You Say Upholstery Webbing ........ I say Christmas Table Runner !!

By Pate-Meadows Designs - December 23, 2017

Who says upholstery webbing isn't fit for the Christmas Dishes ???

So, yall know I like to use unconventional (and might I add - inexpensive) materials in elegant home decor, right? Well, this year is no exception when it came to my Christmas Dinner Tablescape.

Last Friday, while relaxing OutOnThaPorch with Mama-n-em - y'all know Mama-n-em, right?

Mama-n-em
aka Mother & Daddy, aka Claudine and Bill Ward, aka Cousin Eddie

Anyway, we were talking about how cute it would have been to have had my old Christmas dishes for my previous OutOnThaPorch shoot. And, how I would love to have them for us to eat on for Christmas dinner. I hadn't seen them in 20 years. I figured they were long gone, discarded in one of the many moves we've made over the years.

Well that's all it took for my two "Cousin Eddie(s)". The next thing I knew they were calling me on their way back to Nashville from Bham with, what I like to refer to as a "truck load of junk". Seems Mama-n-em knew exactly where those dishes were. And to my surprise, in one of the antique trunks they were hauling back, was, none other than my first set of sweet little Christmas dishes.

They still have the layaway number taped to the box ! Ha!

I was shocked when I found them so nicely packed and undamaged. I bought them way back in 1986 or '87. I can remember so vividly, just like it was yesterday. They only cost $17 for a 4 place setting box from Walmart, but we were so broke back then that I still couldn't afford them. But I put them on the layaway anyway, along with the kids' Christmas toys that year. I'm so glad I did.

My wheels started turning with "visions of sugarplums" on how to use them for my main dining room table this year especially, and they would work so nicely with a check theme.

Buffalo Check From Pate-Meadows Designs

I am OBSESSED with checks. Always have been - and now that buffalo check is so hot, nothing else would do. Problem was, I only have the samples - not enough to make a runner or table cloth.

Nothing in my fabric stash spoke to me, especially since I had the tunnel vision going for buffalo check.

Then I remembered all the black and white check napkins Leigh had leftover from Jon and Anne Yates' after rehearsal dinner (Leigh was the Pate part of Pate Meadows) When the wedding was over, I'm so glad she threw some my way!

This little hodge-podge Christmas table setting was starting to come together quite nicely.

Another light bulb went off when I started thinking about my Girl Scout days and the Sit-Upons we used to weave out of newspapers.

The red upholstery webbing would make a fabulous table runner by weaving strips together !

Upholstery Webbing Available Here In Black or Red

I cut 3 long strips the length of the table, and laid them side by side where they should go, then I cut and weaved 3 strips crossways at each place setting. I did that 3 times since we have 3 chairs on one side of the table and 3 on the opposite side.

3 long strips of webbing left to right then the 9 strips were spaced apart, 3 strips each to create placemats at each place setting

I tucked the two side strips under the middle strip

Then I folded the middle strip down the middle

And made a diagonal cut

To create this cute ribbon detail

Next I used my trusty tag gun to secure the tucked under strips

I don't know what in the world I would do without my trusty Tack Gun ! Tag Gun From Pate-Meadows Designs.

You can barely see the tacks - they're almost invisible !

Layering adds depth and tends to make everything compliment each other. So my gold chargers, stacked with Mama-en-em's clear, beaded Christmas chargers, along with Leigh's after dinner rehearsal napkins and my sweet Christmas dishes came together so nicely. Mama-n-em's green goblets were just perfect, too! And before you knew it, my Christmas table was set !!!