Christmas Present Placemats & Skirts

Some of my fondest memories are of times spent with my mom decorating our home for Christmas. Handmade decorations, a large fir tree, fresh holly and magnolia leaves from our yard, and the Statler Brother's Christmas on the stereo were essential to creating the festive mood in our home.

One thing we always had on our dining room and breakfast room tables were special, Christmas placemats that my mom had sewn. Several years ago, I decided to recreate her Christmas Present Placemats and even wrote a tutorial so others could make them, too. This tutorial continues to be one of my most popular tutorials and posts ever!

Since it has been a while since I made a set of these adorable Christmas Present Placemats, I thought it was time to make a few more using all quilting cottons instead of a double-sided quilted fabric. I'm so pleased with the results!

The quilting cotton prints in Blend Fabric's Even a Mouse collection by Maude Asbury were perfect for these new Christmas Present Placemats! I love the Snowball Fight print for the border and cloth napkin that makes the bow, and the Christmas Carolers snowglobe print in red is fun and festive for the main part of the mat. The back of the placemat is sewn with the Let It Snow print in light gray.
(Disclaimer: I was provided the fabrics used in this post in exchange for sharing a project I made with them. All opinions are my own.)

If you'd like to make your own set of Christmas Present Placemats, then click HERE for the full tutorial. Here's a picture of the original one I made years ago. For this one, I used a double-sided quilted fabric for the mat and quilting cotton for the napkin and binding.

If you choose to use quilting cottons instead of double-sided quilted fabric, then you will cut out 2 rectangles measuring 12" x 18" for the front and back of the placement. You will also need to cut out one piece of batting measuring 12" x 18". All other pieces remain the same from the tutorial.

Since I had a some fabric left over from the bundle of fabric from Blend Fabrics, I whipped up a couple of skirts using my Simple One Seam Skirt Tutorial.

For this size 4T skirt, I added a contrasting band to the bottom of the skirt.

For this size 6 skirt, I used the Stocking Stuffers in Grey fabric to make this animal lover's version. My daughter was sad that I didn't have enough fabric to make this one in her size! These are so quick and easy to sew and make gifts for little girls.

Have FUN sewing!

Halloween Skirt & Tote Bags

For a few days, we had a taste of Fall weather with cool, crisp air and gentle breezes. It was just a tease though. After three days, it felt like summer again with temps in the high 80s! 

That didn't stop me and Ella from heading outdoors to enjoy a local park and dream of upcoming Fall festivals and pumpkins. In fact, I made her a few things to wear and carry with the Blend Fabric collection, Spooky Town by Cori Dantini, to put us in the Halloween spirit!

You'll be amazed at all the adorable things I was able to make with this half-yard bundle of fabric. 

Disclosure: I was provided the fabrics used in this post in exchange for sharing a project I made with them. All opinions are my own.

How to Sew a Bucket Pocket

It's July which means it is time for Skirting the Issue with Simple Simon & Co. Last year, I shared my Simple One Seam Skirt Tutorial with you so you can create a basic girl's skirt using a single cut of fabric. This skirt is one of my favorites to sew, and since we donated all but one of the skirts I made last year, Ella has requested a few new ones.

While my original skirt tutorial does not include pockets, I'm sharing another fun and simple tutorial this year that shows you how to sew a Bucket Pocket to my Simple One Seam Skirt. You can use this pocket tutorial and add it to any other basic skirt or pair of shorts, too.