Table Top Texture

Remember the old song, "The Days of Wine and Roses"? Uh, no. You probably don't.  It was sung by the fabulous Nancy Wilson. Wow! Am I dating myself. Actually, my mom had the album (a 33" disk), Hollywood My Way. The great Ms.Wilson was a favorite of my mom's and I can remember her singing along while she did housework. It's a warm memory.  Well, while taking pictures for this post, the song  kept running through my mind. If you know me at all you know that a song is always running through my mind.

I'd like to chat about how texture can really add punch to a table top. I'm sure you've found that to be true.

Here's a piece of burlap I had left over from about a three yard piece. It's only about 15" in length but I have the full width. My very first sewing teacher (way back in 7th grade) said, "never, ever cut off a good selvedge".

That's one of the best sewing tips I've ever gotten. So with that in mind, I decided to make a table runner with the selvedges intact. I would not describe my 'look' as raggy {shabby} but I like a little touches of unravel here and there. Hey, I've been known to unravel on occasion too. I raveled the long sides of the runner as you can see. Something interesting just occurred to me. There is not one bit of sewing required to make a runner such as this. So even if you don't own a sewing machine you can make this runner.

Last night I sat and made 14 burlap rosettes. I wanted to put seven on each end. This was time consuming but not difficult.

I planned my layout, which was nothing too precise. And I used Unique Stitch to glue them on. Notice that I put parchment paper under the ends of the runner so that the glue would not seep through the fabric and stick to the table!

I love the way it turned out. Burlap Beige is very rich looking against the wood tones. Now time for a little creative staging~

There are multiple elements adding texture to this vignette. The runner of course. And then there is the antique bread plate and the sea grass chairs! The few touches of red make the combination of neutrals stand out. The point is, texture can play a significant role in tabletop dressing. It doesn't take a lot of high-end fuss to make a big statement.

I think it cost about $5 at most to make this runner.  Such a deal! And I like it on my table. I'm calling it big change for {small} change.

And now, I leave you with this profound bit of wisdom. Never cut off a good selvedge!


I've linked my thoughts to Table Top Tuesday. I hope you'll wander on over to Marty's.

Enjoy your day!

     Dana