Christmas table runners

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We celebrated small here at our house.  It was good...it was our first Thanksgiving without Baba (my grandma) and so it was nice to stay intimate and low key.  I did miss the craziness of lots of people, but it all worked out.  After the holiday our good friends made a stop over for the weekend...it was so awesome to see them....my soul needed it!

Before Thanksgiving I worked on some Christmas table runners.  I gifted one and so now I can share!  These are so fun to make.  Choosing all the different fabrics is so much fun.  I used holiday fabrics but I think they would be fun in winter fabrics too....guess I'll have to find time to try one of those for after Christmas.

I cut out 15 strips each 2 1/2 by 11 inches.  I sewed them together in a pleasing pattern without being too repetitive or symmetrical and after pressing all the seams, I ironed some fusible batting to the back of the strips.  After that, I created a frame with four strips of fabric that I wanted to look like binding.  From that point on, it's merely sewing it together like you'd do to make a pillow.

Once everything is turned right side out, I press really well and then stitch in the ditch on the inside of the frame.  Stitching in the ditch is when you stitch right in the crevice that the seam leaves.  This doesn't really show up, but it does do a nice job of anchoring the front to the back.

As soon as the table was cleared from Thanksgiving I had mine out!  It looks really pretty with an old black tray, some greenery and a jar candle.  Tis the Season!!!  Stay Jolly and enjoy all of your days!

fall table runner

I stayed home from a hometown football game to sew one Friday night.  It was a perfect night for football and an even better night for sewing.  I had the windows open and Pandora playing.  I might have been able to hear the cheers from the football game had I not had my sewing machine humming!

 I used my fall fabric stack and added a couple of stash fabrics to make my new fall table runner.  I cut all my strips 2 1/2" by 11" and then sewed them together.  I added a 1/2" border to the outside. (The border is a clearance sheet that I cut up and used.) To finish it off I stitched in the ditch all the way around the outside and called it done!

 I love the pick up it gives my dining room table.  The oranges are a fun shot of color but the browns tone them down a notch.  I took all of these photos outside in natural light, because the colors turn out so much better, but here's a shot of it in use on my dining room table...(from instagram - my morning quiet time)

Right now I've got flowers in a pitcher as my centerpiece, but as we get closer to Thanksgiving I've got the perfect ceramic turkey candleholder thingy to sit right on my table runner.  How about you....what's on your kitchen/dining room table right now?

sweet berry stitchery

Back in late winter I started this sweet cross stitch piece* in hopes of spring and summer.   The berries and the blossoms drew me in very quickly!  (In the middle of winter, berries and blossoms are a very good marketing technique.)   I used to work at a strawberry field when I was in high school and so I have this special place in my heart for berries.  I like them freshly picked and warm from the sun.      

This cross stitch piece called for Weeks Dye Works embroidery floss and this was my first time using them.  The Weeks Dye Works flosses are over dyed flosses and they have a variation in color that runs throughout them.  They add a lot of interest with the variations in colors but they are a bit pricey so I just purchased only the threads that I thought would make the biggest impact like on the berries and the bird.  Since the leaves had so many colors in them, I used some WDW floss and some DMC floss.

I really enjoyed working on this cross stitch piece.  It was fun with all of the bright colors and I was able to finish it off just in time for berry season.

The finished piece ended up being an odd size.  I really didn't want to go with the expense of ordering a custom built frame and my framer (my husband) was way too busy to build me a frame any time soon, so I set off for Joann's with a coupon in hand.   Thankfully I found a 10 X 10 shadow box and was able to paint it to match.  I sewed Ric Rac around the outside of the piece to give it some definition.  (it looked lost in the frame without it)  I like how it turned out and I guess trying to work within my framing budget forced me to try something new and I really like the end result.

Now, we need to head to the berry patch and pick us some nice ripe strawberries!  They'll be gone before we know it.  Thankfully, I'll be enjoying my cross stitch all summer long.

* The cross stitch pattern is by Bonnie Sullivan of All Through the Night.

celebrate everywhere

I love this time of year, when the house is all decorated for Christmas and the lights bring such warmth and coziness to everything.  We decorated right after Thanksgiving and have been enjoying the magical feeling that the house takes on during this time of year.

 I took a ton of pictures as I decorated so that next year I might be able to 'recreate' my decor more easily next year.  I tend to be a fusser.  I put something somewhere, walk away and then return to move it around until I get it right where I want it. 

I figure if I can look at pictures I might save myself some fussing next year....right!?  I'll let you know how that works out. 

We are an artificial tree family....Maggie and I get awful allergies and sinus infections from having a real tree in the house, so I've learned to find the positive in our 'boxed tree'.  One things I hate though, is the stem that shows down at the bottom.

 It's long and skinny and looks really ugly.  So, I hide it with our wrapped presents.  It looks so much better with all the gifts piled around the bottom.  (this also helps motivate me to wrap my gifts early)

I also love to decorate our outside.   I put pine and boxwood in baskets and watering cans and create little vignettes of beauty along the way.

 Whether I'm bringing in the mail, welcoming guests or looking out the kitchen window while washing dishes I get glimpses of beauty that make me smile.  (and when it snows...they even look prettier!)

How about you?  What do you do to transform your home during this magnificently wonderful time of year?  The Savior has been born....celebrate everywhere you can! 

****Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts on my last post....you guys are hilarious!  And just so you know....I've decided to keep the sausages for myself. 

in my line of sight

Thanks for all your well wishes on my eye wear!  I'm making progress, slowly but surely.  I had to laugh on Sunday when our Pastor's message was about vision...don't you know I'm apparently enrolled a series about life lessons for those needing vision correction!

Speaking of sight, I finally changed the scenery around here and we are in full Autumnal mode.  In other words, I decorated for fall.  Here's a peek:

entry way wreath from TJ Maxx - last year.  I left the kids in the car while I ran in to get it, and when I came out, the car wouldn't start...dead battery!  They'd played the radio and drained the battery...I swear I was in and out in under 15 minutes! honest.

hand stitched pillow- made by me several years ago

my new acorn cookie jar...it was just too perfect to pass up! (another TJ Maxx find)

this little guy, made by a friend is peeking out of a willow basket in our main bathroom

the living room mantle...still tweaking this one...but that's how I work..it evolves over time!

I love scarecrows for autumn...this guy is on a shelf in our kitchen.  The candle is from Tonya, I can't bring myself to burn it, it's so pretty!

the dining room hutch...this changes too...depending on my mood.  I like it. for now.

Here's my new lamp that I bought to cozy up the kitchen. My sister in law had one on her counter when we stayed in her beach house and I adored the look that it cast around the room.  But I'd like for you to weigh in -which shade do you like better?  It came with the drum shade (#1) and I had the burlap shade (#2)....I think I need a softer bulb for sure. 

Well, that's my view around here.....how are things looking at your house?  No matter the view, I hope your focusing on the blessings in your life!  Happy Fall!

have you any wool? or notebooks? or framed prints?

I love checking things off of a list.  Sometimes I'll even make a list, just so I can check things off of it.  Over the weekend,  I finished up some projects.  -and I checked them off of my list!   I finally framed my wool stitchery.  This is from Wee Wonderfuls and it is just the perfect little piece of needle work.  It stitched up quickly and for right now I'm enjoying it in my craft room.  I bought the frame from Joann's when they were having a 40% off sale.   And I matted it just like Kristyn's.  I loved the figgy pudding fabric that she used, so I shamelessly copied it! 

I also finished a couple more notebook slipcovers.  The blue and yellow one was meant to be for a mini binder, but I measured wrong and so it ended up being a spiral cover.  I used a hair band as an elastic closure.

 I covered the mini binder with an alternate fabric combination.  It holds my church notes.  Every week we get a handout that is hole punched and ready for a notebook and now, I've got one! 

The last little project that I completed this weekend was to print off one of Becky Higgins' comfort prints. (thanks Becky!)  I simply printed off a 5X7 size and popped it into a frame.  I love this quote.  Don't you agree that home is just the best comfort?

So, I don't know about you, but I'll keep on marching through this week and see what else I can check off the to-do list.  I hope that you're enjoying the comforts of home this week as we enter into autumn! (and I hope your list is getting shorter along the way!)  Happy days to you all! 

justifiable sewing

As you walk into our house, you'll be greeted by piles of shoes, slippers and flip flops.  I try my best to keep them corralled, but they seem to have a pack mentality and no matter how many times I neaten them, they always re-assemble themselves into a big gnarly pile.  If you look up and above the piles of shoes (be careful not to trip!) You'll notice my knitting bag.  It's hanging on one of the hooks right in the entry way.  I keep it there so I can grab it as I'm heading out the door or when I have a rare moment to sit and knit at home.

 I love the idea of a knitting basket, but so does Molly the dog and she seems to think that my knitting is her dog toy, so a hanging bag is much safer.  My knitting bag hasn't changed for about 3 years....it's been the same Vera Bradley bag.  The perfect size and shape.  The other day though, I noticed that it didn't really match anything around it.  It's pink and black and my house is khakis, reds and greens.  I know, that sounds crazy, but when I stopped to think it through, I realized that my knitting bag hangs on that peg about 90% of the time.  It's part of the room.  It's what you see when you trip walk in the door.   I knew then that I needed to make it right.  (justifiable sewing is what this is called - try it!  it works!) 

My mom gave me the gift of a couple of hours all to myself the other week and after I finished singing and dancing through the house, I used that time to make a new bag.  I made an autumn bag....I used some fabrics that Larissa had sent me months ago and I couldn't be happier! 

 It works great when I grab it and head out the door.  I used Larissa's tutorial for the deputy tote and added 2 inches to the overall size.  A wonky flower was added to give it some extra snap.  I sewed a pocket to the inside to hold all my little things like scissors and tape measures.  It really is a great tote! 

I love how it looks as it spends most of its time on the peg in my entry way!  Did you realize that Christmas is only 52 days away!?  I'm sure that I'm gonna need a holiday version when we deck our halls....you know what I'm sayin!?  Maybe I'll deal with the shoe issue in January! 

all fresh and clean

Well, our painting and redecorating is all complete.  We're settled back in and are totally enjoying our new surroundings.  Here are the before and afters....

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I changed out the curtains for wide blinds and we got a new living room seating set.  Everything else is just about the same...I haven't put everything up on the walls that I had up before.  I'm giving myself time to enjoy the clean look of the walls.  It had been 13 years since I originally painted the house with the linen walls and the pelham gray (really a green) trim.  I'm loving the new updated look.   It was a great end of the summer project.  Now we're back to school and ready for fall....is it time to put out the pumpkins yet?