Table set for Christmas Dinner

I spent the whole day working on the Christmas Dinner table for my dining room box.  There is a tropical cyclone up north of Western Australia which means that we down south get cloudy, humid weather that is perfect for staying inside and working on miniatures.  I didn't want the Christmas table to be permanent just in case I want to change it later so I devised a method of making the whole table top removable.

1. I made a template on white card by tracing around the table top.
2. Step two was to glue a piece of dark brown felt on top of the cardboard shape. I used the nearest coloured felt that I could get to the stain of the furniture.
3. I cut the table cloth from a linen handkerchief and I unpicked the lace from around the edge of a cotton handkerchief because it was exactly what was in my head for my Christmas look.  I used the cardboard shape that I traced from the actual table cloth as a template again and measured 1 1/2 inches out from the edge all the way around.  Then I hem-stitched a 1/16th inch turned hem all around the edge by hand which was more difficult than I thought it would be because of the curved ends. Lastly, I slip-stitched the lace on top of the hem.
4. I put a length of double-sided tape around the edge of the table top and then laid the felt covered card shape on top of the table.
5. Finally I laid the table cloth over the top of the felt and lightly pressed it to the double-sided tape with my fingers so that it folded over the edge of the table like a real one would and didn't stick out straight from the table edge.

Every plate, knife, fork, spoon, cracker and food is all stuck to the tablecloth with tiny pieces of double-sided tape so that I can pick the table up and nothing moves or falls off.  When I am ready to change my table, all I have to do is ease the table-cloth away from the double sided tape and the whole thing will lift off, still attached to the felt-covered cardboard.

The table looks pretty bare with only the meat and vegetables but the sideboard which will be on the side of the dining-room will have a full punch bowl with tiny glass cups, a Christmas Cake and a trifle.  There is no Christmas Pudding because personally, I hate Christmas Pudding, it's too rich, I much prefer the trifle.

Hmmm, that cyclone has caused us to have showers, the rain is bucketing down right now, I might go and do something else mini like make some jewellery on display stands for my future "Ladieswear Shop" which will sell mini dresses, underclothes, hats, accessories and perfumes.  However, that is for 2014, I need to finish the diningroom with the tree, stockings and presents first.......my brain, as usual, is racing ahead of my hands!!