Friday Night Fish Dinner

Friday Night Fish Dinner for Eleven

For a rather impromptu fish dinner for eleven, instigated by my brother and oldest son catching Black Bass in our pond, I used one end of the dining table and started with two light blue hem-stitched cotton cloths.

On top of that were three vintage 40's square cloths, all in the same pattern but different color ways.  All were purchased from Michele Piccolo at the Big Red Barn at the Round Top Antiques Fair at different shows.  If you love tablescaping, you must visit her at one of the many shows she does all over the US every year!

I used five of the six Johnson Bros "Fish" transferware dinner plates, Ca 1950's.  The only one I didn't use was the lobster.

I used blue Versailles, depression-era, etched crystal water glasses, a fairly new collection of mine.

Flatware used is also a fairly new collection.  It's called Charter Oak, by International silverplate and was first produced in 1902.  One can tell by the knife blade shape that these are pre-1950's.  A word of caution: Don't polish out the patina around the pattern!  See how much prettier the knife is with polished high parts but with the black patina left in the low areas.  It really makes the oak leaf pattern stand out.  This "over-polished" look can also happen because of the dish washer.

I made little fish-bowl centerpieces using white and pale green flowers.

The Johnson Bros "Fish" pattern, like their "Birds" pattern, has slightly oval plates.

This mid-century transferware is so fun and can be easily found in antiques malls, shows, and on eBay.  One can dress it up or down, use it by the pool or in the dining room.  If it had been a planned-ahead dinner, I'd have brought out themed items like ceramic fish and real shells to mix into the tablescape.  Use your imagination.  Look around your home for items you can add to the table.  And most of all, have fun tablescaping!