DIY Anthropologie Tablecloth

Happy Happy Monday!

No snow here in Atlanta, but boy has it been gloomy!  So to add a some color we took on this DIY over the weekend.  Let me first rewind and explain how this started...

 I found this leftover bolt of canvas at a local thrift store ~ for $5!  So for $1/yd we left with about 5 yards of fabric.  It was then time to hit the world wide web and get inspiration for a DIY tablecloth.  We found everything from stripes to confetti, painted and dip dyed, here's a few that caught our eye:

1.2.3.4.5.

When I came across the Brooks of Bohemia tablecloth from Anthropologie I loved how fun and vibrant the painted piece was.  Keep in mind the original is Linen, handmade in Australia and is pretty much a work of art therefore the steep price tag.  After doing some additional research I found our that you can Paint Rit Dye!!!  Did you know that?!  I've never used Rit Dye, but figured this would be a good first!  

Here's what we used to DIY our own:

2 yards of found Canvas, $2

Rit Dye, Color: Fuchsia (purchased at Hobby Lobby with 40% off coupon), $2.27

Rit Dye, Color: Petal (purchased at Hobby Lobby with 40% off coupon), $2.27

Rit Dye, Color: Pearl Grey (purchased at Hobby Lobby with 40% off coupon), $1.37

Assorted Foam Brushes from Hobby Lobby, $1.99

Plastic Wrap, we already owned

Painters Tape, we already owned

Making our Grand Total w/ Tax = $10.46

We know that we scored on our fabric find, but other ways to save on fabric:

White Tablecloths at Thrift Stores (we've seen them for as little as $1-$5)

Canvas Drop Cloths (we've seen these sold for $10-$20)

Leftover fabric on sale at Fabric Stores

To get started you first want to measure and cut out your fabric ~ if you plan to use it as a tablecloth you may want to go ahead and sew edges.

2.  Place down plastic wrap on the surface you'll use, then tape down your fabric.  We also chose to tape off our lines to be sure we made them somewhat straight, but still wanted to give this an authentic painted look ~ not perfect.

3.  Mix the Rit Dyes according to the labels ~ because it calls for VERY hot water you may not want to mix all the colors at once.  We mixed as we went.

4.  Paint on the Rit Dye using your foam brushes.  Depending on the color you may need to give several coats.  To get the colors we used above go with the following:

from left to right

1.  Dove Grey ~ we diluted ours pretty heavily

2.  Petal with a teeny bit of Fuscha mixed in

3.  Petal with a little dove grey mixed in

4.  Fuscha

5.  Petal with a little dove grey mixed in

6.  Petal

*TIP* Depending on fabric and color, your dyes can look VERY different, we had extra swatches we practiced on and would mix until we got the right consistency.  You can place these swatches between plastic wrap, then put them in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.  This will show you the color when dried.

 5.  Paint on your colors ~ again, the sloppier the better!  Once all colors are on, wrap the entire piece in plastic wrap.

 6.  Depending on how large your piece is this may or may not work for you.  Fold fabric, continuing to place plastic between layers and place your piece in the microwave ~ in the same way you did the swatches above.  Our piece was a little too big to benefit from this, so we let it dry overnight.

7.  If you want to set the colors, place under cold water until the water runs clear.  If your piece faded more than you wanted, let it dry then do the process again.  Once you're happy with tone, and cold water runs clear, you should be good to go to wash your new tablecloth in the washing machine!

While our studio set up is more than pitiful (gotta love DIY!) ~ not shabby considering we spent a fraction of the cost!  

Final Tip:  If you  want your Fuchsia stripe to be more vibrant, you may want to try a neon pink Fabric Paint!  

Psst!  Got $20?  Love a good thrift shop?  Then check out YHL's latest challenge: 

The (Completely Unofficial) Macklemore Thrift Shop Challenge