Cotton Tablecloth – pink dye for a country chic look

Recently, on one of those warm and balmy summer evenings we are currently delighting in, I was setting the garden table for a supper party and found myself spoilt for choice for a white tablecloth. I appear to have a fair few. Six infact. A cotton tablecloth for every occasion it seems and all of varying styles and sizes. However they are still all white. And although at some point in our lives most of us will own at least one white tablecloth, none of us will need six, surely? Well I definitely don’t. I need a little more variation in the colour scheme even for this self-confessed neutral palette girl. I need a bit of pastel in my life and on my table. So as I delighted in setting the table with sparkles and pretties, I began thinking how to go about achieving the whole colour thing, without spending a fortune and then I had an idea…

I decided to dye it. The white tablecloth. Dye it pink. Pastel pink to be precise. In my mind I imagined a pretty pink tablecloth dressed with pastel pink roses, slightly faded, petals ready to fall. And so in a bid to shop more locally these days, I headed off to the ironmonger nearby for Dylon Dye. And what do you know they had the perfect colour, Peony Pink. A favourite flower for so many of us it would seem judging by the large majority of Instagram posts dedicated to this floral delight, in the early summer months. Not my account though, since I’ve had only the one bloom in the garden and my only purchase from the local supermarket, yielded very poor results. Only one flower seemed to open properly and here it is, with of course the white tablecloth…

You can see from the tablecloth I selected, pretty details in the decoration and I hoped these details together with the pink colour choice would add to my country home decor. Or garden decor to be more precise. And since in the old days copious amounts of salt were added to the machine also, I picked up a pot with the weekly shop. Turns out dyes have moved on since the last time I used one and these days the salt is included within the dye mix.

The tablecloth should be damp to begin (it was already clean so I ran a rinse cycle)  You simply peel off the lid on the pink dye pot, place the pot on top of the damp cotton tablecloth and close the door of the machine. The instructions tell you the shades your fabrics will be depending on weight, fabric, original colour and so forth. I don’t do written instructions too well. And since Mr M was at work and therefore not able to comment on me cutting out ‘the most important part of the project’, I shut the machine door and hoped for the best. I set the machine to 40 degree cotton cycle and waited (patiently) for the cycle to complete.

I watched occasionally as the pink dye did its stuff and my white tablecloth became the pink tablecloth I wished for. A pink summer tablecloth to be precise. Then I added washing detergent to the machine and washed the pink tablecloth again as instructed. To be clear with my tutorial incase you don’t do instructions either, you need to run a third cycle, this time with detergent only to ensure the machine is clean. Don’t want Mr M wandering around in pink undies do we now?

I chose a good day for the project, just look at that sky. I took endless photos of my pretty pink tablecloth fluttering in the English summer breeze and I tried to squeeze Belle and our newly planted Wildflower Garden in the photo shoot for you to see too. And, keeping it real, a discarded tennis ball from The Spotty One.

I have never been excited to iron before. The following morning was an exception. Mr M thinks I didn’t spot him throw a couple of shirts on the pile for good measure. And here is my beautiful pink cotton tablecloth complete with essential summer table confetti of course, rather like the one made for Christmas.

Tricky to catch the best photograph when the sun is so hot and you’re chasing the shade and your pretty flowers are wilting by the second, you get the idea though. This is not a rustic tablecloth, no no. More a simply shabby chic affair. Which calls for simply shabby chic decoration and simply laid place settings for guests.

And yes originally I wanted an outdoor tablecloth, to dress our table with country chic splendour, now though I have a different idea. Another use for this pretty pink shabby chic fabric. Another craft in the making. That’s enough though for today. Next Thursday I’ll share with you my second idea, until then… have a lovely week and thanks for dropping by x

If you have any questions or your own cotton tablecloth ideas to share, please do so in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you…