Proper Tablecloth Overhang Length

When measuring the table for a cloth and overhang from ten to fifteen inches on all sides must be allowed for. On a large banquet table, for a really luxurious effect, the cloth should hang over as far as conveniently possible.

The term “table linen” is applied to any fabric or material used for a cloth or placemats for the dining table, and to the accompanying napkins. While china, flatware, and glass are bought and correlated with the idea that they will be used for many years and perhaps, with nominal care, will last a lifetime and more, linen is one of the elements of the table that allows for the greatest number of changes. In china, flatware, and glass, the best advice anyone can give you is, “buy the finest you can afford”; linen can be extremely expensive, but it need not be – there is less convention nowadays and more ingenuity, imagination, and personal taste.

The shape of the tablecloth should, of a necessity, conform to the shape of the dining table, whether it is square, oblong, round, or oval. The oblong or rectangular table has been the most popular for many years, but there is a modern trend toward round tables that open up to an oval shape for extra seating. When measuring the table for a cloth and overhang from ten to fifteen inches on all sides must be allowed for. On a large banquet table, for a really luxurious effect, the cloth should hang over as far as conveniently possible. — Patricia Easterbrook Roberts, 1960

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