Blog with Friends - Fun and Reversible Table Decor

Welcome to another edition of Blog with Friends!
This month we have 7 bloggers that have signed up to bring you some Thanksgiving fun! Look for all of them at the bottom of this post!

When I started thinking about my Blog with Friends project I knew I wanted it to be something a little different. We've all seen all the tutorials for table runners, aprons, kitchen towels, oven mitts, etc. (that doesn't mean that I might not put my own spin on one of them one day soon) and I wanted something that I haven't seen before. That got me to thinking about circular decor items. I haven't seen anything like that except for knitted or crocheted items. Why not try sewing something circular! 


So here you have it! The Fun and Reversible Table Decor! I didn't want to call it a runner since it doesn't run down the table and I didn't want to call it a mat, that sounds too boring. So I asked my Blog with Friends friends and that is the name we came up.

This is SO easy and SO fast. I think it took all of 20 minutes to make.

STEP 1 -

Fold your fabric in half and then half again.
Take your measuring tape and measure down both sides, marking the length you want. 
Measure from the corner down, marking the same measurement as your sides.
Connect the marks and cut. 

You can use the first cut as a template for the 2nd fabric. Makes it easier that way. ;)

This is what you should have.

STEP 2 -

Pin your circles right sides together. Make sure to leave an opening so you can turn it right side out.

Sew along the edges.


STEP 3-

Now you'll want to cut little marks in your seam allowance to allow for a neater look when you turn it right side out. 


STEP 4-

Turn it right side out and press.


STEP 5-

Fold the fabric in where the opening is and press. 


STEP 6-

Top stitch all around the edges (this closes that opening).

YOU'RE DONE!!! :D

The centerpieces in the picture were made from things I picked up at the Dollar Tree. It cost me about $10 to make all three.
I picked up 3 tins, 2 bags of gourds, 1 package of leaves and 4 fabric flowers.
I stuffed plastic bags into the tins and covered them with the leaves.
Then I mixed the 2 colors of gourds and put them on top.
Next, I cut the long stems down to just a few inches and placed them in the middle tin.
Easy peasy!

Don't forget to check out all the cool Blog With Friends projects listed below. If you have any Thanksgiving projects you'd like to share, feel free to add your link to the blog hop at the end of this post.

Baking In A Tornado shares a special holiday dessert, Fried Walnut-Crusted Spice Cake with Caramel Sauce.

 

Shellybean of Follow me home shares a craft to make and use throughout the holidays, a Thankful Tree.

Melissa of Home on Deranged tells us about some Technology Tips for Turkey Day.

 

Christy of Uplifting Families takes us through her children's Thanksgiving Textured Leaf Cards.

Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares some Kid-Friendly and Kid-Created "Fancy" Thanksgiving Table Decorations.

 Robin of Someone Else's Genius shows us how to make this Autumn Harvest Wreath:

An InLinkz Link-up

                      HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Holiday Sewing Ideas

OMG!! Have you realized that Christmas is less than 2 months away???? Yes, I know... I want to smack me for saying it, too.... And Thanksgiving is just a FEW WEEKS!!! ARGH!!! Full panic mode!!! 

I wanted to put together a list of sewing projects to get you started for the Thanksgiving/Fall/Christmas seasons.

I will have some new things coming up, though! I just need to get busy!!! LOL

Thanksgiving/Fall
(Of course, these can all be adapted for any other time of year.)


DIY Lap Rug

Fan Tote Tute

Fleur de Lis Maxi Skirt

Headband Earmuffs

Home Decor

Leggings with Reverse Applique

T-Shirt Tunic and Leggings

Christmas

Christmas Tree Tutu Shirt (with hair accessories)

Gingerbread Dress and Headband

Holiday Crushed Velvet Top

Stockings



Gifts

Anna Cape

Book Covers

DIY Taggie Blanket

DIY Taggie Toys

Drawstring Backpack AKA The D Bag

Mug Rug

Stuffed Shark

Any of the projects could actually be used as gifts... LOL

                      HAVE FUN SEWING!!!!!

November Homeschooling Resources

November is Native American Heritage Month. It's also Thanksgiving month, of course. I decided to create a post, with those themes in mind, from my previous posts.

Here are some history resources to get you started. 

Explorers Resources

Early American Settlers Resources

French and Indian War Resources

Native American Resources

Here are a few animal studies that are good for November. (I will hopefully have some new ones up soon.)

Squirrel Unit Study Resources

Owl Resources

Fox Resources (Small)

Here's a little craft that we did last year. 

Thanksgiving Craft

As for science, any time the seasons change is a great time to study the weather!!

Weather Activities

Weather Activities 2

Weather Resources

There you have it! I am planning some NEW resources posts for this month!!! 

                      HAVE FUN LEARNING!!!!

Time to Catch Up a Little

Oh, my goodness!!! I have been gone almost a month!!!! Good grief!! How did that happen??? How have I not gone insane????

Well, we are all moved in but not quite settled. SIGH... I managed to fit my ginormous dining room table into our kitchen! There's not much space to walk around it but who cares??? Well, actually it seems that everyone cares except me. LOL BUT this is one time they are just going to have to lump it.

I have about 1/4 of my books and 1/4 of the kids' books on shelves. The rest are in boxes that are stacked in every available nook and cranny.

All my sewing stuff is packed away. I am going to HAVE to find a way to make that work.... There just HAS to be a way!! There has to be SOMEWHERE I can put all of it. I NEED to SEW!!! It's an addiction, I swear.



ANYWAY, my next few posts will catch you up on what all we've been doing. In this one I bring you......



THANKSGIVING! LOL







Here are Cailey and Colin in front of the our house right before we left to go to my mother-in-law's house.  And before anyone gets upset over the headdresses, The Hubby is about 1/2 Native American.  I think I'm around 1/16. LOL

Here are the crafts that they made for their grandma.







Cailey has some big ol' feet so we had to use 2 pieces of construction paper. ;) She's a petite 9 yr old but she wears 4s and 5s!!! CRAZY!!!





And here is an updated picture of ME!









I wish my hair color showed up better. It's actually BRIGHT red! LOL

Y'know, before I started taking "selfies" I never realized that one side of my face was smaller than the other! Weird!! One of my eyes is even smaller, although you can't really tell in this pic.



I have made my peace with the move and with the teeny tiny house. Probably with a lot of help from SAM-e. If you have fibro, I think you should take a look at it. It's an over the counter supplement and it has helped me TREMENDOUSLY over this whole move. Once I started taking it, I kept my cool the entire time AND my pain levels have been drastically lowered!



In my next post I'll give you some Christmas craft ideas for the kiddos!



SO SO SO SO SO SO HAPPY TO BE BACK!!! I can't tell you how much I have missed y'all!!!!!

Gingerbread Dress and Christmas Candy Headband Tutorials

I'm going to skip the Blogger Challenge today. I'm sure you won't mind when you see the 2, yes 2!!! tutorials I have for you today! :)







So, the first tutorial will be for the dress and then I will do the headband! That headband is so easy I am almost embarrassed about working up a tutorial for it.... LOL



Here is what I used:

1 shirt that fits your child well

1 yard of gingerbread men

3/4 yard of brown and white polka dots

1/4 yard of red for the sash

2 small pieces of 3/4" elastic

2 ft of red and white polka dot ribbon

1 ft of red rickrack

3 small red buttons

1 cheap plastic head band

1 cheap plastic candy ornament

1 package of white bias tape (you can use ribbon or whatever)

hot glue gun





Gingerbread Dress







Fold over the fabric you want to use for the bodice of the dress. Place the folded shirt on top. Cut around the shirt leaving excess all around for your seam allowance.







You will cut one back and one front. This is what they should look like.

Cailey is photo bombing! LOL









Now, take a straight edge and cut the front bodice piece right down the middle.

















The bodice is fully lined so now you need to cut the lining using the bodice pieces you already have as a guide.

For the front bodice pieces it's easier to just place them wrong sides together to cut.

The back bodice piece can be placed on the fold.









Now, we are going to cut the fabric for the bottom tier. Just cut 2 even lengths of the same fabric you are using for the bodice.  You can make it as wide as you want depending on the height of your child and how long you would like the dress to be.

I made my cuts where the white lines are.









Now cut the top tier in your other fabric, making it the same width as the bottom tier.

You will only need one piece for this tier.









On to the sleeves! Now, I wanted short sleeves because it just is NOT that cold here in the DEEP South! LOL The length of the sleeve is all up to your preference, and any length will work just fine with the ruffle on the end. ;)

Using one of your bodice pieces as a guide, place your folded fabric under the guide and cut, leaving about 1/2 below the arm place on the bodice, and cut straight across.









Now you are going to cut the piece that makes up part of the ruffle on the sleeve.  Cut 2 pieces that are 4 " wide and the same length as your sleeve is round.

In other words ________________ this way needs to be the same as the sleeve is when it is unfolded.

And 4" this way   .

.

.

Make sense??? If not, just take a little peek at the picture at the top of the page and see how the sleeve is set up.

I am having a bad case of fibro fog today. BLECK!!!









Here are all the pieces that we have cut plus the red ribbon. :)







Pin your back bodice pieces with right sides together.

Sew up everything but the bottom. You can sew the shoulders if you want to. I didn't with this one.









Now, turn right side out and press!









Pin your front bodice pieces with right sides together. Sew everything together except the bottom.

Do the same to the other 2 front bodice pieces.









Turn right side out and press. Do the same to the other bodice piece! :)









While your iron is still hot, go ahead and fold in half the long pieces for the sleeve edges and press.









Now, sew your front bodice pieces to your back bodice pieces at the tops and the sides.

Turn right side out and PRESS!!









Time to sew up the sleeve!









Take your ribbon and pin it to the edges of the fabric strips that you cut for the sleeve embellishment.









Turn the sleeve inside out and fold up the end 1 1/2" and press. Turn the sleeve right side out and pin the ribbon and gingerbread strip inside of the edge of the sleeve. Sew in place.









Now you are going to sew the elastic casing in the end of the sleeve, leaving about 1" for the elastic. Make sure to leave an opening to insert the elastic! ;)









Turn your bodice inside out and slide the sleeve into the armhole, pin and stitch in place!









Turn everything right side out and press! :)









Pin both ends of your elastic and either hold tightly to one end or pin it to you. ;)

Insert the elastic into the casing.









Zigzag stitch the ends of the elastic.









Stitch the opening closed! :)









Remove the cat from your work space! SIGH.......









Time for the buttonholes! BLECK!! I can't stand my buttonholer. It only works right about 10% of the time.... :/ It did just ONE of the buttonholes on this piece. The other 2 I had to do myself. NOT fun but it can be done, just use the smallest zigzag stitch setting you can and a clear sewing foot helps tremendously!

Anyway, take your ruler (if you can find it, I had to use something else....) and mark out where you want your buttonholes to be.

Use your (hopefully) proper working buttonholer. ;)

After you get your buttonholes in place, close up the front of the bodice and mark through the buttonholes for proper button placement. :)

Sew on your buttons.









Pin the rickrack around the collar and sew in place. To save time you don't have to switch out your bobbin, just switch out your top thread to match the rickrack. ;)









Here is where we are now! Almost done...... :)

You can set aside the bodice for now!







Now, grab the 2 pieces that you cut for the bottom tier and sew them together on one side.

Next you need to run a line or two of gathering stitches at the top.

The way I do that is, I set all my stitch settings to the largest possible settings. This can sometimes gather the fabric for me. It didn't this time, though.... LOL

Now, gather it up and pin it to the bottom of the fabric you will be using for the top tier. Pin it with right sides together and gathers to bottom, adjusting the gathers as needed.

Sew in place!









Now, run a line of gathering stitches in the top tier!

Next, pin the gathered edge to the bottom of the bodice, right sides together.

Sew in place.

Next, turn inside out and sew up the skirt's side seam! :)

Almost done!







Fold up the bottom of the skirt 1/2" and press, then fold up again 3/4" , press and pin. Now sew your hem!

Turn right side out and press!









Time to cut the sash!

I cut from selvage to selvage for my length and 6" for my width.

Fold in half, press and pin.

Now you are going to sew the raw edges together and make a long tube.









Turn the tube right side out and press!

Turn the ends in by 1/2" and press.



NOW YOU ARE DONE!!!!! :)

















Headband Tutorial













This is what I used. A $1 headband and $1 ornaments. Oh, and 1/2 a package of bias tape. But you can use ribbon if you have it in a matching color..... LOL







Put a glob of hot glue on the inside of the headband.









Now, stick the end of the bias tape/ribbon/whatever into the glue.

Just start wrapping the bias tape/ribbon/whatever all the way around the headband.

Oh, yeah.... this is just sooooo hard.... LOL









When you get to the end of the headband, put another glob of hot glue on the plastic of the head band. Then cut off the bias tape/ribbon/whatever and add another glob hot glue and smoosh the end of the bias tape/ribbon/whatever into it.







Now put a ton of hot glue wherever you want to place your ornament and smoosh the ornament on.





Viola!











Deanna is making Cailey a matching necklace with the other ornament. :)













As always, let me know what you think of the tutorial. Was it easy to follow??? And if you make this dress PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know!!!! LOL



I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow! We will just be here at home. My Dad and Stepmother won't be able to make it down to celebrate with us. :(