There's nothing like spending some time outdoors with good friends and family, grilling, tossing around a Frisbee and telling old stories that never seem to get old — that is until your tablecloth flips up, knocking over your brats and landing in the lemonade. Weigh it down with this simple tablecloth modification using fishing weights... don't worry, we'll show you how!
Transforming any tablecloth into one that will hold weighs in each corner is super duper simple. All that's needed is a weight and a small triangle of fabric. You can either sew it onto the back of your tablecloth or use an iron-on product such as fusible webbing, leaving a pocket for the weight to slip right inside.
Your tablecloth will forever stay put and you can be worry-free no matter how high of winds Mother Nature has to throw at you!
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May want to avoid lead weights like the ones shown in your picture... being a toxic material and all. Steel or brass would be safer.
Lead at your table. Great idea.
"...until your tablecloth flips up, knocking over your brats and landing in the lemonade."
You shouldn't put babies on the table anyway, even in a car seat. ;)
I found some lucite clothes pin in fabulous summer colors that work great as table weights...no sewing, no lead issues.
You can also get those plastic clips that hold the tablecloth to the table. I think they're meant to be disposable, but I've been using the same set for probably 5 years.
If you're worried about the lead, give them a few coats of spray paint. As long as they aren't going for a swim in your potato salad, it will be ok.
We have a set of metal clips, found in a camping aisle somewhere. They work just fine.
Do you plan on licking the lead?
I personally am not a fan of the whole lead taste, just personal preference.
LOL-here's another easy way: My grandma always added a small bit of ribbon (8" or so) to the inside corner of her outdoor tablecloths. Why? So she could tie on a metal washer so it didn't blow off in the monsoon winds. Best part? Easy to untie when it comes time to throw it in the washing machine! Bonus, it can also be used to secure the tablecloth to table legs!
She also had a hook right next to the washing machine to put the washers onto during the wash cycle. She was one organized gal!
Drapery weights solve the problem. Cheap, easy to use (corner pouch technique or just sew them on), and already fabric-covered to prevent lead transfer to your hands.
Here's a listing. Weights cost around 55 cents each. Usually come in packs of four.
http://bit.ly/cyrOnJ
Make these pockets a bit deeper (= longer) and just put a few pebbles into it. 100% lead free.
I picnic in Central Park which means using the grass as a table, will the weights keep the table on it? I'm so sick of it being blown up? what I've done in the past is use little sandbags but they take up much needed real estate, plus they leech.
Make a slender little tube of fabric and fill it with pennies. Sew one onto each corner.
Thanks to those posters who weighed in on the lead issue. Lead is a proven carcinogen and environmental toxin. As a fisheries biologist in my day job, we are trying to convince fishermen to use other materials to weight lines, so it is frustrating to see lead being recommended for other uses. It just encourages continued manufacture and presence. And no, a coat of paint doesn't take care of the problem...