The Family Tablecloth
This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Pin It
There are not many things much more fun than gathering around the table to enjoy a meal with family or friends. Over the holidays we visited my in-laws on their farm in North Carolina. I was happy to see this family tablecloth on the table when we arrived.
My mother-in-law began this in 1995. Every year, when we all gather together around the table, each family member who is present, with pencil in hand, adds a little more.
Sometimes it’s a poem about what happened that year.
Sometimes it’s a drawing. Or maybe it’s a simple outline of their hand.
Whatever the author chooses to add they sign their name and date it. Then, before the next holiday season arrives, Nanny needlepoints each mini artwork, readying the tablecloth for more. Nanny made the tablecloth from simple sheeting and attached red trim along the edge.
It’s been such fun to see it fill up over the years. The kids really get a kick out of looking back to what they had to say years ago. What a great idea. I hope we continue the tradition until there are no more white spaces left.
Do you have any cool traditions you’ve began with your family or friends?
This is great! I love the fact that you added the detail of writing/stitching on it every year. So meaningful and how touching to look back each year.
I love, love, love this idea!! Absolutely fabulous 🙂
What a beautiful Gran-inspired idea… I may just have to adopt this one. Also thinking how it could be expanded – imagine a wedding or graduation or baby shower {or any other celebration}, where each guest contributes, and then one {or many} do the stitching and later present the gift of memories, a snapshop of a moment captured forever in a scrapbook of cloth… love it – thank you for sharing.
I have done this for three of my daughter’s weddings, They are precious keepsakes.
I LOVE this idea! What a wonderful keepsake!! I could get my mother-in-law to sew the table cloth (I’m sewing challenged) but I could needlepoint the art work myself. Oh man! I need to do this. Thanks for a one-of-a-kind idea!
I love this idea and have started doing it myself! I’ve included a link in my blog: http://ecb.edesignsfashion.com/2011/10/11/this-is-the-project-that-never-ends.aspx
What a wonderful tradition! I love it and wonder if I can manage to start something like that? Thanks for sharing!
What a creative idea! I love this! Thanks for sharing.
That is amazing – what a wonderful tradition. We have a few traditions, but nothing that compares with this wonderful tablecloth. This year I’m putting together a tree decorated with childhood pictures of every member of the family. As each new child is born, their picture will be added.
We have been doing something similar. Several years ago my best friend and I both bought large white table cloths and a package of colored permanent markers. Then everyone gets to choose their favorite color and write what their blessing is. We call it the blessing table cloth.
The idea is creat, a wonderful family tradition!
Love that. Pity I can not find Pinterest share button. Would be perfect post.
I have been making several of those since 1993. I put them out on each of my children’s birthdays, now it is also grandchildren. I got way behind and didn”t finish, so this year I am finishing them and turning them into blankets.
I actually heard about a similar tablecloth tradition and started mine this week. Today I finished embroidering all the signatures of those present at our Thanksgiving feast! 🙂 I ADORE this tradition and can’t wait to see the tablecloth fill up with loved ones names over the years. 🙂
What a wonderful idea, I love that she does the needlepoint, it really adds quite a finished look to it. What a special blessing to your family.
We move around quite a bit (military family) so I try to find an ornament that either reflects something special that we did that year or the new place we are living. As we pull the ornaments out it is a great time of remembering, and also talking to the younger ones about these special times and places.
This is a beautiful idea. I actually wanted to do a quilt when my babies were born. I planned to send out a square of fabric with each birth announcement and have each family member write their hopes for the child and send it back to me to embroider. I never managed this so I would love to take on your tablecloth idea now that I have a bit more time and energy to actually do it!
I need some traditions like now! This is such a crafty, fun and great way to hold onto those precious moments 🙂
so, SO love this Amy!!!!
Amy, this is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO neat! I am so excited to begin my own! Thank you so much for passing along the idea. Its so neat, but I’d have never thought of it on my own =)
Awww, this is so, so sweet…What an awesome tradition 🙂
That is such a neat idea! And so heart warming. I am gonna start one of my own from this year 🙂