Anyway, the family kept a huge dog kennel in their family room. Vern very cleverly put a table over the kennel and used it as an end table beside the couch. He then used fabric to make a fitted cover for the table to hide the kennel and make the end table attractive. (Here’s the link to the episode. Click to the second picture showing Vern’s winning design and you can just barely see the dog kennel/end table in the bottom right corner with the brown striped fabric.)
Vern’s idea reminded me of a similar “hiding technique” my friend Angela uses in her craft room. She has a small 4’x2’ folding table that she uses for a workspace. Like most craft areas, she has a lot of supplies stashed under the table for storage. In order to hide her stacks of stuff, she simply used adhesive Velcro to attach fabric around the outside of the table to make a fitted table skirt. She left an opening in the middle (like closed drapes) for easy access to the stuff under the table. It looks more contemporary than using a floor-length table cloth since it is actually “tailored” to the table. And, with the opening in the middle, it provides much easier access than lifting up a tablecloth.
So, if you are using a Lifetime table or other table around the house, think about putting a skirt on it for some quick and attractive storage space! This is also a great tip for college students living in dorm rooms or those of you in small apartments. Simply Velcro fabric under your desk, between two dressers, under a bathroom sink, across shelves, etc. to make the space do double duty for you!
Can’t sew? No worries! There are plenty of easy ways to avoid sewing for a project like this. Use fusible tape like Stitch Witchery (available at fabric stores and even craft departments at discount stores) to make the hems on the sides and ends. The fusible tape irons on and basically replaces a needle and thread! (It’s kind of the Duct Tape of the sewing world!) Before you head out to buy new fabric to make your table skirt, check your linen closet…and maybe use some old sheets instead! That band that runs along the top of your sheets makes a nice decorative edge (already sewn!) for the bottom of your table skirt. Simply cut the sheet to the length you need for your table and use fusible tape to hem the top of your skirt. Then, just stick the adhesive Velcro on both the table and skirt. Ta-da!
