I've looked at your pictures for a while.
I'm no Judith or Kathleen or Dining Delight, but here goes.

I think the napkins are great (I love plaid.), but not so much with so many different looks that you already have going on. The serving pieces, centerpiece and placesettings are already pretty busy. I think a solid yellow or red (not fire engine red, but a hue like you have in the plaid napkins) or green to match the cake plate might be a bit better. (And I do mean, MIGHT be better.) Keep your eye out for napkin rings. They will turn up. Something with a slice of fruit on it perhaps?

If your main objective is to use the brown buildings in a tablescape, I'd wait to use the apple pitcher at another time, when you go for more of a Fruitware look. I think the Franciscan Apple plates go real well with the Cottageware (That's the brown buildings, right?). Love the yellow accent pieces (especially the toast holder). They make a nice transition from the place settings to the brown serving pieces.

The flatware goes well with the retro look.

As much of a cake plate fan as I am, the biscuit box looks sort of stuck up there. Can you think of something to put under the biscuit box to soften the look?

Even though you say it might look "pitchered out," I like the idea of using a pitcher for a vase. You can't go wrong with fresh flowers on the table. You might also want to look into those faux sprigs with tiny apples and lemons - unless you're one of those anti-faux flowers people).

Oh, I just reread this and it sounds harsh. I don't mean it to be, honest. That's why I rarely post anything like this. I'm just typing up some ideas. I love your dishes, love their sentimental value, and I love the fact that you want to USE them.

Look at these. Click on the very last item on the list.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fruit napkin rings

Lynn, since I spent most of my life "dish deprived"...LOL..till I stumbled on this Forum, I'm the last person to offer advice. Tho looking at the pictures and reading OA's comments, I would agree with her.
(OA, you couldn't sound harsh if you tried, LOL)

I've never seen Cottageware dishes before, but think I have just fallen in love!! They are wonderful. I really like how you display them, and neat you actually use them.

hugs, Karen

OA, you didn't sound harsh at all. Your ideas make sense and I love. love, love the napkin rings! This table was just thrown quickly together to show you all what I have to work with. I totally like and understand your ideas of softening up the table with flowers or greenery. Like a city with a lot of buildings, greenery adds softness and my table needs that, too.
Karen, thanks, and yes, I know what you mean about Cottageware. It has a bit of magic to it. I got an antique store owner hooked on them and, after that, she kept most of her good finds for herself ;^D
I'll be back later to read more, but I need to start our late (for us) breakfast.
Lynn

I had a bit if time before we sat down to breakfast this morning and so I fiddled with the table setting a bit. Tell what you think about some of the changes.

I substituted a soft green placemat at DH's place and added an (unironed) yellow napkin there. It looks washed out in this pic, but it's not IRL.
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I used the cake stand to hold the cut cantelope instead of the biscuit box and added a silk flower arrangement I keep on my bathroom counter, just to soften things up a bit more. I think I'd prefer cut garden flowers, but I didn't have time to go running through my gardens. And finally, I replaced the cherry pitcher with my lemon one, to add more yellow, per OA.
This isn't noteworthy yet, but I'm still working on this one. Any and all suggestions will be very much appreciated!
OA, thanks again for the link. I think I'm going to order those.
Lynn
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Lynn, your new apple plates are very nice. They have a summery look to them and yet will also be nice with a fall theme. I like your adjustments to the tablescape so far. We all know, working towards the final result ("playing" for us!) is half the fun!

DD

This table was just thrown quickly together to show you all what I have to work with.
Good. That's what I was assuming when I rambled on early. :-)

Thumbs up on the green placemat. I'm not so sure I'd dismiss the plaid napkins yet. Keep them handy.

Like the lemon pitcher. The houses are beginning to look like they go with everything naturally, not forced. Also, I notice the bowls are yellow, red, and green. Really like that!

Isn't it great when things start to come together?! And I bet your grandmother is loving this too.
Great idea serving the melon on the cake plate. The colors play off each other well, don't you think.

Lynn,
Like you, I'm a closet cottage-lover--I think your grandmother's cottageware is wonderful. And I have lots of fruit pieces, too. In fact, I have an apple pitcher just like yours, and also lemon, watermelon, and pineapple pitchers! But I've never tried to do a fruitware setting. What a great idea! Everytime I see a Franciscan apple plate or dish, I want to start collecting it. But I hardly ever see them and know I couldn't afford them anywhere but at thrift stores or rummage sales. (My grandmother had a huge set of Franciscan Ivy but they were all looted from the house after a fire--broke my heart).

I think your setting is coming together and will be an inspiration for me, for sure. I really like the fluffy white flowers and vase. Just like a cottage garden, they look perfect with the little buildings.

- Magpie

p.s. Darn you, OA, for your napkin ring link. I ADORE those plates! Got to get some--so unusual (and probably un-obtainable).

Lynn,
I love love the cottageware collection you have. Very cute! And your Franciscan apple collection is too cute- love the fruit pitchers! I am not an expert on tablesettings so I will let the real experts comment on that. But, I just wanted to say I adore your collections and all your cake plates, wow!!

You must really enjoy doing laundry surrounded by the cute dishes. My laundry room is a dump!! :)

Mo

I really like that, Lynn. The last photo especially showing the flowers and lemon pitcher with your cottageware.
Its fun watching you play with the dishes too, maybe some day I'll get over my dish fear. LOL.

By the way, Dollar Tree sure had some pretty place mats for the 4th. I bought two, "just because".

hugs, Karen

DD, I was thinking the same thing about how well they'd work in a Fall harvest-type table! I'm having fun playing with them. Did a couple more variations yesterday for breakfast again but I had no time to take pics as we were heading out to our courtyard garden to lay more flagstone.

OA: yes, we all noticed how lovely the cantelope looked on the cakestand. Thanks again for your input. I think it was spot on and it helped me pull my table together more . . . which it badly needed!

Magpie: you have that apple and lemon pitcher, too? Cool! I don't have the watermelon but I was gifted with this tropical pineapple pitcher a few years ago (I have this thing for pitchers of all kinds, too):
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Do you remember back when painting ceramics was very popular? I made this pear pitcher then and still enjoy using it. This is the cab in my kitchen where I keep them displayed during the Summer & Fall months.
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Here a few of my veggie and fruit pieces. This cab is usually MUCH more organized, but I scrambled it up when I started searching for pieces to use with my Franciscan Apple dishes the other day:
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I know what you mean about Franciscan dinnerware prices! It took me quite a while to find my apple plates for a reasonable price. I was not about to pay the high price most dealers were asking for them! As for the flower arrangment, thank you! I saw a similar one on an online fresh flower arrangement site. The shop was in NYC and they wanted almost $300 to send that fresh flower arrangement . . . OMG! I can't even imagine spending that much for fresh flowers! Anyhoo, I printed out the pic and spent a morning shopping for the right pot and silk flowers to duplicate it. I think I spent $20, ten of which was for the pot . . . and it's lasted for three years so far ;^D

Mo, thanks! My laundry room was a dump, too, until I decided to make it special for me . . . and to heck with it not matching the rest of our house! It makes me happy to be in there now.

Karen, thank you! And thanks for the heads up on the Fourth of July placemats. I hope everyone has a chance to look for them. We leave on the 26th for our family reunion on Lake Huron in Michigan and will totally miss the Fourth celebrations here. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to skip putting up my decs for it this year.
Lynn

Sorry I am late here, you know sitting here is killer on my back!
I love your collection and how you have them displayed..
I like the green mat, showcases the beautiful plate.
I didn't read all the comments above, so I hope I am not being redundant...
Try a napkin that picks up the color of the apple...I have been using dishtowels, linen type, cut and sew a hem. So much more variety...
And maybe the plaid napkin would work with the green mat.
Love the centerpiece in the green vase..very pretty!

What a wonderful collection of fruit and veggie pieces! I like how you've displayed them. I too think there's something irresistable about pitchers. If I didn't have so many collections now, and so little room, I'd have a collection of pitchers. Oh, and pretty teapots. And beautiful little china cup 'n saucer sets. I drool over them in the antique mall. I've actually bought 2 at different times in Goodwill. But I heard it takes THREE to make a collection tho. LOL. I do have a small collection of rabbit teapot/pitchers, thanks to friends thinking I needed them. So not my fault. LOL.
I'm so hopeless and obsessed with collecting. Want it ALL.
So thanks for sharing your lovely collections for me to enjoy.

hugs, Karen

I saw this on shopgoodwill.com and thought of your neat cottageware. Auction ends tonight. What is it about little houses (Xmas villages, fairy houses, etc) and cottages that is so darn appealing?

hugs, Karen

Here is a link that might be useful: Post Office cookie jar

Lynn, your cottageware is adorable, and I love the apple plates too. It looks like you are getting some good suggestions, and will soon have a tablescape that does all those beautiful pieces justice. ;o) You sure have lots of nice items to work with, I like fruit and vegetable items too, but don't have many. I do have a vegetable pitcher and lots of glass vegetables!

Luvs