DECORATIVE REMAKE OF A SIMPLE JUTE RUG

Been keeping a few craft projects on the back burner - maybe a little too long. But I finally got around to one this past weekend.

I’ve wanted to embellish a small rug for some time. The project was a remake of the rug in the entry of the living room. It was an indoor/outdoor woven rug – a dollar store find. And as such, after the first wash, it looked wrinkled and cheap, something of an eyesore.

I knew that, with a little work, I could make that jute rug look like a prize item for my living room.  I wanted the rug to weigh more so that it would stay put and to have some colors that coordinated with the round crocheted rug (an earlier project)  in front of my sofa in blue, red, gray, and black. I found what I needed in my stash of yarns.

 

A small entryway rug with a rustic design.

The rug’s material is a natural jute fiber, not-so-thick about 2 mm. It was a monochrome dull brown weave and had tassels in the same material. Its measurements were 30X15 inches (plus tassels). After crocheting three rounds, it was just a bit larger, about 32x17 inches. Tassels were removed.

 

If you want to make a rug like this one, here’s what you’ll need:

    - Small solid colored jute rug or one of some other  natural fiber

    - A pattern in mind. (Could be super simple like what I did)

    - Several colors of medium-weight or heavier yarn (best if used doubled or tripled)

    - Crochet hook

    - Yarn needle

    - Scissors

About my design:

I did three rounds of simple crochet. The first was a heavy, fuzzy yarn in gray, white, and black. The second and third rows were doubled-up strands of blue and black.

Since the little rug already had a definite pattern in its weave, I decided to follow the existing lines for my yarn stitching.

I made four long rows of straight stitches with double blue yarn (using the yarn needle) and  four more rows in double red insides the blue rows.

The result was something I liked, and I’ve already placed it in the living room in front of the door. It's almost too nice to use as a foot-wipe.

CELEBRATE YOUR MISMATCHED TABLE LINEN

Like most folks, for years, I believed that the best way to set a table was with matching sets of linen and china. But times have changed. I now find it a bit boring to set an entire table with all the exact same elements. Also, over the years, I’ve lost several of my prior uniform-looking plates and linens. And I’m not willing to toss the things I’ve had for a quite a while. So, for the recent past, as often as not, I've ended up with mismatched table settings. And why not celebrate it?

Maybe you consider this kind of mismatching to be rustic, bohemian, whimsical or just crazy. But I think the mismatched table is totally suitable for most any occasion and, most of all, practical.

So, here’s the reasoning for this post. I had four red place mats that I bought for my Christmas three years ago and continue to use for casual table setting. They were a bit faded from washing and worn around the edges. Nothing wrong with them but I was bored with their appearance. I had also gotten tired of the coordinating red cloth table napkins that I’d bought for the Christmas table. Being a Bluebird, red-on-red - mats and napkins - was not my favorite look, so I gave them away.

But I still had three black napkins and two dark blue ones, parts of sets that I had acquired  over the past few years. They were all in fairly good shape and in colors that I liked. With my anti-consumerism banner held high, I wasn’t about to give into an impulse to go out and buy more table things.  I decided that I’d go with what I had.

I remembered reading somewhere that there were a couple of effective ways to approach your table setting mismatches.

Basically, these ways involved color and pattern. When you choose table elements that  are part of the same color scheme, they don’t seem to be so much mismatched, Your eyes read them as  coordinating because they’re all similar shades. In the same way, similar pattern, even with different colors also helps to bring together a nice mismatched look.

Here's how I pulled together my mismatched table linen using my skills in crochet.

Similar crocheted stitched bring together my mismatched look.

My plan was to  create a similar element that would bring together the red mats and the black and dark blue napkins.

I did that with one skein of bright blue sock-weight worsted yarn, thus playing down the Christmas red look.

I crocheted around the edges of the red mats with the blue yarn using a simple shell pattern and a double thickness of the yarn. Each mat took me about two hours to crochet.

Using the  same yarn, with a single thickness, I worked on the napkins. First, I took an embroidery needle and sewed a blanket stitch around the edges. Then, I was able to add a simple crochet edge. Because the blanket stitching was a bit slow, I took as long finishing each napkin as I had for each mat.

You can see the results in the pic. And I think it’s quite nice for my all occasion table.

Maybe you’ll want to try to do just what I did. Or you might like to experiment with another kind of mismatched table setting. Whatever you do, be confident that you’re decorating instincts are going to help you carry off mismatching with pizazz. So be bold and play with with colors, patterns and shapes. You can be sure that you’re setting a one-of-a-kind table that others will notice (and, more than likely, appreciate).

MY LOVE FOR BLUE AND WHITE THINGS.

I want my home to celebrate the blue-and-white color tradition. New, old, traditional, vintage or folk, if it’s blue and white I love it all. You might ask: Why blue and white? Why not blue-and-green or red-and-white or some other combination? Well, I’ve discovered that a focus on blue-and-white is a very positive influence in my life. When I see blue-and-white around me in my personal space, I feel harmony and confidence.

Our pro-high-tech, consumerist society is plagued with industrial chrome, plastic grays and glossy black, colors which reinforce human-inspired activity and complexity. Color therapy research indicates that the combination of blue and white is a very special one that represents simplicity, sensibility, and aesthetics. To achieve harmony and simplicity of spirit, we need to rediscover the colors of our natural world.

The combination of blue and white can help us rediscover our true roots in nature. The blue signifies blue sky and the sea and symbolizes fidelity and serenity. White is the color of clouds, stars, and candle light and stands for purity, new beginnings, and unity. When combined, blue-and-white creates a sense of completeness and aesthetic harmony. And , as far as I'm concerned, all that adds up to domestic color therapy. That’s why I want the bulk of the things I acquire, make, and display in my home to include these colors.

As I’ve pursued my predilection, among other things, I’ve finally found a set of mismatched vintage dinner plates, saucer plates, and cups that make up my blue and white table collection. I like to see all the ways that the different dishes coordinate. And collecting disparate dishes is much less expensive than heading out to buy a complete set. They’re more interesting, too.

Mismatched blue & white dishes add charm to an informal table.

Perhaps my preference for these colors at the table has to do with my fond childhood memories of Blue Willow plates. Also, I have always been drawn to traditional Japanese home decoration and applaud their simple and dignified homes. Over many centuries, the combination of blue-and-white has been a strong element of Japanese style in home and table decoration. (Of course, the Japanese aren’t the only people to emphasize blue and white, and the folk art of many countries has a blue-and-white tradition.)

So, I’m always on the lookout for blue and white finds at the thrift stores. But I’m willing to go slow. I can’t just throw out or give away a lot of things just because they aren’t white or blue. What I’ve done up to now is add some blue-and-white things to my home – for example, some curtains and sheets, a tablecloth, napkins, dishes, and a few small accessories. As you might imagine, I'm also doing my best to emphasize natural materials - wood, stone, cotton, ceramics, etc.- at my house.

So, here’s my recommendation. Try out the power of blue-and-white in your decoration and see if it doesn’t help you to have a more complete and harmonious home. Choosing these colors should also help you find the strength to focus on your personal causes. Obviously, domestic peace and harmony depend on something more than blue and white house decoration. You must also simplify, de-clutter and clean your home.

 

JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN, DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD: TOWELS FOR EXAMPLE.

Only yesterday I had proof that my husband doesn’t follow all my blog posts. Or if he reads them, he sometimes glosses over them or misses the message. Just something less than two years ago, I wrote about the need to downsize on bathroom towels. At the time, I gave a lot of - what I thought were - good reasons for doing it. You can read it (link below) and decide for yourself just how good the reasons were. And they still are good reasons as far as I’m concerned.

But, back to my first comment, it all happened when my husband came home for lunch and saw me crocheting the edge of a towel. You’ve undoubtedly seen those towels. They are rather small and made of thin cotton. That’s just the point. Since my decision two years ago to downsize on towels, I’ve had to purchase a couple of thin towels for myself. I found them at the dollar store. My husband continues to use the old “regular” ones that we bought ten years ago and, by some miracle, continue to tolerate frequent machine washing. He wouldn’t let me get rid of his plush treasures when I did my first post on towel downsizing. So, I’m the one who uses thin ones.

On seeing me crochet yesterday, he asked what I was doing. I said: “ I’m crocheting an edge on these cheap, dollar store towels because if I don’t, they ravel out and look terrible. With this edging, they hold up just fine.”

Dollar store towels look pretty good with crocheted edging.

His reply was: “ We can afford to buy good bath towels.” Roughly translated, I suppose he meant that I was AGAIN wasting my time on a rather useless project. I answered him, saying: “I like these towels and do this to keep them serviceable for a long time.” That was enough to quiet him, especially since I got up right then and got busy serving lunch.

But some hours later, I thought that - maybe - I should post more about my decision to use thin, cotton towels rather than the usual fluffy ones. Like my husband, maybe my readers missed that post – so far back in time. Or perhaps I didn’t explain myself as well as I should have. So, here I am with another post the subject of bath towels.  The theme for this one is: JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN (afford to buy fluffy towels), DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD (buy them).

It has everything to do with the harmful effects of the cotton industry

Cotton is a natural product. “Natural” sounds like, maybe, ecological. Unfortunately, cotton growing is not earth-friendly. Being “natural” doesn’t mean that it’s something sustainable.

The sad truth is this.  Cotton growing involves the most intensive pesticides use of any agricultural product in the world. The annual cotton crop accounts for 22.5 percent of all insecticides, herbicides and defoliants used at the global level. And all those toxins end up harming wildlife and contaminating other foods that we eat.

Water use is another concern. Growing enough cotton for one T-shirt requires 257 gallons of water. Think about how much water goes into producing the plush towel that seems like such an good buy for $6 to $10. The polluted wastewater emissions from cotton fields and textile industry also weigh heavy on the environment. What’s more, due to the intensity of cotton farming, cotton in many poor countries makes up for a large percentage of agricultural land - so much so that the local population can’t even cultivate their own food.

If that wasn’t enough, there’s the question of genetically modified cotton. GM cotton hasn’t got much world attention because cotton is falsely considered to be a non-food crop. But food is also an issue here. Cottonseed oil is used for cooking and in animal feed. 
 

We all can make better choices.

So, that’s why I choose thin towels over plush ones and the reason that I want my towels to last for a very long time. And besides all that, the shell-crocheted edge makes my simple towels more attractive – something that I like. After all, it takes me only about three relaxing hours to finish crocheting the edges of a towel, and the cotton yarn I'm using is left over from an earlier project.
 

Fluffy bath towels are among the things you can easily acquire but that, most likely, you shouldn’t (now that you know some of the problems involved.) But, of course, the same can be said of a huge number of other “convenient” consumer products that - thinking more clearly about it – seem to be motivated more by personal vanity than by need. Other examples (and even bigger ones) that come to mind are brand new cars, wide-screen TVs, smart phones, all-round sound systems, etc. But those are subjects of future posts, if I ever get around to them.

Earlier posts

THINGS TO DOWNSIZE RIGHT AWAY: CASE #1 – LARGE, FLUFFY BATH TOWELS
HOW CONSUMERISM (STILL) TRIES TO FOOL US

  

CRAFTY, LAST MINUTE VALENTINES.

Handmade valentines are a great alternative to store-bought cards. And, if you're looking for a last minute craft for Valentines' Day, this is for you. And the simple heart-on-heart valentine card highlighted here carries your special message. And they look so pretty hung up just about anywhere or worn with your words of love to your friends and family.

Best of all, you probably have most, if not all, the materials on hand or can buy what you need in a quick rush to the dollar store. So, you can put these together on the spur of the moment, even the at the last minute - if the spirit moves you to do so. And, if you do any type of scrap booking, this craft will be super easy to do. Kids can do their version of this card, too.



Handmade hearts carry your own special messages.

All you need is some thin colored card to cut up, some bright colored yarn, and some small textured materials. I used tiny preglued felt hearts. Here, the heart on heart is given extra interest with a tiny bit of yarn that is tied in the front. The yarn I used was from my leftover stash.

Creating a small mountain of these valentines was an all day adventure and one that I truly enjoyed. And, as you'll find out, they're not at all hard to make! The possibilities are endless. No way to go wrong here!

Materials

Recycled greeting cards to cut up.
Tiny shapes - can be made from felt or other fabrics. (Preglued materials are easiest to work with.)
Bright colored yarn
Wavy cut scissors or regular ones.
Tiny or regular hole punch
Upholstery needle
Seam ripper (to perforate the cardboard for the small yarn tie).
Two permanent markers - one pink or red (medium) and one black (thin).

Instructions

Make a four-inch (or larger) heart out of heavy cardboard to serve as your stencil. Then use your stencil to cut out hearts using recycled greeting cards.  Once you have the hearts you need, stick one or more small figures on the hearts, centered on the front. Use the seam ripper and the upholstery needle to make holes for the front decorative ties.

Write or draw (black pen) your message of love to each of your friends and family members. Use the pink or red pen to make a decorative edge.

Punch a hole at the top and add the longer yarn tie that allows the valentine to be hung up somewhere.

You can also add a straight or safety pen so that the valentine can be worn.

EVERYDAY COTTON PLACEMATS DRESS UP WITH A CROCHET EDGE.

Inexpensive cotton ribbed place mats can look a lot better with a bright colored crochet edge. And that's what I did. I edged two mats with leftover multicolor cotton yarn, each with about 3 hours work.

The black mats were dollar store finds. But, at home after an initial wash , I realized that they were really too narrow to serve for table settings . What's worse, the edges didn't want to stay flat after laundering, and I simply DON'T IRON things like tablecloths, place mats, and napkins. I was disgusted. I definitely didn't like the mats on the table. I simply put them away and, eventually, used one as a decoration on a shelf. It looked OK there.

 

But then I reminded myself that I had bought the two and that they were supposed to be place mats. So, I decided to do some mat-improvement strategy. From there, I looked at place mats in an Internet search and found some pretty ones with crocheted edges.

 I wanted a regular edge, not a lacy one, something that could take a lot of wear and wash nicely. That meant a medium weight cotton yarn would be the best bet. So, for the yarn, I chose a ball of cotton yarn with variegated colors - in beige, rose, and magenta. The yarn was a happy find in my yarn stash bag.  And, to my mind, the mats looked very well dressed up with the crochet rows I added. The cotton yarn I used is sturdy and washable and no doubt will be cherry and bright a long time after the mats become faded and limp.

 

Supposedly, the standard sizing for table mats is: 14 in. x 20 in. The ones I made, with edging and all, still came short of the standard and measured in at 12 in. x 18 in. They were somewhat smallish, but, happily, big enough for the undersized dining table that I have.

 

The total cost was $2  for two mats, plus what was something less than a ball of cotton yarn (less than $3 when purchased new). So, the total project cost of two mats was less than $5. I think that's a good price because the nicer store-bought place mats can cost as much as $5 each.

Set a prettier table with dressed up place mats.

I'm pleased with the results of my efforts and I'll probably make 2 more so I can, occasionally, set a 4-person table. ( Luckily, I was able to find 2 more in a quick run to the dollar store. But, as you probably know already, it's always best to buy ALL the materials for your projects at once. Otherwise. you're asking for trouble when you try to locate more of the same materials in subsequent store searches.)

 

Materials

- Cotton ribbed place mat or any mat that has a wide enough weave to allow for easy crochet hook use.
- Crochet hook with a number of about 1.5 (so that you can easily pierce through fabric)
- Cotton yarn
- Scissors

Crocheted border

Pierce fabric about a quarter inch from the edge and knot.

Then do a single crochet, maintaining the quarter inch base, all the way around the mat. Use three passes in single stitch at the corners. (That's a way of easing in the transition from one side to another.)

With that crocheted base, you can add any border you want. There are many good videos that show how to make different kinds of crocheted edges.

I chose to do a four-link chains between stitches on the second row. It looked pretty good after that  row but I decided to continue on. I liked it even better with a third row of chains that connected in the middle of the second row chains.

 

I also made three passes in single stitch to ease in the corners of the second and third rows.

 

Sometimes, it's better to put only a 3-link chain to compensate for differences in stitch spacing. That occurs, now and again, and is especially likely when nearing the corners.

 

HOW I FINISHED A GRANNY SQUARE AFGHAN IN RECORD TIME AND COST

Last night, in the middle of the night, finding myself with some flu-like bug and a cough that just wouldn't quit, I decided to crochet my very first giant granny square afghan. My project kept me occupied for four hours, from 1 to 5 am, at which time I finished my afghan - about 50" X 50". Oh, and by the way, its total cost was two dollars.

Now all that probably doesn't seem very likely to you. And, of course, it's not. Not likely and not true. Except that it is, sort of.

Giant granny squares are useful and colorful items for the home.

Here's the story of this crocheted afghan.

I absolutely love to surround myself with colorful homespun items and always wanted to crochet a giant granny square afghan. I just never got around to it. And having crocheted some small granny squares as dishcloths, I was pretty sure I had the skills. But, sitting down so long to make an afghan was something that never happened - due to time constraints and general laziness to undertake such a big project that would take scads of yarn and way too many long hours. I always said that there would come a time when I would pull together some exquisite yarns and see the threads join into a beautiful granny square creation for my home. Last night I accomplished that goal.

But I didn't really crochet a whole afghan in one night. What I did was finish one - a nice one that I'm proud of.

This story began about two years ago when I was scouring the local thrift stores looking for used knitted and crocheted items. My purpose was to tear out and salvage the yarn for making scarves and shawls. I had found a number of sweaters that served well being torn out and, later, reused for other projects. I even blogged about the process. (See below.) One day, back then, I ran across a granny square afghan in a thrift shop - with nice purple and black yarn. It even looked in good condition and the cost was just two dollars. I was really pleased to buy it. Best of all, all that yarn was a medium weight acrylic that holds up well for any number of needlework projects.

Of course, it had a problem. That's why it was there, being sold for just a couple of dollars. The last row of crochet had come out and the loose yarn was hanging down - several yards worth. What's more, any movement of the blanket caused further unraveling. Apparently, no one had appreciated just how nice this afghan was and how many hours of work it represented. Being somewhat unraveled didn't seem to be a big problem for me since I, at first, wanted to unravel it, anyway. But, when I got it home, I realized that it was much too nice to destroy. So, I put it away on a top shelf to wait the time when I could repair it.

That time just didn't come around. I seemed to have dozens of projects that were more urgent than reworking an afghan.  But last night, the time was right. I realized that I was totally unlikely to sleep and I hate to spend my hours tossing around in bed unable to rest. That's when I remembered the afghan on the top shelf, a great project for a long night of insomnia.  The huge respiratory meltdown was the right moment for finishing the afghan.

I took the blanket off the closet shelf and carried it to the living room. There, after trying several hook sizes, I found one that seemed to be the same as the one used to make the square. Figuring out the pattern turned out to be very easy because granny squares just repeat the same stitches all through. It turned out to be a double crochet stitch and I settled down to work on the couch with a hot tea - actually, 4 hot teas during those four hours - along with two coverlets over my legs. It took less than an hour to redo the raveled out row.

While I was pleased to see the row now repaired, the blanket didn't seem to have much pizazz. The two colors were nice but it still appeared unfinished and a bit drab. Since I knew that I would have several more hours of wakefulness, I decided to go around the last row with a single crochet. I chose a medium blue acrylic from my yarn stash. That shade of blue gave it a bit more color but didn't cause so much contrast as to call undue attention to the finishing row.

I'm proud of my work. But, of course, it isn't the granny square afghan of my dreams. The one I was hoping to make would have been much more colorful - that according to my fantasy, at least. The truth is that I was really lucky to have found this afghan at a thrift store and to finally find the time to finish it. So, I'll say this one counts as my first giant granny square blanket, made in record time (overlooking the two years it sat shelved) and at a cost of 2 dollars.

To conclude this story and, according to my best hopes, hit the bed for a few hours of morning sleep, there are some points that I hope you've noticed here. First, there is a good possibility to find homespun items for very little money at garage sales and thrift stores. Most of them will need some work. Second, if you're willing to do a bit of repair, used needlework can be a useful and attractive addition to the home. Second, there are moments when a time slot - even a less than optimal one - will allow you to carry out a project. So, getting to work at those times is a real plus - in the great scheme of things.

I'm not going to give out the instructions for making this afghan. There are any numbers of Internet blogs and videos that do that ever so much better than I could. 

But, I do highly recommend the making of your own granny square afghan and/or the searching out for used blankets of this kind wherever they may appear.  They are really versatile as to color choices and they can be as large as you like. You just keep on crocheting until the size feels right. And they are so nice, thrown on the back of the couch or wrapped around you while reading a book or doing needlework or some other craft.  And you'll love to have your blanket, as mine is, folded at the end of the bed, offering extra warmth on these frosty winter evenings.

 

Related post

http://grandmasusansalmanac.blogspot.com/2011/07/unravel-old-sweaters-and-knit-new.html

One day later - update
Some people - like me - just don't know when to stop. Just decided to add a row of scalloping to the simple crochet edge. Well, my record time afghan may be taking a bit longer, after all. 

MAKE A SNUGLY FLEECE QUILT FOR SOMEONE SPECIAL

As you know, by now, Grandma Susan always tries to design and create handmade presents for all kinds of occasions. And Christmas-time is no exception. For this holiday season, among other things, I made fleecy blankets for each of my three small grandchildren.

These snugly quilts are made from purchased, ready-made fleece blankets. I found the small blankets on sale at a big box store for just $3.00 each. They're available in many colors and patterns. I chose a child-friendly pattern and a coordinating solid for each quilt. I tie-quilted the pieces, decorated the front side with colorful yarn, and crocheted all around the edges. It was a great way to use up some of my yarn stash. So, the only cost was that of the two blankets. The end result was a fast turn-around project that has a lot of homemade, old-fashioned charm.

A handmade, fleecy tie-quilt is a great gift.

The most difficult part was making the very first one because the fleece fabric is somewhat stretchy and can be a bit difficult to handle. But with the practice, the second and third came together much easier. So, here, I'll give you some hints that should help cut your time when making this quilt.

This is a great project to do over the weekend. You need only a few items. And, if all goes well, it takes only about 10 hours of work on each quilt. You could also make this blanket with regular fleece fabric - cutting to the right size and/or piecing together, but that would take a bit more trouble.

Materials
Two fleece blankets, each measuring about 45 X 60 inches.
Sharp scissors
Large safety pins
Crochet hook (I used a size H hook.)
Measuring tape or a ruler
Upholsterer's needle
Thimble (to poke the needle through 2 layers of fleece)
Three balls of worsted-weight yarn in different colors – can be leftovers from other projects.

Instructions
Step 1. Lay out the fabric.
Lay one piece of fabric flat over the other, making sure the wrong sides are touching. Trim away any excess fabric around the edges so that one is exactly the same size as the other.

Step 2. Place safety pins all over the blanket.
One reason that these quilt projects can be challenging is the need to wrangle the large pieces of fabric. That's where safety pins come in.

Fasten the safety pins through the two pieces using as many pins as you want. Be sure to cover the entire surface of the blanket with safety pins - at intervals, of course, so that the blanket will lie flat while you're working on the ties.

Step 3. Make the ties.
Once the two layers are securely pinned together, make your tie pattern.

Take the upholsterer's needle and the yarn and push the needle through the two layers - from front to back to front, again.  This can be a struggle, so be ready to use your thimble and finger strength. You may even have to resort actually poking small holes with a seam ripper.

I stitched 12 ties, making a total of 6 - 11" squares (See the picture.) Tie the ends in a tight double knot and trim the yarn so you have two lengths of about 1.5 inches sticking up from the quilt. You can make more squares if you want. But 12 ties seem to be enough to hold the pieces together.

Step 4. Decorate your quilt.
All the decoration should be done on only the front of the blanket with knots hidden between the two layers. The stitches would be too bulky if they pass through both layers. Use your needle to make a decorative rectangle just three inches along all the edges. If you want to write a name or initials on the blanket, use large letter stencils to draw the letters. Then make simple yarn stitches to go around the outline of the letters.

Step 5. Stitch and crochet the edges.
With double-strand yarn and the large needle, blanket stitch around the four edges of the two layers. When this is done, single crochet all around using the blanket stitching as a guide.

Get to work on your blanket.
You'll enjoy the process of deciding on patterns and colors and working to tie-bind your blanket together. And, whether it's a gift for a child or an adult, this fleecy quilt is going to be used and appreciated at any time of year. And, don't be surprised if you want to make one for yourself. I plan to do that just as soon as I've taken care of the people on my gift list.

ONE-HOUR HOLIDAY TABLE RUNNER PROJECT

Handmade runners are a way to create an attractive holiday table without spending a lot. They can be made in many different color and design options, and you'll be delighted with the easy and gorgeous results. This project is based on purchased place mats sewn together with a bright colored yarn.

While the one I made was a simple, ribbed cotton weave with primarily a red color along and gold and orange threads. Yours can be whatever you like, such as bright, metallic holiday prints or other inventive designs. Obviously, the place mats for this project should be fairly light and flexible in order to drape nicely over the edges of the table.

Total time to make this really simple table runner should be only an hour or less.

You’ll need.

Three 14" X 19" place mats (Mat size can vary some. The runner will look great regardless of size.)

One ball of medium-weight cotton yarn (mine was a gold color with a metallic glitter)

Large metal tapestry needle.

Finished size: 14″ x 57″.

If you need more length for a long table, just add a fourth (or fifth) place mat. Fringe or tassles on the four corners can be added to the runner for an added decorative touch.

What to do.

Set the place mats out in a row to form a long rectangle.

Using the yarn and tapestry needle, unite the edges of three place mats creating a zigzag pattern.

Make a similar zigzag decoration on the ends of the runner.

Get moving on this project.
I enjoyed the creative process and how it turned out. Although I used  bright colors for a Christmas table decoration, you can use any fabric you want to make a runner for another season or occasion.


There it is! And it couldn't be simpler to make. You'll want to make a couple more to give as holiday gifts.

Note
Here is the simple holiday display that I put together for my table. (Every item was $1.50 or less (including each of three place mats. Paper ornaments were handmade from cut-outs of old Christmas cards with tiny bows attached.) Picture includes a glimpse of the runner that I made from ribbed cotton place mats.

ANYONE CAN MAKE THESE TIE-QUILTED, FLEECE COVERLETS

I am always on the look out for thoughtful homemade gifts for special occasions. Tie-fleece blankets seemed to be a good idea that could serve for all age groups. And I remembered that I had seen several  styles for these blankets on the Internet when I made tie-fleece pillows for my grandchildren. A neighbor of mine was in happy anticipation of the birth of her first grandchild, and I decided to make something for the baby. I wanted a quick coverlet design for the baby - one that wouldn't take as much time as a knitted one (up to 30 hours to complete). Confident that the tie-fleece idea would work again for me, I went to the store and bought fleece yardage, one a solid green and the other, a lilac geometric pattern.

You'll get raves on these easily made coverlets.

Finding instructions for making fleece blankets wasn't hard at all. It seemed that every craftsy blog had posted or videoed on how to make this kind of covers. And the results that I saw were very attractive and cuddly.

It seemed that there was nothing complicated about it at all, and that all the makers have been so proud to design and give them as gifts. Even kids, of ages about 10 years and older, apparently have  learned to make them. 

The version I came up with was made entirely by hand without a sewing machine. It was fairly simple to make even on the first try. On the other hand, and now with the experience of my first one, I found that there are some common mistakes left out of most instructions. I'll go over some of these later. The best news is that this kind of blanket is very forgiving to minor mistakes.

Choose your fleece fabric
One blanket uses two pieces of fleece fabric - one for each side. You can use any fleece color/pattern combination you like.  The two pieces should be the same except for the pattern. So, be sure about that when you're selecting the thicknesses and textures.  

Fleece fabric is mostly economical. I've even seen it on sale for $3 or $4 a yard, and that's a real bargain since it tends to be about 45" - 48" wide.The rule of thumb for baby blankets is a width of about 30" and length of around 50". The coverlet I made was to be a crib spread and it was 36" by 45". To be on the safe side buy one and a half yards, each, of the print and the coordinating solid.  So, for $12 to $20 dollars you can make an attractive and useful gift for a baby. 

You can ask the attendant to cut the two pieces of fabric to the size that you want. That way you'll save yourself some time and not have to deal with leftovers.  But remember that the outer ties are going to take about 7 inches from each side of the blanket.

Purchase anti-pill fleece so that the blankets can be washed and dried with the regular laundry without becoming ugly. If the fabric doesn't say it's non-shrinkable,consider it to be so and wash and dry the material before starting.

In my search, I found that there are some environmental concerns with fleece (made of polyethylene terephthalate, polyester plastic, PET). So I decided to use  the polyester fabric I found on sale for a crib coverlet/spread with rather than for a blanket that would have direct contact with the baby. This PET type of fabric would also be great for a car seat coverlet. For those who want an all-purpose baby blanket, it would be best to search about for bamboo or cotton fleece, as those natural materials are better for babies. The cost of natural fabric is likely to be greater.

Materials
pair of good, sharp scissors

2 contrasting color pieces of fleece material

table for working (or be ready to sprawl everything out on the floor)

yardstick

2 shades of worsted-weight yarn (can be, like mine, from your leftover stash)

cardboard template, 7 inches long - with half inch holes

upholstery needle

large safety pins

How to make the coverlet
Step 1- setting up the pieces of fleece

Trim the selvages of the two pieces, if there are any, and straighten out the ends. The selvage is the rough edge along two sides where the weave is a bit different. Selvages aren't usually used. Try for a perfect rectangle. That may not be so easy because the material tends to be wiggly. Don't stretch or pull it. Just smooth it out. Fleece gives a lot and can be seriously stretched out of shape. Don't be over concerned about a few wrinkles. By the time the fringes are tied, it won't be noticeable if the pieces are a little off square. 

Make sure the wrong sides face each other - that's with the more polished sides out and the duller sides inside, just as you'll want it when its tied together. Use 12 or more safety pins to hold the pieces where you want them. Pinning the fleece together helps to keep the two pieces in place while you do the yarn decoration and make the cuts.

Step 2 -  the cuts for fringe

Place the patterned fleece on the bottom, and the solid piece on the top, so you won't be distracted by the pattern. Cut 1” wide slits around the entire edge, 7 “ long with a 7” square cut out of each corner. The fringe strips are cut parallel with each side of the rectangle. Lay the yardstick on the edge of the fleece and put a tiny dot with a washable marker just where you want to make the cuts. Cut both fleece thicknesses at the same time. Sharp scissors are a must. Don't worry about each cut being exactly one inch apart. Slight differences won't be noticeable once it's tied. Lay the template at a 90 degree angle with the side to know how far deep to make each cut. 

Step 3 - yarn decoration & inner ties

Use your template to mark the dots at 1/2" apart and running about 3/4" below the tie fringe cuts.  With the upholstery needle and a double yarn, make the decorative rectangle, passing through top  and bottom. Then, do the inner quilting ties at equal intervals, making sure to go through both layers and having about a 1/4" between the entry from the top side and the exit from the bottom side. Having a repeating geometric pattern will help you determine just where to put these ties without doing a lot of measuring.

Step 4 - the outer ties

Tie the two fabrics together at the edges. The knots should be made between pieces of fringe directly one above the other. Pay attention to how you tie so you won't miss one and then have to go back, untie and tie again. Do two opposing sides first and then the other sides. That way you can keep the rectangle in better shape. Be careful with the ties on the corners because they can be tricky, as you need to keep the right angles. Ties can be done using square knots or with a simple double knot - like the ones shown. Also it's easier if you tie every other fringe, then flip the blanket over to tie the remaining strips. That gives it a cleaner look.  

As you tie, the material may bunch if you are using really tight knots. Just stretch the blanket edge as you go to remove any curling or wrinkles. Try to make the knots loose at first and tighten them up later, as needed.

The results
Luckily for me, I received raves on the results of my first try. Time involved?  It took me about eight concentrated hours of work, given that I made a few mistakes that had to be corrected.  And, now that I've learned from my initial mistakes and hoping not to make additional ones, I'm confident that I can do the next coverlet even faster. So, I may really up the ante and make bed-sized coverlets for each of my three grandchildren.

Simpler versions of the crib coverlet - without the yarn decoration - should take four hours or less, depending on the overall size of the blanket. The results are quite acceptable and the blankets are soft, warm and cuddly. And don't worry about these coverlets being perfect. People appreciate the loving work in handmade items and don’t expect them to look like their commercial counterparts.

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DON’T GET WRAPPED UP IN HOLIDAY CONSUMERISM.

While, in a national survey, 70% of Americans said they would welcome less emphasis on Christmas gift giving and spending. (Center for a New American Dream), the average American family is still spending $800 on gifts over the holiday season. Does that sound like a wise quantity of money for a nation that’s still struggling with a recession? Well, it doesn’t to me. What I get from this is that people are reluctant to face up to their reality. The majority is not doing well at all, financially, has no savings, and is getting mixed up in all kinds of new debt – to add to their old debt, much of which was never paid off.

If you’re like most of the 98%, extra holiday spending is going to do a number on your credit card debt and bank balance, so be smarter. Don't let December overspending be the reason for a New Year’s hangover. Consider stopping right now and starting over with a thoughtful gift-giving list that won’t bring on New Year stress. You don’t have to spend so much to have a nice Christmas. Here is some information about how the spirit of Christmas has gone wrong, along with some tips on how to make this December season less of a spending holiday. Remember consumerism is bad both for working families and for the Earth.

We’re still getting this wrong.

The statistics given here were reported in Facebook by This group only posts once per day (Dec. 10).

 

From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, household waste increases by more than 25%. Added  food waste, shopping bags, packaging, wrapping paper, bows and ribbons - it all adds up to an additional 1 million tons a week to our landfills. (Use Less Stuff) In the U.S., annual trash from gift-wrap and shopping bags totals 4 million tons. (Use Less Stuff) The 2.65 billion Christmas cards sold each year in the U.S. could fill a football field 10 stories high. If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet. Half of the paper America consumes is used to wrap and decorate consumer products. Each year, 50 million Christmas trees are purchased in the U.S. (Cygnus Group). Of those, about 30 million go to the landfill. (Environmental News Network) About 40% of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. (EPA) packaging, wrapping paper, bows and ribbons - it all adds up to an additional 1 million tons a week to our landfills. (Use Less Stuff).

So, what can you do?
First, set a limit on total holiday splurges, including gifts and meals. Decide how much money you can afford to spend and stick with it. Make a promise to yourself that what you buy must come safely out of your December salary or bank account. That means you use cash not credit cards (and certainly not cash advances) and still have the right amount left over for your regular monthly payments – for rent, food, gas, etc.

Second, make some hard decisions. If your shopping list includes several people outside of your immediate family, cut that number down to just a few or none at all. You can bake some cookies or make small gift items (cakes, candies, tree ornaments) for all the people you eliminated after some consideration from your original gift list. Remember spreading holiday cheer doesn’t mean spending beyond what’s comfortable. If others don’t understand this, it’s their problem.

Try giving the gift of sentiment and time. Plan for a nice visit or invite people over to your house or go visit them. Then you can share small gifts and many hugs. Call those who are far away to let them know that you’re thinking of them.

Personalized gifts are an economical substitute for more expensive gifts. A small, thoughtful gift, thinking about the person’s interest is worth more than an expensive gift that someone may never use.

Group volunteering for a charitable cause is another good way to celebrate. And that way you can bring season joy to many more people. This kind of activity can even take the place of holiday parties and gift giving. Tell your friends and family that instead of spending on gifts for you and yours, you want them to join you in a group volunteer day. That way all of you will finish by feeling proud of your efforts. And that's a lot better than choking back a sense of doom, thinking about the bills that, all too soon, are going to roll in.

Homemade gifts that I made this year.

I always try to give my family members gifts that I make by hand.  For the grandchildren, I made little fleece pillows for their beds. The children’s gift pillows were in bright colored prints and personalized by embroidered initials. This was not a fast-to-do project and I spent about a month, off-and-on, completing 6 pillows. The total cost was about $40 for the 6 pillows. (That was more expensive than I planned because I bought the wrong type of fleece the first time around and had to buy material twice. The fabric I didn't use is put away awaiting another project.)

For the adults I made one-of-a kind, Christmas tree ornaments. The ornaments featured messages for holiday cheer and the names of the family members. It only took me one afternoon to buy all I needed for the gifts and one 4-hour morning to make four ornaments.

Here’s how I did it. I started with a 4 inch diameter glass iridescent ball (4 to a package) found at a 50% sale in the week before Christmas at a local hobby store. The globes only have a small opening at the top, so care is needed when handling these items.

Now, I had seen a bunch of different kinds of glass globes filled with a variety of materials – everything from natural moss and little sticks to colorful cotton balls, and clay snowman figures in snow made out of salt and others filled to the top with tiny colored candies.

I chose my gift ornament to be personalized with the names of the family members who would gather around their Christmas tree. I also wanted to celebrate this particular season with mention of Merry Christmas 2012 and Happy New Year 2013.

 

I wanted something printed to express my sentiment.  So, I took out a bunch of old, slightly yellowed printed pages from a couple of books. For color, I bought three of the heavier sets of gift tags, still held together as a page (not separated). The gift tag pages came from the dollar store.

For each ornament, I ink-jet printed a page of text onto a book page - 4 lines of the names of the family members,  4 lines with Merry Christmas 2012 and 4 lines with Happy New Year 2013. I used spray adhesive to glue the gift tags to the printed pages. Then I cut out the printed lines of names and seasonal greetings in thin strips.  I had on hand some light card material in bright green and sky blue and I made more strips to fill up the globe.

I doubled each strip in half without a distinct fold and stuffed them, one by one – fold side down, in the top of the ornament. As I worked, I fluffed up the mix of paper strips with a chopstick. That way I got a nice-looking mix of messages and colors inside each globe.

When I had all the strips in, I returned the metal top of the ornament, added a gift card, and a bow. I put each ornament in a small, pre-decorated cardboard box that I also bought at the dollar store. My total cost for 4 ornaments was about $14, including gift boxes. (I already had red ribbon and the spray glue - those two items together would have been more expensive than the cost of the glass globes.)

THE STRANGE CASE OF THE SOMETIMES PINK GERANIUMS.

I have white geraniums in my front yard. Have had them for about 3 years. I found them in a cracked pot - apparently one that fell off a truck that carried some one's belongings in a move from one house to another.

They’ve flowered beautifully in my yard these past 2 years after I finally got them out of their large cracked pot. They managed to stay alive over the short winter freeze in our area but stopped flowering at the end of December to begin again at the end of February. At first, I was covering them at night but later as I saw their impressive growth rate, I gave up taking that precaution.

So, you might say. Well, that’s nice but hardly remarkable – a lot of people have pretty geraniums. But I want to tell you something surprising about my flowers.

One day last December, the first wintering that these flowers did in my yard, I noticed a difference in their blooms. They were still mostly white but, from one day to the next, I saw them with a decidedly pink center on almost all the blooms. I was enchanted to see the change and thanked the flowers for such a beautiful color. Another rather strange change was the addition of some fine golden lines that look a bit like sunbeams in each bloom.  I wasn’t sure why they had a different December color but thought that perhaps they knew that they wouldn’t be flowering for a few months and wanted to put on a “good show.”

In January, the few remaining blooms disappeared with the cold weather. And at the end of February, they returned in full force and all blooms were totally white – just like they had been before.

This past week, at the end of November, my flowers made their annual move – from white to white with pink and tiny golden lines. I pointed it out to my husband. At first, he didn’t believe me because he had been in the yard the day before and remembered that the blooms were uniformly white. He was really surprised with the change and, also, with my story about the same thing occurring one year ago. He said I should take some photos – which I did. (They show some of the pink, but not as nicely as can be seen directly.)

The blooms had, in fact, turned partially pink, the very day after praying the rosary for Our Lady of Guadalupe. This was part of a neighborhood rosary chain, honoring Our Lady through a particular old image of Her (Una Virgen Peregrina), 60 or more years old.  The image is a long resident in our city that was carried by her current owner/caretaker to a home in our neighborhood. (Of course, at this time of the year, rosary chains are being enacted everywhere throughout Mexico and in US Mexican American neighborhoods.)

According to this particular tradition, the image of Our Lady stays in 45 neighborhood homes, 24 hours in each house, for 45 days and arrives along with a small group of neighbors who stop over to pray the rosary. This begins on Oct. 28 and finishes Dec. 11. On the 46th day - Dec. 12 - she returns to her permanent home for the final Anniversary Rosary. That night there's a huge celebration and even more neighbors attend.

I mentioned the association of the rosary to my husband and the possibility that the pinkish flowers actually were honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe. Pink is a favorite color for flowers that adorn images of Our Lady. (I noticed the same pink color change one year ago - also after the rosary prayers at our house, but I can't remember if it actually happened right afterwards or several days later.)

My husband was a bit doubtful about the association of the pink blooms with the rosary of Our Lady of Guadalupe but wanted to offer some kind of explanation of the strange occurrence. He said the energy must, somehow, be different at that time of year around our home.  Just why there would be different energy, but he couldn’t think up any particular reason.

So, who’s to say? Whatever the reason, the bright pink blooms with tiny golden lines are a winter gift of our geraniums to us and to the neighborhood where we live.

Update on Grandma Susan's sometimes pink geraniums (1-20-13).  Grandma's geraniums lived through several night time frosts with blossoms and all. All January blooms are only white just like they were before December.



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