8" away and I was left with a great looking hem.

(this shot was before I trimmed up the strings - after I did that, trust me it's a great looking hem)

I love having these bursts of color at the table everyday.  To me it's the perfect way to bring a little mid-century fun into my Tudor cottage world.