As the holidays approach, it's time to start thinking not only about what you will prepare for those special dinners but how your table will look when you present them. Setting the table creatively goes a long way toward giving your home a festive, welcoming atmosphere for your guests. Below are a few ideas for beautiful holiday tables.
Choosing tableware
Setting a formal table traditionally means bringing out the best of everything — foregoing everyday dishes for the good china, using grandmother's silver instead of the usual stainless steel. But if you're missing a few pieces — because they have broken over the years or because you didn't complete your entire set before the pattern was discontinued — it can be difficult to set the table for a large group.
Fortunately, there are some solutions. One is to consult a tableware matching service. These services do the work of hunting down hard-to-find or discontinued patterns of china, silver, crystal and hollowware.
Most keep large collections in stock, so in many cases all you need to do is make a few phone calls and you can have your replacement piece in a matter of days. Prices vary widely, from close to the current retail price of a comparable pattern to considerably higher, depending on how rare the piece is and how much the dealer had to pay to obtain it.
The best place to start searching is with a directory that lists matching services along with their specialties and contact information. Set Your Table has a free directory online www.setyourtable.com, or you can obtain a paper version for $8.50 by calling 800-600-2127. Another good online source is the directory of the International Association of Dinnerware Matchers www.iadm.com.
Another way to solve this problem is to mix and match patterns on your dinner table. This is ideal if your tableware collection is incomplete, but it's also a great way to show off your favorite finds if, like me, you enjoy collecting pieces from many different patterns.
Creating place cards
A holiday dinner table is more fun when set with creative place cards —even if the meal is informal. Place cards are a great way to help introduce guests who may be unfamiliar with one another, and they also take any guesswork out of who sits where.
You can transform almost any small item into a place card. For autumn, I like to use leaves and fruit, such as persimmons. Make a tag from a pressed leaf — or cut a leaf shape from a piece of art or construction paper — and carefully write your guest's name on it.
Making table runners
Runners add color to your holiday table while providing a charming alternative to the usual tablecloth. Add interest by using runners that run crosswise on the table — serving as placemats for people sitting opposite each other — rather than lengthwise down the center. These are simple to make.
First, determine the length of each runner by measuring the width of your table and adding 6 inches to each side for overhang, plus 1 inch for seam allowance. The width of the runner should be generous enough for a place setting — 17 inches plus a 1-inch seam allowance is usually adequate. (I also like this measurement because you can cut three 18-inch-wide pieces from a single 54-inch-wide length of fabric with no waste.)
Cut out your fabric and press under 1/2-inch seam allowance on all four sides of the runner. Cut a piece of felt about 1 inch larger on all sides than the hemmed fabric. Center fabric, right-side-up, on felt and pin in place. Topstitch around the perimeter, very close to the edge of the fabric. Finish by using pinking shears to trim the edges of the felt, leaving just 1/2-inch visible on the sides as decoration.
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