Tag Archives: holiday decorating

Christmas decorations

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I am thoroughly getting into decorating my house for various holiday by sewing decorations. Similar to other holidays, I sewed a table runner for the dining room table and for the buffet. For the buffet table runner, I quilted it with a snowflake stitch that came with my sewing machine. I free-motion quilted the dining room table runner. For the dining room table runner, I used all the triangle fabric pieces left over from sewing the Christmas trees on the top to make part of the back. I also sewed pillow covers for a pair of pillows that I switch out the covers for each season. Finally, I sewed a door decoration hanger for my front door. Most of the fabrics are from Dear Stella.

Buffet Christmas table runner

Fabric in buffet Christmas table runner

Christmas dining room table runner

Back of Christmas dining room table runner

Christmas pillow covers

Christmas front door hanger

Thanksgiving decorations

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I found some fabric that I loved from Dear Stella that is Thanksgiving and fall themed. I used it to make table runners, pillows, and a front door hanger for Thanksgiving. I created just a simple design for the table runners. I used machine fabric appliqué for the pillows and the front door hanger. The appliqué pattern is from OESD.

Thanksgiving table runner for dining table

Close up of Thanksgiving table runner for dining table

Thanksgiving table runner for buffet

Thanksgiving pillows

Thanksgiving front door hanger

Independence Day Table Runners

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Once again, I made table runners for a holiday. The main reason I made them for the 4th of July is simply, as is often the case, I found wonderful fabric with which I wanted to do something.

The narrow table runner is like the Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter table runners I made and is for the buffet. I just used strips of various red, white, and blue fabrics. I used a straight stitch alternating with a star stitch that came preprogrammed on my sewing machine for the quilting. The stars did not exactly space correctly. I am going to buy a dual-feed foot for my machine that can do a wide stitch, as I think that may be (part of) the problem.

The larger, wider table runner is an original design and is for the dining room table. It is obviously inspired by the U.S.A. flag. The proportions are similar but not exactly the same as the flag, as I altered the proportions a bit to make it easier to use 2.5 inch strips. I used a straight stitch to quilt the stripe portion of the flag. I originally wanted to buy an embroidery quilting pattern that I could use for the star field, but I could not find one that was just plain stars, and I don’t know how to design an embroidery pattern, so I ultimately just free-motion quilted stars on the blue field. I kind of like the way it turned out, but I also kind of wish it were a little more uniform. I made a duplicate flag table runner that hasn’t been quilted yet, and I am going to wait to quilt it until I can decide how to make it a little bit more uniform. [I made a duplicate as well as some extra of the more narrow table runner because I have excess fabric. My plan is to eventually try to sell them once I figure out how to do that.]

USA flag table runner

USA flag table runner closeup

Independence Day table runner

Independence Day table runner

Independence Day table runner closeup

Easter Quilted Decorations

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Last year, I made an Easter wreath for my front door. This year I am sewing up a storm, especially table runners and other decorations. I found some wonderful Easter fabric that I just love (Hop to it from Dear Stella) and some coordinating floral fabrics. I made some Easter table runners plus a door hanging and some pillows with leftover fabric. For my buffet (and for table runners I made for others), I used my go-to pattern of just sewing strips together.

Easter table runners using a strip pattern

Easter table runners using a strip pattern (up close)

For my dining room table, I did something a little different. I sewed some strips together, with the prints 4 inches wide and the solids 2 inches wide. I made three different rectangles with them. I then cut them to look like eggs. I folded the first one in half to make it symmetrical then hand drew an egg half on the fabric then cut. The other two were cut using the first one as a pattern. I then sewed the eggs as appliqués on a solid background when quilting the piece.

Table runner made by sewing strips into a rectangle then cutting to resemble eggs

Table runner made by sewing strips into a rectangle then cutting to resemble eggs (up close)

Table runner made by sewing strips into a rectangle then cutting to resemble eggs (up close)

I used leftover fabric to make a hanging for my front door. I machine embroidered Happy Easter on one piece of fabric. I then used the leftovers from the eggs on the dining room table runner to cut small eggs that I then appliquéd on another piece of fabric. All the eggs are cut from the leftover corners of the rectangles I made that I then cut the big eggs out of for the table runner.

Door hanger with leftover Easter fabric

Then with the fabric I had left, I made some envelope style pillow covers. These fit the same plain pillows for which I made covers for St. Patrick’s Day.

Front of pillows made with leftover Easter fabric

Back of pillows made with leftover Easter fabric

 

St. Patrick’s Day Quilting

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I have been having a lot of fun making holiday table runners and other decorations, so I decided to make some St. Patrick’s Day decorations. While I am part Irish, decorating for St. Patrick’s Day is really more an excuse to make things with green fabrics. Green is my favorite color. I made a total of two table runners, two pillows, and a door hanger. This may be a bit excessive, but did I mention green is my favorite color? Also I had some leftover shamrock fabric from a sewing project years ago that I wanted to use.

One of the table runners was from a pattern called Lots O’ Luck. The other table runner I made similar to my Mardi Gras table runners by just sewing strips together of various solid green, green patterns, and lots of shamrock fabrics. I  quilted the strip table runner with a stitch my sewing machine had that looks like shamrocks, which was a happy find.

Two St. Patrick’s Day table runners

Close up of St. Patrick’s Day table runner made with green fabric strips

I found a machine embroidery appliqué pattern for a shamrock, so I used that to make pillows along with some shamrock fabric that I had.

Two similar St. Patrick’s Day pillows using a shamrock appliqué and fabric

Finally I made a door hanger using the same machine embroidery appliqué pattern and all the various shamrock fabrics that I had. To a certain degree, I was using up scraps of some of the shamrock fabrics, which somewhat set the design. I also machine embroidered “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” for it.

St. Patrick’s Day door hanger using a shamrock appliqué and fabric

Mardi Gras Door Decoration

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I’ve made several Mardi Gras table runners just by sewing simple strips, and I also made one table runner using a pattern I bought. Then I had some leftover fabric pieces as well as some fabric I really loved and wanted to use for something special. Also, I had found a really nice fleur de lis cross-stitch pattern while I was in New Orleans, and I wanted to use the cross-stitch for something special. So what to do? I decided to make a quilted piece to hang on my front door. Luckily, my front door is actually a set of double doors because my Mardi Gras wreath is hanging on the other door.

Finished piece hanging on my front door

The centerpiece of the piece is the cross-stitch for which I used Mardi Gras colors. This was a perfect place to display the cross-stitch.

Fleur de lis cross-stitch in Mardi Gras colors

Since I don’t live in New Orleans, I decided perhaps I need to make it completely clear what my decorations are for, so on the absolutely wonderful fabric by Dear Stella that I just love, I machine embroidered “Happy Mardi Gras.” I love the beads on a fence design, and with just a little work to get the spacing right, the white space allowed me to embroider the greeting.

Mardi Gras fabric with “Happy Mardi Gras” machine embroidered on it

Then I just used left over fabric from the table runners to complete the piece. This included the back, which is entirely composed of leftover fabric stitched together.

Back of Mardi Gras door decoration composed of leftover fabric

Mardi Gras Table Runner from Pattern

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I previously made several Mardi Gras table runners using simple strips. These were really easy and a fun way to show off the wonderful fabrics I found. While shopping for Mardi Gras fabrics, I also found a pattern for a fun table runner or wall hanging using appliqués. It features king cake pieces, crowns, and plastic babies, so it is perfect. It was relatively easy, but with so many squares to put together, it is clear that my sewing still needs to improve as not all the corners met. Oh well, I will keep practicing. The pattern also called for prairie points, which I have never made before. I like the way they came out, and for the appropriate piece, they can be perfect like for this table runner.

King cake table runner

Close up of one side of king cake table runner

Closeup of middle area with appliqués of king cake and free motion quilting to decorate king cake

Close up of one side of king cake table runner

Mardi Gras Cross-Stitch

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I made these last year, and I evidently forgot to post photos of them. I found some wonderful cross-stitch thread named appropriately Mardi Gras. The words are based on a font pattern that I found online. The rest of it is original. I drew a fleur di lis and masks on a grid and then created a cross-stitch pattern out of them. It is probably difficult to see in the photos, but for the stitched beaded necklaces, like Mardi Gras throws, I used seed beads to make them really look like beads. The one that says Happy Mardi Gras was originally the only one I was planning to make, but I had a bunch of the thread left over, and I really liked it, so I made another piece just to use the thread. I created a patted mat board with the finished pieces. I then hung them with Mardi Gras beads that I glued around the pieces. I love to decorate for Mardi Gras. It is just so much fun.

Cross-stitch pieces on padded mat board hung by Mardi Gras pieces

Two Mardi Gras cross-stitch pieces

Cross-stitch that says Happy Mardi Gras

Happy Mardi Gras cross-stitch

Cross stitch that says Laissez les bons temps rouler

Laissez les bons temps rouler cross-stitch

Mardi Gras Table Runner

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I was able to spend a couple of days in New Orleans on my way back home from spending the holidays with relatives. One of the top things I wanted to do was find a fabric store with New Orleans theme fabric, especially for Mardi Gras. Outside of New Orleans, finding Mardi Gras anything really, can be difficult. I found a fantastic fabric shop on Magazine Street (a great shopping area if you are ever there) called Chateau Sew & Sew. They had so many wonderful Mardi Gras appropriate fabrics, and I went a little crazy. Anyway, I just made some simple table runners with standard 2.5 inch strips. I made one for me, my mom, and a few extra. I am thinking of trying to sell an extra on Etsy or something, just to recoup the cost of the fabric. They were so easy to make, and they are just so fun. I am so happy to finally have some Mardi Gras decorations inside my house. I did make a Mardi Gras door wreath and a couple of cross-stitch pieces, but still I needed more decorations.

They are, of course, mainly green, purple, and yellow, the colors of Mardi Gras. I found two different fabrics with fleur de lis, a constant symbol in New Orleans. I used the fabric with irises for a couple of reasons besides the colors. Louisiana iris is the state wildflower of Louisiana, but also my mom was in Krewe of Iris. In the below photo, the one of the right, is the one I made for me. I just love the fabric that looks like Mardi Gras beads, so I used that to border the rest of the strips. It makes the whole runner a bit wilder, but I love it. I also used several different green, purple, and yellow strips for the binding instead of one fabric for binding. That also makes it a bit wilder, but it is for me. Finally, for all of them, I used a programmed stitch in my sewing machine that I think looks like Mardi Gras beads for the quilting stitch.

Mardi Gras themed fabric sewed in simple strips to make table runners

Three of the Mardi Gras table runners

Mardi Gras themed fabric sewed in simple strips to make table runners

Three of the Mardi Gras table runners

Mardi Gras themed fabric sewed in simple strips

Part of one of the Mardi Gras table runners

Mardi Gras themed fabric sewed in simple strips

Part of one of the Mardi Gras table runners

Mardi Gras themed fabric sewed in simple strips

Part of the Mardi Gras table runners I made for me

 

Easter/Spring Wreath

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I was really happy with the way my Halloween wreath looked, so I decided to do something similar for Easter. As before, I selected twigs from my yard to form the base of the wreath. The starting supplies were twigs that I painted in pastel colors, lots of pastel colored ribbon, and metal wire formed into a ring. I splurged on some fake flowers and painted foam (or some such material) eggs. It should be noted, I completely overestimated the amount of flowers I would want to use.

Starting materials for my Easter wreath

I used some of the thicker and straighter twigs to start the wreath by tying them with ribbon to the metal ring. I tied a long ribbon to a long straight twig that will serve as the top of the wreath.

Using straight twigs to start the wreath

I kept adding the twigs until they were all on the wreath. All twigs were tied to the metal ring or each other in several places with ribbon.

All twigs secured to the ring and each other with ribbon

I then added the fabric tulips. I was initially going to use more flowers, but it looked too crowded.

Fabric tulips added to the wreath

I then attached the eggs to the wreath via a thumbtack through ribbon. In some cases I attached them to ribbon already on the wreath, but in some cases, I added more ribbon.

Eggs attached to the ribbon with thumbtacks

Then the last step, hang it on the door.

Finished wreath