Christmas Decor

To help spruce up our Christmas decor I purchased a couple yards of red and green plaid flannel and went to work. I ended up making table runners for our dining room table and a display table as well as pillowcases for a couple of the couch throw pillows. The plaid helped to pull the whole house togehter and was really warm and inviting!

Sewing a hem for the table runners

Display table

Dining room table (why didn't I push in the chairs before the photo?)

Plaid pillow case (our Aussie was a fan!)

Christmas Tree Skirt

I really want to make a new tree skirt for our Christmas tree. Our current one is a red velvet that, while pretty, is like velcro to pet hair and with 2 dogs and a cat it gets pretty furry fast! I found this tutorial from SewTeacher.com and used it to make a new skirt using fabric I got a great deal on during a Veteran's Day sale. Following the directions exactly I ended up with a nice looking, casual, tree skirt.

Some changes I will make on future skirts:

1) The tutorial must use decorator fabric size bolts. Using a standard 45" fabric bolt produced a tree skirt that is a little less than 4' in diameter. Because of its size I am probably going to donate it, along with my old tree, to a friend (since the old tree is a very narrow tree, the skirt should fit beautifully underneath. My new tree is very wide and you wouldn't be able to see the skirt at all!)

2) The tutorial doesn't mention using a walking foot, but I may next time just to help my bottom fabric move at the same interval as my top fabric.

3) I think I will try to add ribbon on the cut edge so that the skirt can be secured around the tree (or maybe buttons??). As I mentioned, I have a cat, so it is important to have a secure tree skirt or it will end up across the room.

As a side note, I used piping as a finishing touch to the skirt I made (my first time using piping) and I love the results. Such a nice clean look!

Here are pictures of this first attempt at a tree skirt. Hopefully I will find some decor fabric I can use to make an even bigger one, if not maybe I will try the ruffled tree skirt (or the new sew variety here)look that is becoming so popular . . .

Total project cost about $7

Finished Project.

Piping :)

Close up of fabric - cute and casual!

My First Pillowcase!

I decided to start on my first pillowcase for the One Million Pillowcases Challenge (see my October post). I followed the "roll" method with french seams that was listed on the One Million Pillowcases website. The method was pretty simple and I turned out a nice (bright & cheery) pillowcase with no raw edges! Great use for some leftover fabric I had laying around. Only 9 more to go to meet my goal :)

Burlap Table Runner

I picked up a remnant of burlap (I really like fabric remnants, if you can't tell) and decided to make a burlap table runner. I have been putting it off for a while because I was nervous about tackling burlap and thought it would be hard to work with. Turns out that its very easy to work with and sews up nicely. After I sewed the basic runner I painted the words "give thanks" on the runner in brown craft paint. I used chalk to sketch out the words first and then free hand painted using an art brush. In the photos below the runner isn't laying flay because of the foam board I have under the "give thanks" while it was drying. Paired up with my jute pumpkins I think it makes a nice holiday table!

 

See other wonderful fall crafts on the Craftaholics Anonymous Fall Frenzy page

Ruler Growth Chart

One of my friends recently got a Ruler Growth Chart that I thought was adorable. I looked on Etsy and saw many types/ styles available. After lots of searching I decided to just make one myself. I followed the tutorial  on Organized Chaos' Blog and am pretty proud of the results. I still need to clear coat the whole thing, but need to wait for the weather to be a little better.

 

Firewood Carrier

I found a project idea at Joanns.com that I have been wanting to try. The project is a canvas firewood carrier, which would be a perfect addition to our wood burning fireplace tools! I decided to follow the Joanns directions to a "T" (almost) and the final product turned out fairly nice (would have been better if my sewing machine wasn't having stitch issues!) and will be great to use once our weather cools down - - at this rate that could be a while.

The only adjustment I made to the original project was to sew the dowel rods into the pockets instead of letting them be loose.

I have a great remnant of burlap and am considering making a second carrier, that is narrower (since our wood is cut to about 14" lengths) out of the burlap :)

The wood is completely enclosed in the carrier, which means my clothes will stay clean when bringing in wood!

Side view

I think a narrower carrier would fit better in our log rack . . .