Best Fabric for Tablecloths: Polyester vs Cotton vs Linen

Tablecloth fabrics compared

Fabric	Wrinkles	Shrinks	Care	Best for
Polyester (spun poly, poplin)	Hardly	Hardly	Machine wash, low heat, little or no ironing	Events, rentals, everyday use
Cotton	Yes	A few percent on the first hot wash	Wash cool, iron damp	Home dining, a soft natural feel
Linen	A lot	A few percent on the first hot wash	Wash cool, iron damp; softens with every wash	Formal dinners, a relaxed natural look
Poly-cotton blend	A little	Very little	Easy wash, light iron	Restaurants, families
Vinyl or coated fabric	No	No	Wipe clean	Outdoor tables, kids, crafts
Spandex (stretch)	No	No	Machine wash	Fitted covers for cocktail and banquet tables
Polyester satin	Shows creases	No	Steam rather than iron	Overlays, runners, a shiny accent

What we check at the cutting table

We buy, cut and sew fabric every day, and these are the checks we make before a fabric becomes a tablecloth:

• Hold it to the light. A tight, even weave lets little light through and hangs better. A loose weave looks cheap on the table and snags.
• Drape a corner over your hand. A heavier fabric falls in smooth folds and hangs straight at the drop; a light one flares and moves in a breeze.
• Rub it with a damp white cloth. If color comes off, the fabric will bleed in the wash.
• Check the width on the roll. Fabric wider than your tablecloth means no seams. Narrower fabric means joining panels.

The 10 in shrink test

Before you cut a tablecloth from cotton or linen, cut a 10 × 10 in square, mark it, and wash and dry it the way you will wash the tablecloth. Measure it again. If it is now 9.7 in, the fabric shrinks 3 percent: cut the tablecloth 3 percent bigger, or pre-wash the whole length first. On a 120 in round, 3 percent is almost 4 in across, enough to lift a floor-length hem about 2 in off the floor.

How much fabric to make one

Fabric is sold by the yard from a roll of fixed width, most often 60 in, or 118 in (300 cm) for wide sheeting. Round cloths are cut from a square, so they take the same fabric as a square of their diameter. The yardage below allows a 1 in hem on every edge (a 1/2 in hem turned twice) and 1/2 in seam allowances, and assumes about 58 in of usable width on 60 in fabric and 116 in on 118 in (300 cm) wide fabric.

Tablecloth	60 in wide fabric	118 in wide fabric
60 × 102 in	5 7/8 yd, 2 seams	1 3/4 yd, no seams, turned sideways
90 × 132 in	7 1/2 yd, 2 seams	3 3/4 yd, no seams
70 in round	4 yd, 2 seams	2 yd, no seams
90 in round	5 1/8 yd, 2 seams	2 5/8 yd, no seams
120 in round	10 1/4 yd, 2 seams	6 7/8 yd, 2 seams

When the cloth is wider than the fabric, sew one full-width panel down the middle and an equal strip to each side, so no seam runs down the center of the table. "Turned sideways" means the cloth's length runs across the width of the roll, which saves fabric on solid colors but turns a print or a nap on its side. If you will pre-wash cotton or linen, buy about 5 percent more.

Which fabric for which table

• Kitchen table used every day: poly-cotton or a coated cotton. It survives daily washing and spills.
• Dining room for holidays: linen or heavy cotton, with a short drop of 8 to 10 in.
• Wedding or gala: polyester floor-length cloths in the event color, with a satin or sequin overlay if you want shine.
• Patio and picnic: vinyl, coated fabric or outdoor polyester with weights or clips at the corners.

For events and venues

Some venues ask for flame-retardant linens. Event linen suppliers sell polyester in flame-retardant versions, so check the venue's rules before you buy or rent. For outdoor events, polyester and coated fabrics shrug off damp grass and spills better than cotton.

Washing and ironing it

• Polyester: wash cool or warm and tumble dry on low. Take it out while it is still warm and fold it or hang it straight away, and most wrinkles never set.
• Cotton and linen: iron while the cloth is still slightly damp, on the cotton or linen setting. For a long cloth, iron the center flat first, then lay it on the table and steam the drop with a handheld steamer.
• Red wine: blot, do not rub, and rinse with cold water from the back of the fabric before washing.
• Candle wax: let it harden, lift off what you can, then press the spot between paper towels with a warm iron until the towels stop picking up wax.

How to fold a round tablecloth

1. Lay it flat, right side down, and fold it in half to a half-moon.
2. Fold the half-moon in half again to a quarter circle.
3. Fold the quarter into thirds, like a fan, and store it flat.

For floor-length rounds you use often, skip the folds: hang them over a padded hanger so no crease lines show on the table top.