… fabric and time to sew!

I decided to do some home dec sewing this year, to add some Christmas spirit to my house. In other words, I fell in love with Cali Fabrics array of cosy plaid flannels, and gave myself an excuse to use them!

My first project was a cheerful plaid bunting, My mom and sister made bunting for my wedding in 2011, and it’s gone on to decorate many a picnic, birthday, and celebration for my friends and family! I thought that a winter plaid bunting would be the perfect versatile Christmas decoration.

There are lots of ways to make bunting, but I like to keep it simple. I made a cardboard triangle template that was 3″ x 4″, and tessellated it to cut out my triangles with no waste. The long edges are cut on the bias, and don’t need any finishing! I used three plaids flannels from Cali Fabrics and one pair of old pyjamas for extra contrast.

Next, I got some black double fold bias binding from my stash, and sandwiched the triangles in the fold. Sew along the length of the binding and voila! Finished! This would be a great quick gift, because it takes very little fabric and even less time.

What did I do with the rest of my 3 yards of plaid?

A quilted tree skirt! My previous tree skirt was too small and flimsy, and flew into disarray every time the cats run under the tree. (Aka. often.) This time I wanted something larger and more substantial that would stay in place!

I started my cutting all my plaids (including yet another pair of old pyjama pants) into randomly sized rectangles, and improv-pieced them into blocks about 3′ long and 1′ wide. I attached them around a central square.

Next, I sewed the quilted top right-sides-together with a large piece of thrifted wool. (Can you tell my theme is waste not, want not?) I flipped it right sides out and quilted the whole thing with a few lines of stitching. I’m happy to report that has stayed in place no matter how often the cat runs past!

Now from my past projects, you’ll know I’m much more comfortable sewing clothes than home dec… so I had to giggle when I realised I’d taken pictures of me “wearing” both projects in this post!

Tree skirts as capes and bunting as… I don’t even know what! Will I be setting a new trend? Perhaps not.

I hope that this winter holiday, you get some time to enjoy your cosy home and sew to your heart’s content!