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A fine tablecloth is the quiet foundation of the well-set table — the surface on which the silver rests, the crystal sparkles, the porcelain settles. Well-chosen linens outlast several sets of everything that goes on top of them. The great weaving traditions of Ireland, Belgium, Italy, and France have been producing damask, plain linen, and embroidered napery for centuries, and the best pieces can be handed down through generations if properly cared for. This is a guide to the fabrics that matter, the sizes to buy, and how to store a table linen collection.
What Damask Actually Is
Damask is a woven fabric — traditionally linen, though also silk and cotton — in which the pattern is created by contrasting the warp and weft yarns in the weave itself, producing a subtle self-toned design that appears matte in one direction and satin-sheen in the other. A damask tablecloth in ivory or white catches candlelight along the pattern lines and looks entirely different from either angle. The technique originated in the medieval Middle East (the name comes from Damascus) and reached its perfection in the great Irish and Belgian mills of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Damask is woven in a range of qualities, from single damask (a straightforward pattern) to double damask (a denser, more elaborate structure using more warp threads per inch) to the finest antique double damasks with thread counts approaching 200 per inch. Better damask feels heavier in the hand, drapes more fluidly, and shows the pattern more clearly. A double damask Irish linen tablecloth from a good maker is a real investment and can be handed down for a century with proper care.
Irish Linen
Irish linen has been made in Ulster since the seventeenth century, and until the mid-twentieth was widely regarded as the finest linen in the world. The great Ulster mills — Ferguson Irish Linen, Thomas Ferguson & Co, and the collective mills around Banbridge and Belfast — produced damask, plain, and embroidered pieces for royal households, first-class ocean liners (the White Star line’s linens were Ulster damask), and grand hotels. Genuine Irish linen carries the Irish Linen Guild trademark and is spun from flax fibre — the classic material for the finest tablecloths and napkins.
Plain Irish linen — undamasked, without pattern — is the everyday luxury. A large plain Irish linen tablecloth in a warm ivory or oyster tone is one of the most versatile pieces of napery a household can own, working equally with formal china and informal earthenware, with silver or with wood.
Embroidered Napery
Napery is the general term for table linens — cloths, napkins, doilies, tray cloths — and the embroidered category is where the finest handwork of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries survives. Madeira embroidery (fine white-on-white cutwork from the Portuguese island), Ayrshire needlework, Mountmellick whitework, Appenzell hand embroidery from Switzerland — all appear on the finest antique tablecloths and napkin sets. A boxed set of twelve Madeira-embroidered dinner napkins with matching finger bowl doilies, in good condition, is a real treasure and often available at estate sales for less than a new set of much lesser quality.
Monogrammed napery is a category unto itself. Traditionally the family monogram — three initials with the surname initial larger and central — was embroidered by hand into the corner of each napkin and tablecloth. Antique monogrammed sets from families now dispersed appear regularly in the linen market at moderate prices; using them at your own table (whether the monogram is yours or not) is a small and pleasant act of continuity.
Sizing a Tablecloth
A well-sized tablecloth drops between 8 and 12 inches from every edge of the table — enough to fall gracefully into the diner’s lap when seated, not so much that it puddles on the floor. For a formal dinner cloth, the drop is longer (12-15 inches on each side); for a lunch cloth or informal setting, shorter (6-8 inches).
To calculate: measure the table’s width and length in inches, add twice the desired drop to each dimension. A 60 x 90 inch dining table with a 12-inch drop needs an 84 x 114 inch cloth. Standard sizes offered by good linen houses are: 60 x 84 (small rectangular), 60 x 108 (medium), 72 x 108 (large), 72 x 144 (banquet), and round cloths from 68 to 90 inches diameter. Napkins are standardly 20 x 20 inches for dinner, 18 x 18 for lunch, 6 x 6 for cocktail.
Care of Fine Linens
Fine linen improves with age and use, provided it is cared for properly. Wash in cool or warm water (never hot, which damages the fibre and can shrink an unwashed cloth) with a mild detergent designed for delicates — never bleach, which weakens flax fibre irreversibly, and never chlorine bleach on any coloured or antique linen. For stains, address them promptly with cool water and, if needed, a small amount of an oxygen-based stain treatment; older stains (especially wine) require patient repeated soaking rather than a single aggressive treatment.
Iron damp, on the reverse side, with the iron set to the highest linen setting — Irish linen holds a crease beautifully when properly ironed and looks limp and disappointing when ironed dry or without heat. For a fine damask cloth, iron on the reverse to bring out the pattern, then briefly on the face to smooth the surface. Store folded flat on a shelf (not on wire hangers, which crease permanently), interleaved with acid-free tissue paper, and refold along different lines every year or so to prevent permanent creasing. Do not store in plastic — linen needs to breathe.
Questions from the Well-Set Table
Is Irish linen worth the price?
Yes, for a piece that will be used for decades. Irish linen — properly cared for — outlasts almost every other table fabric on the market, holds its colour and structure through hundreds of washings, and looks better after twenty years than most cottons look after two. The upfront cost is real, but calculated against the working life of the piece, it is often the more economical choice. Look for the Irish Linen Guild trademark, which certifies the cloth is spun and woven in Ireland from flax fibre.
What size tablecloth do I need?
Measure the table’s dimensions and add 8-12 inches on each side for a formal drop (16-24 inches added to each of the two dimensions). A 60 x 84 inch dining table needs a cloth of roughly 76-84 x 100-108 inches for good drape. For a lunch cloth, reduce the drop to 6-8 inches; for a banquet or grand-dinner cloth, extend to 15 inches. Round tables use a round cloth or a large square set on the diagonal. Napkins are 20 x 20 for dinner, 18 x 18 for lunch, 6 x 6 for cocktail.
Can antique linens be safely used?
Almost always, yes. Nineteenth and early twentieth century linens were made to a much higher standard than most modern textiles and, if they have survived intact to now, are typically sound for continued use. Check for weak areas at fold lines (which may need careful reinforcement), for antique stains that may be difficult to lift, and for any brittle edges or seams. A gentle first wash in cool water reveals condition. Use them for real dinners — antique linens shut in a drawer for another generation are wasted.
How should I remove wine stains from linen?
The traditional method: as soon as possible after the spill, sprinkle the stain generously with salt to absorb what has not soaked in, then rinse with cool water from the reverse side (pushing the stain out through the fabric, not further into it). For persistent stains, soak in cool water with an oxygen-based stain treatment (Oxiclean or an equivalent) for several hours, then wash normally. Never use hot water on a fresh stain — heat sets it. Never use chlorine bleach, which weakens linen fibre. Sunlight, applied to a wet stained area over several hours, is a surprisingly effective final treatment for stubborn residual marks on white linen.
What is the difference between damask and jacquard?
Damask is a specific weave; jacquard is a weaving method that can produce many patterns including damask. Damask is a self-toned patterned weave (single colour, pattern visible through contrasting warp and weft directions) traditionally made on a jacquard loom (a mechanical loom invented by Joseph Jacquard in 1804 that reads a pattern from punched cards and controls each warp thread independently). Not all jacquard is damask (jacquards can be multi-coloured), but almost all damask is jacquard-woven. On the shelf, “damask” specifically indicates the classic single-colour self-toned patterned cloth.
See also: Fine Silver · Fine Crystal · Bone China.
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