We were out @ the camp site again today & I was able to finish up making the cover for the picnic table & the benches. For those who have asked: what I did was measure the table top from side to side & then the length of it & the same for the benches. Be sure you measure the sides too. Take this measurement & add an inch or so. If you buy fleece backed tablecloths you need 2 & they have to be bigger then the 50 x 70 which I think is the standard size @ the dollar stores, unless your lucky enough to find bigger maybe Wal~Mart? I bought mine 60 x 80. My table benches: I cut in half length wise then cut in half lengthwise again this gave me enough to make both bench seat covers & had half of it leftover so I could really make 2 more bench seat covers from this. I stitched a casing all around it & since I was using a 1/4" elastic my casing was about 3/4" & left the opening & threaded an elastic through then stitched the elastic ends together. For the table I did much the same my size was about 44" so I cut 16" off the sides but kept the length & did the same as the benches. I have thought about this & what you could do if you aren't sure of the size is use cording instead of elastic & one of those bobs things for all three pieces. Then you can pull the strings on any size table & it will automatically fit. I am attaching a photo of the bob thing I am talking about as I have one attached to my coat. Unfortunately I can't tell you anymore about this as I have given the wrapper to a lady who has ordered one from me. Rather then me buy the tablecloths I sent her out to buy the pattern she liked best. I bought mine @ Giant Tiger for $5 each. I much prefer this to the wooden table & I have in fact seen people staple a smaller cloth to their table too. I went with a pale background instead of a heavy print because this table is left out in the sun so it will fade & the red one is on our deck & mostly covered by the awning. I will point out that while this is a great & tidy idea the table that we got on our site was quite rough & I did have to sand it down & putty it in 2 spots so that it would not rip the cloth as soon as I tried to fit it. That's why it took me longer to make then the red one. Another tip I learned after making the round one is when you make the casing it is ok to leave an opening (for elastic only) in more then one spot it helps when you are threading the elastic through the casing your pin catches the fleece & will stick a little so if you have an opening left on all 4 sides you can then pull the elastic through the holes a quarter of the way around it. Much easier to do then pull it all @ the end. I used about 1.75X for the elastic. So the measurement of the table but only 1.75 of that
Hugs, Nadyne
Thank you for your clear instructions!
Cindy