Tuesday Tips - Adjustable Table Cover for Shows

That's my sweetie up there conducting a transaction at the Austin Bead Society Jewelry and Bead Bazaar this last weekend. This post is a little brief interlude to my recent posts on design techniques. Why? Well, this is a problem that has vexed me for months and the proverbial light bulb lit up this weekend. I do a monthly show where I provide my own table that is 6 foot long. Bead shows I do, generally, have tables that are 8 foot long. Being the queen of cheap, I've been looking for a way to have a table cover that will work for both.  I just didn't want to have different set ups for diferent show configurations. Too confusing and too expensive. So here we go in finally putting the two together.

I use relatively inexpensive polyester jersey to drape my tables. So what I've done is cut two pieces that are the same length and draped them over each end of the table to floor length front and sides.

I drape that center bare section of the table with a piece of cotton batik fabric that has the same length as the two side pieces. See those bits on the top of the table? Those are my weights so nothing slides around.

For my regular monthly show I've attached velcro tape to the table I use with a matched piece for each of the three sections of fabric that I drape the table with. Now instead of my fabric sliding around as I attempt to anchor it with my table display, I've got a ready made system. For bead shows I can just slide the outer panels apart and put the center section over the top. But what, you ask, do you do to anchor things? Double sided tape. For years I've been wondering what you use double sided tape for. Well, now I know and I am thinking about an entire line of uses for double sided sticky tape. It will be my ticket to fame and glory ;-)

One last little tip. I've been using table/bed risers to get my table up to counter height. It's got a lot of advantages. First, I find it a much more comfortable height to conduct transactions at. Second, it sets your display a little apart and, most importantly, it gets your beads up there where people can really see them without having to stoop. I don't remember where I got mine but you can do an internet search for bed/table risers and you'll pull up all sorts of options.

I'll be getting re-aquainted with the iron shortly as I'll be taking a test drive of the sytem this weekend at my monthly market. That center panel is woefully wrinkled.

I'd love to hear from you all on your own table draping solutions. Lot's of potential out there to set your beautiful wares apart from the rest.