Its that time of the year welcoming guests into your home for the holidays. Are you starting to get your home ready and planning food? We are and enjoying the process. I have lots of recipes that I would like to share along with simple Fall décor and easy sewing quilting projects to fit in before the holiday comes.
These are very simple table runners that I made just out of scraps of fabric. I used a strip quilting method and how it went together so very fast. I enjoy setting these around during the fall months to bring a bit of Thanksgiving and Fall décor without making too strong of a statement. Here you will see the shorter table runner on my cedar chest. This is a special little spot in the dining room for us to reflect upon those things that we are most grateful for. Making your home ready for Thanksgiving or Fall Festivities doesn’t need to be stressful just lay out some simple items to celebrate the season.
This is our narrow long farm house dining room table, that I made this table runner extra long for. Gathering together just a few items with the table runner is just enough to set the tone. I tend to purchase through the years metal holiday décor and one thing that I really love about it is that it just doesn’t break! I gathered clumps of sunflowers to brighten up the table with a couple acorn salt and pepper shakers and I am certain you probably have a fantastic turkey or holiday platter that rarely comes out of the closet that you can use on a metal easel to make that Fall Thanksgiving mood. When I pieced this table runner together by strip quilting, I just didn’t fuss about what fabric was touching which one and there are a couple of the same fabrics touching each other. I like to not have to spend so much time thinking through something, get a project done and enjoy it! What do you think?
These quilted fall Thanksgiving Pillows are perfect to toss around for your family and guests, especially after eating that turkey dinner! These pillows are so fun to make with just four cream squares in the center, leaves blanket stitched appliqued after a couple borders. What another great way to use scrappy fabrics laying around just begging to be used. I am going to make some more pillows this week with feathers reminding of the First Thanksgiving and the generosity of the Indians! May those pillows remind us to always be accepting of those around us and know that by uniting we have much that we can share and enrich each others lives. The feather pillows will be a full tutorial with downloadable pattern for you.
For anyone that has been entertained at our home they know that I love to make guests feel welcome. One of the things I do is having inviting places for people to sit and visit. Our backyard patio is really an extension of our home with pillows, tablecloths and holiday décor to greet all. We spend lots of time on the back patio entertaining, so I keep the table cloths and decorative table squares always on the tables. The couches and chairs are full of bright pillows to cozy up to and of course there are quilts to wrap up in to stay warm if it is a little breezy. I love pops of color! You will notice that I have used Riley Blake’s home dec fabric to create matching fabric squares and table runners for the tables. I just used a 1 1/2 yards of fabrics for a table square and then just hemmed the edge. They are outside all year long and wash very well! I throw placemats to add color for the different seasons. Easy way to create warmth for you and your guests. The fabric is available in the online store to ship immediately.
I’ll even stitch together a quick table runner for the coffee table of the coordinating Riley Blake Home Dec fabric with a bit of their extra wide ric rac stitched down the center. I just love the yellow fall aspen tree leaves that are falling everywhere.
Our family loves to separate our pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin to bake and nibble on. It is a tradition that goes back a long way, that my great nieces and nephews along with my own children look forward too. Notice the fabric I’m planning to use for the feather fall pillow tutorial later this week! I can’t wait!
Now remember that the pumpkins we buy are not just for decoration or pumpkin carving. We always buy small pumpkins that we slice open the top and then microwave until the sides are soft and then use that raw pumpkin for real homemade pumpkin pies. The challenge is worth it along with the full your children and family members will have watching a small pumpkin become a pumpkin pie. I don’t save these pumpkins for Thanksgiving Day but cook these up so the kids can do it with me and marvel at how simple it is to make pumpkin pie! When we make ours this week, I will take lots of pictures and post our recipe with complete instructions online!
We have a very wide fireplace mantle. This is just some simple classy decorating of the fireplace mantle. Dried gourds that I have kept through the years, our two small pumpkins for pumpkin pie, sunflowers, metal pumpkin and a cornucopia basket. These are the things that have lasted through the years. After I set it up and thought – I didn’t use any burlap that I have so much of but I think it looks simple and clean. I think I might just use that burlap to create a fresh wreath for the front door that can be versatile from holiday to holiday. I’ll keep you updated. I would love to see all of your fantastic ideas and thoughts. What have you used this holiday season?
One thing our family does enjoy is lighting the fireplace and feeling that cozy feeling. There are lots of quilts folded on the edges of the couches and chairs waiting for people to get comfortable and cozy! Enjoy your family and focus on your blessings this season. Remembering our bounty can take away the feeling that we just don’t have enough!
Happy Stitching!
Beautiful decor ideas!
Pamela Thank you for the comment of beautiful décor ideas! I try to keep things simple, classy and using things I already have just in a different way! Keep coming back for more ideas as we have only just begun with the holidays and then in the New Year I have some excellent affordable DIY projects that give a phenomenal bang for the energy put into it! The photo with the picture of my cedar chest, the red wall is a venetian plaster technique that cost me only $40 and is just striking. The wall feels like glass! The project doesn’t take much time either, a lot easier than painting. 🙂