Four festive table decorations
The festive season is so special, and a great time to show your creativity by decorating your table.
Since it is often a very busy time of the year, I’ve come up with four quick and easy projects that you can sew up in next to no time!
Project 1: decorative stitching on felt
Materials needed
- Felt - choose felt that is a little thicker and has some hold so it does not buckle when you sew onto it
- Contrasting decorative sewing thread
- Ribbon
- Needle – size 80
Equipment needed
- Sewing machine – I used the Brother NV1800Q sewing and quilting machine
How to
Step 1
Cut out the felt shapes of your choice – I used leaves. Decide which decorative stitching design you would like and select the corresponding stitch.
Step 2
Sew the decorative stitches and admire the result. You can really have fun with the felt shapes and thread colours, and even choose metallics!
Tip: to be sure of the best results, do some test stitching beforehand. You made need to swap for a thicker for thinner thread to make the decorative stitching more visible.
Project 2: Machine stitched Christmas card
Materials needed
- Card stock: 250 to 300gsm, or precut postcards
- Decorative thread in three shades of green
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Felt tip pens
- Machine needle size 80
Equipment needed
- Sewing machine – I used the Brother NV1800Q sewing and quilting machine
How to
Step 1
Cut a 9 x 13cm card from the card stock, or use a precut postcard.
Step 2
Draw a Christmas tree template on the card in very light pencil, leaving a 3cm space at the bottom to write some wording.
Step 3
Sew randomly using a 2.5mm straight stitch and the first of the three green shades. Make sure you stop at the edges of the tree.
Step 4
Repeat the stitching with the other two shades, offsetting the lines. Rub out any visible pencil lines. Be gentle over your stitching.And that’s it! This card is perfect for place settings or as a gift tag.
Project 3: cutlery holder
Materials needed
- Thick felt (3mm)
- Fabric scraps
- Ribbon
- String
- Glue
- Polyester thread
Equipment needed
- Sewing machine – I used the Brother NV1800Q sewing and quilting machine
How to
Step 1
Cut a rectangle our of the felt measuring 9.5 x 13.5cm and another measuring 9.5 x 25cm. Check your cutlery will fit in these measurements!
Step 2
Cut rectangles from the fabric scraps, from largest to smallest, to represent gifts. Pin in place. Sew each outline with a straight or zigzag stitch onto the smaller piece of felt. Make sure they are centred. See the image below for inspiration.
Step 3
Glue on the ribbons/string.
Step 4
Assemble the pouch by placing the smaller, decorated felt rectangle onto the larger rectangle and sew three sides (bottom and two sides, leave the top open for your cutlery). Use a 3mm stitch length since the fabric is thick.
Add cutlery and voila!
Project 4: garland
Materials needed
- Felt
- Imitation leather
- Polyester thread
Equipment needed
- Sewing machine – I used the Brother NV1800Q sewing and quilting machine
How to
Step 1
Cut out 3cm circles. Now’s the time to get your children involved to make it go faster ;)
The number of circles depends on the length of garland you want.
Step 2
Once all circles are cut, sew them together with a straight stitch right down the middle, overlapping each circle by a few millimeters. Each circle is placed under the previous one so that it is well fed along by the machine. Use a stitch length of 2mm.
And that’s it! So easy!
