I will be in that area in another few weeks. I will have to go and check them out.

dcarch

As it turns out, I will now be working for bread. The VP of the bakery wants me to make tablecloths for their Farmers' Market tables, using surplus fabric from our warehouse, and in exchange, he has promised me free bread for life! I have to make four fairly large tablecloths, which go to the ground, and I will be using upholstery weight fabric, which is a bit bulky and more difficult to sew than light-weight fabric. I asked him if he wanted fitted tablecloths, which would have pleats at the corners, and he said that that was not necessary, and so I will just make very large rectangles with 30" radius corners, so that the corners will not drag on the ground. It will be a pain to them those corners, but it will be worth it!

I guess the bread is Italian style, since the bakery has an Italian name, like the 15th Century palace in Venice

Score!

Oh, totally worth it! Are you doing signage on them, or just plain cloths?

And I agree with Colleen: Score!

I am not doing signage, but I am using very high-end fabrics, and so they are not exactly plain. Maybe I will take a photo of them when I finish them - he selected fabrics that will look good with his bread. The tablecloths require 6-3/4 to 7-1/2 yards each, and the fabric probably cost $60-$80 a yard when it was new. In addition to the bread, I am getting some fabric for myself, since there are countless bolts of unused fabric that are over three years old, and are therefore old enough to be considered abandoned. I already have several bolts in my sewing room, but I need some new fabric to make new drapes for my patio doors.

Suggest you make coordinating folding chair covers. My customers were impressed with my sun-brella fabric covers (that also had padded seats they couldn't see) that matched the table cloths. I made them custom fitted so I didn't have to guess which way they spread out on the tables. The chairs and tables were provided by the farmers market and were consistently the same - sturdy but stained, marked, gouged, and taped for who knows what (baloons? signs? whatever). I really would like to see your finished products! And, at $60-$80 per yard how does 3 years old make them abandoned? If there are extra bolts taking up space check with your local community theater and donate them! I think bread for life is a heck of a trade!

Ca d'oro!! Be still my heart!! Glad the bread is aas good as the palazzio.

Lars, bread for life is a pretty darned good deal, I think. I'd love to see the table coverings when you are finished, I'm sure they will be stunning and worth every loaf of bread you ever get for them.

I did click your original link and the bread looks amazing!

Annie

Sounds like a win-win! I've been to that market and would love to see the finished tablecloths ( would also like to taste the bread). You sound like a really talented guy!

Okay, I will definitely photograph the tablecloths when they are done, but I expect that to take a while. The difficulty in making them is having enough space to work on them - get the dimension correct, and gather the hems at the rounded corners. Maybe I will also go to the Santa Monica Farmers' Market to see them as well!

The fabric is considered abandoned because it is left over from client upholstery orders. We hold all leftover fabric for three years, in case the client needs repairs - sometimes there is freight damage that needs a repair or reuph. After that time, the fabric belongs to the company, and the company has plenty of room for storing it.

I wouldn't call that embarrassing -- I would call it fortuitous. And a great deal for both of you. Sounds like they are getting some pretty special tablecloths --and bread for life? Wow!

Lars, nice trade. I look forward to seeing the tablecloths.

Here's the first tablecloth:

Very nice Lars!!!!

Looks very nice and sounds like a really nice fabric. Will he be able to wash them or have them cleaned?

This tablecloth will have to be dry cleaned, as it would shrink if washed, and the color would fade. He is okay with dry cleaning, and I told him that he can spot clean it as well. The fabric is a somewhat loose plain weave, and because the yarns are very thick, it has some of the properties of a basket weave, which made hemming the rounded corners easier. The color does not show well in these photos (which I took very late in the day, due to rain), but it is a sort of olive or khaki green. In dim incandescent light, it looks almost brown.

Nicely done! Are you enjoying the bread?

Good! A nice neutral color that highlights the product not detracts. My table cloths were a muted soft green - the baked goods looked special because they were all tan/gold/brown/white/cream (no artificial colors). Some of the produce vendors used vivid red/orange/yellow flowers, blue and purple veggie patterns, or abstracts for their cloths and the real fruits and veggies got so very lost on them (personally gave me a headache looking at them). I took photos then photo-shopped them to show the difference between using patterns and solids. Got several jobs making cloths though some still insisted on bright reds and golds where I thought they should be color of earth - brown, tan, green, or even white or black, to highlight the vivid colors of the fresh veggies, and several thought I was crazy. Whatever. At the end of the season meeting several commented on how much more they sold and my Mkt Mgr suggested that it was because of the cloth colors, showing tabulated season sales to the new cloths relatively. That was a very nice complement and unbidden. I hope your bakery appreciates your beautiful work.

I haven't delivered the cloth yet - I will probably do that tomorrow. Everyone else thinks the tablecloth is beautiful, and they saw both sides of it. I tried to suggest a lighter color of cloth because I was afraid that a dark color might fade in the sunlight, but I think the company that will apply the Scotchguard (or whatever they use) can also apply a UV protection.

I wonder if this cloth will actually increase sales. I know it can't hurt, and I do think it will make their booth more attractive. The other fabric I have for them is a bit darker and also a bit more brown, and I think it is a different fiber content, but the colors are fairly close and will blend together well. The weave is slightly different also - the second fabric has a ribbed weave and it may be a bit more difficult when I make the rounded corners.

I should get some bread tomorrow!

Mmmmmmmmmm Breeeeeeeeaaaaaaaddddd!

I see the green now. At first I saw it as more grey, which, to be honest, didn't excite me for displaying baked goods, but green should be a nice compliment. The rustic weave sounds good too -- a bit of farm/earthyness for rustic/artisan loaves.

I wouldn't expect the cloths to need much cleaning as long as they avoid mud at the bottom. Or the spilled coffee/soda of a customer.

The photo does not show the exact color, it is more of an olive drab and is closer to brown than it is to gray. Here are photos with some color correction:

May I suggest you get his "promise" in writing - in case he sells his business or isn't there down the road - and have it in writing that this be extended to any new company if it does sell? (Used to work for lawyers.) It wouldn't hold up in court but it'd be a help. Hope he doesn't move ... (ever the skeptic).