Friday, October 23, 2015

Fall Placemats

My latest Craftsy.com blog post - making placemats


My series on making seasonal table decor finished with my post on placemats made from fall inspired fabrics. I made four 12" x 18" placemats out of fabric in two fall themed prints. 

These were especially fun to make and look great on my kitchen table along with the matching napkins I made a few weeks ago. I'm not one to do this type of thing as I typically focus my time on making garments, but this was a pleasant diversion I am pleased to share with the sewing community.  

The method I used is very basic and will work for making placemats to fit any occasion or theme - Christmas, spring, Easter, etc. My take on doing the mitered corners is different from most, but I believe produces the best and sharpest looking corners -- you'll see! 


Here is the link to the post and happy fall. 
Fall themed placemats 

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Fall Inspiration

My Latest Craftsy Blog Posts - Easy to make Tablecloths & Napkins



Every time I shop the fabric stores I can't pass up the opportunity to indulge in some of the latest season's cotton prints. They are fun and make great seasonal items for the home. So inspired by the choices this fall I did a series of posts for Craftsy on making tablecloths and napkins out of fall inspired prints. 

These are some of the easiest sewing projects for the home to make.  With precise cutting and some know how on how to achieve the squarest mitered corners, they can be made in no time at all.   


Here is the link for making tablecloths which provides instructions on how to measure tables properly to determine fabric yardage along with helpful tips for sewing a simple cloth:
how to make a tablecloth 

And, here is the link to learn how to make simple square napkins:  how to make square napkins

Sneak peak: the series continues with a post on making place mats. Look for it in the coming weeks. 

I don't often make much for the home these days as I concentrate most of my time either teaching or making clothing, but these were a fun diversion. Every once in a while you need to step out of the box and do something different.