Checks and Lace

A couple of weeks ago, I was looking through my fabric stash and ran across some red and white check fabric that had been given to me. About a week later, I was eating dinner at a Mexican restaurant in San Diego and was inspired by the little fabric squares with crocheted edging that lined the tortilla baskets. What a great idea! I soon pulled out that checked fabric to make a tablecloth; trimmed it; folded, pressed, and sewed the edges; and added blanket stitching so I could crochet a lacy edging.


I love blanket stitching! It's so cute and fun to sew. It's a good thing I enjoy sewing it because it took quite a while to get around the edges of the tablecloth.


The next step was to single crochet onto the blanket stitches.


Each step looked so cute...the sewing, then the blanket stitching, and the single crochet edge...that I could have stopped after any one of them and it would have looked good. However, I was excited to keep going and make it a little more special. I looked through some edging patterns and tried a few but ended up making up something on my own. The little triangles are simple but they tie into the little diamonds in the fabric. They are basically shells with three double crochets, two trebles, and three more doubles. I spaced them out with a single crochet between each one.


I'm not sure yet if I'll embellish on the triangles. I'll probably decide on that after I make it all the way around the tablecloth.

I originally wanted to make a red lace edge but couldn't find red thread that matched the fabric. In fact, I even had trouble finding white crochet cotton. It used to be a staple in the yarn world. I remember it being sold even in drug and grocery stores. This time, I couldn't find any at Michael's, Walmart (they didn't have white), and JoAnn only had the two balls of white that I bought (no other colors). That was surprising to me. I'm glad I found some though while I was inspired and ready to go.

It's always satisfying to make something wonderful with things I have on hand or that cost very little. With the thread that I bought, this tablecloth will cost me less than $5. How awesome is that?! I'm also enjoying the simple pleasure of sitting with the fabric on my lap, stitching with a needle and thread, and doing some simple crochet.

It's the perfect time to make a red and white checked tablecloth...just before the Fourth of July!