How to Make a Skirt Out of a Tablecloth (Easy Upcycled Project!)

A fun upcycled project that started with a vintage embroidered tablecloth from Vinted. Here’s how to make a skirt out of a tablecloth (it’s easier than you’d think!)

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You know when you see an outfit on Pinterest and it’s just you?

It was a simple summery skirt. Very Sézane, very effortless, the kind of thing you can feel both comfortable and elegant in. And I became, not to put too fine a point on it, slightly obsessed with recreating it.

I began a hunt for the perfect botanical print linen when I realised – the skirt looks exactly like a tablecloth.

I went straight to Vinted, searched vintage embroidered tablecloths, and bought a few that caught my eye. Possibly a few more than I should have done!

The winner was cream linen, beautiful embroidered border, cutwork details — the kind of thing made for special occasions that probably never came. It had been folded and listed and relisted, waiting for someone daft enough to turn it into a skirt.

That someone was me. And honestly? Best decision.

Why Tablecloths Make Such Good Fabric

Here’s the thing about tablecloths that nobody tells you: they’re basically pre-prepared fabric.

They’re already washed and softened. The edges are usually finished. They come with beautiful prints or hand embroidery already done for you — someone else’s labour, yours to inherit. They are asking to be upcycled!

And for a big piece of fabric, the simplest thing you can make is a skirt. Whether you turn a rectangular tablecloth into a wrap or gathered skirt, or use a round tablecloth to make the most perfect circle skirt, it’s a quick make that looks genuinely gorgeous.

Choosing the Best Tablecloth for Your Skirt

Once you start looking for vintage tablecloths, you’ll realise they are everywhere. Vinted, charity shops, car boot sales, your mum’s airing cupboard. But not all of them work for every project, so here’s what to think about:

Size

Take your waist measurement and hip measurement and check you have enough fabric for your chosen style. Most standard tablecloths are generous, but if you have a larger body you may want to use two. You’ll also want to check it works for your desired skirt length.

Fabric type

Cotton and linen tablecloths are the easiest to work with on your sewing machine. Anything synthetic tends to be lower quality and not nearly as nice to wear.

Edges and borders

This is the really good bit. A decorated or embroidered edge isn’t a problem to sew around. It’s a design feature waiting to happen!

The Best Patterns and Tutorials for a Tablecloth Skirt

When it comes to choosing a pattern, there are a few options and the right one depends on how you like to work.

if you want a wrap skirt (what I made)

The wrap style was the obvious choice for my tablecloth because it meant I could position that embroidered border right on the front hem. Whenever I’m upcycling I try to think about using what’s already there, preserving the original beauty rather than cutting around it.

A wrap skirt also skips the elastic waistband entirely. The ties do all the fitting work. You take your waist measurement, cut accordingly, and it sorts itself out. It really is one of the easiest sewing projects, and ends up looking lovely with very little effort.

A wrap skirt is so simple that with a bit of basic knowledge you could draft your own — it’s essentially a rectangle with a few darts and some bias binding across the top. But if you’d prefer to have the pattern pieces there, you could try the Jill Wrap Skirt by Jessilou’s Closet.

I lined mine because of the cutwork in the embroidery, but you could absolutely skip that step depending on your fabric.

If you want an elastic waist skirt

Sydney Graham’s Dream Skirt tutorial walks you through self-drafting a simple skirt entirely from your own measurements. She covers waist band construction, seam allowance, dealing with raw edges, without faff.

Perfect for tablecloth sewing because you can adapt it to whatever size and shape you’re working with.

If you’d rather use a pattern, the Margot Skirt by Me and Kiddo Patterns is an elastic waistband style — so great for a gathered tablecloth skirt — and the designer is brilliant. I haven’t made this one personally but I trust it completely!

The One Thing to Do Before You Cut

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rushed into cutting upcycled fabric only to make a mistake. There’s no going back and no chance of ordering more when your fabric is one of a kind!

Before you get your scissors, lay your tablecloth out flat. Look at the edges. Look at where the embroidery or print sits, and which direction it runs. Then decide where you want that detail to land on the finished skirt.

This is the step that makes a tablecloth skirt look intentional rather than improvised.

What Nobody Tells You About Upcycling

This is the part that’s hard to explain to someone who doesn’t sew.

When I wear this skirt I think about the tablecloth. I think about whoever bought it — probably for a wedding, or Christmas, or some lunch that was going to be the lunch — and how it ended up on Vinted and then in my hands and now on my body.

There’s something genuinely delightful about that chain of events. Something that brand new fabric, lovely as it is, just doesn’t carry.

If you make one I’d love to see it. Tag me on Instagram or drop a comment below.