festive table linen?

[shelley72]

I really should have better things to worry about, but has anyone found/bought some nice child and grandparent friendly table linen? Something that is festive and can be re-used every year? Preferably not too expensive and preferably not white as it wont stay like that very long in our house!
thank you

If meals are going to be very messy, why not opt for a disposable cloth by Duni, they feel like cloth but they aren't. You can get matching napkins as well. I think John Lewis and possibly M&S do childrens vinyl table mats. I think I've seen festive vinyl tablecloth on a roll in the furnishing fabric dept in JL, probably not what you wanted, but wipeable and reuseable. They might have some plain stain resistant fabric tablecloths.

I'm not up to speed with festive linen this year. We have a runner down the centre of the table and plastic charger plates under the dinner plates, which catch anything that goes over the rim. The rest of the table is just varnished wood which gets a quick mop if any splashes occur, and we just use paper napkins.

I agree -the runner is a great way to make a table festive, save money and washing/stain removal. I use one across the length and two plain tonal ones over the width and under the chargers iyswim.

You could make your own, however they come cheap enough - I had a lovely one from the Pier, but i have seen versions everywhere. The gold charger plates we have stay on the table for the week, (washed of course) with crackers and napkins on them. Also one plate holds tealights in little mirror votives in the centre.

When my table was new and DS was new too, I used a plain sheet under the runners to protect it.

thank you, will have a look at M&S in a mo. for the main lunch i usually have a plain tablecloth, with a deep red runner and charger plates - and last year between my then 7mo and my 86yo grandad (bless him) the runner AND the tablecloth got rather messy. i have also used those duni covers in the past for the christmas supper- and think i may have a look again for those to save on the washing christmas afternoon !

I got some netting with tiny silver dots from The Range (sells by the metre) to go over a white tablecloth. I have washed it a couple of times and it's come up fine (washed folded in a bag)

Got my tablecover in Ikea (fits my table for 8) ,Wash with Daz &Ariel stain remover, hang out on a bright day, job done.

Like lordOfTheFlies I got some lovely gold Christmas chiffony type cloth from the Range it has gold snowflakes on it. Cost about £3.00 and I will pop it over a cream tablecloth.

Ooh Lord the range....or as it used to be known in our house "the christmas shop". Many an hour my DS and I spent in there setting off all the musical santas and lights on the little Victorian Christmas Dioramas.....

Bloody loved that shop!

Sadly nothing like that here....