How to Make a Colorful Tablecloth for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time for family. One way to bring the family together before that day even rolls around is to have a craft day in your home. Making a festive tablecloth is a way for the whole family to get involved in the celebration.

Here is what you will need for this project. Newspaper, a white table cloth (I have seen old bed sheets used), fabric paint (colors- red, orange, brown, yellow, and sunflower), scissors, sponges, construction paper, Styrofoam plates, corn cobs, fall leaves of all shapes and sizes. Also have a trash can with a plastic liner.

First wash and dry your tables cloth well. If you have wrinkles in it, use an iron and take them out. Simply lay the tablecloth on the table and iron out the wrinkles. Now place the newspaper all over your working table. Make it thick so that the paint won't bleed through to the table.

Next take your sponges and cut them into shapes of pumpkins, leaves, and other items usually seen in the Fall. Be creative. Look at your table cloth and sort of plan where you want to place your colors and the type of theme that you would like to display.

Put paints on different Styrofoam plates. Use one color at a time and space it out on the tablecloth. You need to space just in case some paint would run a little. You can use the sponges to soak up the paint and now just dab your spot on the table cloth. Don't wash out the sponge. Use the same sponge for the same color. You can always use more sponges and their designs if you want.

You can roll the corn cob in the plate of paint or just tab half of it. Some will just rill it a little to get a cob of corn print. You can experiment on a plain piece of paper first to see what you like.

Take your leaf and hold it by the stem. Dip it into the paint and dab it onto the table cloth. Then just dispose of it into the trash can. Be sure you get all the excess paint off the leaf before you dab it to the cloth.

If you have a good artist in the family you might want to think about drawing a horn of plenty or a turkey on a platter in the center of the table cloth. If you decide to do this, paint it first before anything else is done.

Let the cloth sit on the table overnight to dry well. Fold it up and set it aside for Thanksgiving Day.

This is a great way to get the family involved in a family project. Parents can help supervise little ones so that they are successful with their paint dabbing.

Options; You can always go to a craft center and get some stencils for words or other designs. Many craft stores will have different types of fabric paint as well. You can find rustic colors which are always great for the Fall season. However, this is a family project and sometimes a little bit of a mess adds to the over all effect of the tablecloth.