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How to Miter a Corner on a Tablecloth

Create a professional looking tablecloth by mitering the corners when you hem it. A print tablecloth is a decorating asset because it only requires a simple centerpiece. Place a bowl of fruit on tablecloth with a fruit print for a charming look in your breakfast nook. A few large metal ants are a humorous touch on a red-checked picnic cloth, and they will help hold the cloth down in the wind. Flat mitered corners are especially important when you are using a small tablecloth and the corners will be on top of the table.

Things You'll Need

Unhemmed tablecloth
Ironing board
Iron
Scissors
Sewing machine
Thread

Instructions

- 1
  Iron the hems into the tablecloth, ironing down first 3/8 inch on all four sides. At the corners, include the folded edge of the first fold when you fold down the second side. This will make a folded square at the corners.
- 2
  Iron down a second hem, in the same way, 5/8 inch from the edge on all four sides.
- 3
  Place one corner of the cloth on the ironing board with the right side down. Unfold the hems at this corner.
- 4
  Fold the corner in toward the center of the cloth at a 45-degree angle at the point where the inside folds of the hem on each side of the corner cross. These are the folds closest to the center of the cloth.
- 5
  Cut the corner off at a 45-degree angle at the point where the two folds closest to the edge meet. Leave the rest of the corner folded in.
- 6
  Refold the hems. The edges of the corner will fold down and meet each other, forming a line that bisects the angle of the corner. Iron the folded corner. Miter the other corners in the same way.
- 7
  Sew the hem by stitching close to the inside fold, all the way around the cloth.

Sewing