Sew Your Own Ruffled Christmas Tree Skirt

If you've spent much time on Pinterest looking for Christmas inspiration, you've most likely stumbled upon a tutorial for a no-sew ruffle Christmas tree skirt, by Miss Mustard Seed.  Many people have recreated it and I love each version.  So, I decided to make one of my own, but I changed it up a bit to save some money and supplies.  I love the elegance, and yet simplicity, that it adds to my tree and am thankful to finally have an actual skirt rather than a random piece of fabric curled around the base of the tree.

The original tutorial {which you can find on HGTV.com} uses a drop cloth and strips of linen fabric.  Instead of sewing the linen onto the fabric, Marian hot glued it all around so that no sewing is required.  I didn't want to use that much hot glue, plus I thought it would take me forever, so I made mine a non-no-sew {yes, I just used a double negative}.

I went to my local fabric outlet to find some fabric remnants {this should always be your first step with a sewing project, if you have an outlet near you.  I wrote some tips in this post}, and picked up a piece of cream colored canvas {identical to a drop cloth} and some satiny cream colored fabric.  The cost for both was around $15, much less than if I had purchased actual linen fabric, which runs from $6-$12/yard.

I followed the first instructions in the tutorial, cutting out a circle from the canvas, and cutting my satiny fabric into 2-inch strips.  Then, I changed it at this point by doing the following:

1. I took the strips of satiny fabric and pinned them one-by-one onto the canvas fabric,beginning on the outer edge of the circle, folding them to create a pleat.

2. I repeated this all the way around, adding strips of fabric as needed to finish that row.

3. I then sewed at the top edge of the pinned fabric, making sure to keep the pleats I had made.  Once a row was sewed on, I began another row, pinning the fabric about 1 1/2 inches above the last row.  This kept the stitch line covered by the next row of fabric.

Halfway done

You can see how the rows cover up the stitching

I folded the fabric under at the edge of the circle to make it seem more finished

Love the ruffles!

I will admit this was quite time consuming, but I felt like it was totally worth it, because I love the finished product!  I've been wanting a tree skirt for years, and now I have one that I can use forever!

I had meant to have this tutorial for you a few weeks ago, but as you can see from my post yesterday, I've been napping instead.  So, if you feel inspired to make one of these, count on the holiday sales at your local fabric store that are coming up soon and save up the materials to make one next year!

Only presents so far are from my sister

My silly girls in front of the tree

Now, this afternoon, I must tackle the stockings that are almost complete.  Hopefully, I can show you those tomorrow.

What last minute projects are you still trying to complete, or am I the only one waiting until the last minute?


Linking to:

I'm Back!

I can't even believe that it's been over 2 weeks since I posted on my blog!  We've had a busy time around here, with company for 2 weeks and then my husband's work schedule changed.  I haven't adjusted so quickly to the new schedule, plus I'm exhausted from all of the busyness around here, so what have I been doing?  Well, I haven't been: sewing our stockings, buying Christmas presents, wrapping presents, baking Christmas goodies, or listening to Christmas music.  Instead, I've been doing quite a bit of this:

Source: lizlemon.tumblr.com via Kate on Pinterest

I have to admit, it feels pretty good!  I think I'm ready now to tackle the last minute preparations for Christmas {only 4 days away!}, so I hope to be showing you some of the things that I've created and get back into the swing of blogging.

I hope you're enjoying this Christmas week!  I'll be back later today {or tonight} with a tutorial for you on something I've made, that I absolutely LOVE!

Happy Thursday :)

Christmas Tablescapes

Last night our church held its annual Christmas dinner/concert, and it was wonderful!  This was our first year at the church so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I had heard that the food is always outstanding, and the decorations amazing.  I was not disappointed.  The beauty of the table decorations was that each table was decorated differently, by someone in the church.  We could sign up to bring our own dishes, silverware, glasses, and any table decor, and then we were in charge of decorating that table.  Not only is this fun for the ladies who participated, but it's also great on the church's budget!  No cost for table decorations or dishes, and we each cleaned our own dishes at home, so that saved on time and volunteers at the church.  I thought I would highlight some of the tables and point out what I liked about each one.  Hopefully, this will give you some ideas, if you're still considering how to decorate your table for the holidays.  Enjoy all the pictures!

This feather tree ensemble was really fun!  I'm not sure if she made these trees, but it would be an easy DIY project.  The ornaments and glass pieces nestled in the red fabric were beautiful.

This table had a great mix of traditional china with a modern centerpiece and it was pulled off beautifully!  Square placemats worked well on a round table.  I took these pictures before they dimmed the lights, so you can't see the full effect here, but there were little blue led lights under the silver trees and when they were lit added such a nice touch.

One of my friends decorated this table and I love how fun it is!  I love the dishes {from Target} and the table scarf and ribbon napkin rings glittered nicely.  Clear marbles held a silver tree/branch in place--great way to keep the color scheme while making it practical.

 I was a bit tempted to sit at this table so I could munch on candy during dinner.  What a fun way to incorporate the reds and greens of a traditional Christmas.

Some tables had favors for each guest, as you can see from the ornaments here.  I like how the ornament is incorporated into the napkin.

I LOVE the blues and silvers that are used in Christmas decorating.  This table was gorgeous and tied together so well from the napkins to the china, silverware, and centerpiece.  Beautiful.

I really love the centerpiece on the this table.  Simple, fun and classy.  Plus, each guest received a little package on their plate.

My friend, Cassidy, decorated this table and did a great job!  Her colors go together so well and I love that she added a Christmas word to her centerpiece.  The oversized ornaments are beautiful and I love the way she stuck little favors inside of the glasses. Great idea!

I had to include this tower of ornaments, as it would be simple to create this on a cake stand.  Throw in some fresh greenery and you're set!

This next table was mine.  I decided to go 'low budget' and opened up my sewing closet to see what I could find.  I discovered a piece of lime green fabric and then in my clothes' closet found a black scarf from a bridesmaid dress.  With a few silver ornaments, my china, some ribbon, and black placemats borrowed from a friend, I was done.  I had  a million ideas I wanted to recreate, but this one was quick, easy, inexpensive and I love the green/black/silver combo.

This table was truly stunning!  Even the wrappers on the candy tie in so nicely with the detail on the china.  Beautifully done!

So, there you have several tablescapes to inspire and enjoy.  What is your holiday table going to look like?

Easy Pork BBQ

While my family was visiting last week I tried to keep our meals delicious, but as simple as possible, so we wouldn't be in the kitchen the whole time.  This Pork BBQ recipe turned out really well and it's the easiest pulled pork recipe I've ever made.  An added bonus is that it freezes really well, so you can make it way in advance, thaw it, and just reheat to serve.  We served these pork sandwiches with baked beans and this awesome macaroni and cheese recipe.  If you're looking for an easy, delicious meal to serve for a holiday party, this might be the perfect solution. 

Pork BBQ

3-4 pounds boneless pork loin, or 4-6 pound pork shoulder/butt

seasoned salt

2 cups water

2 cups BBQ sauce {this recipe is delicious}

Place pork in a large crockpot.  Sprinkle with seasoned salt.  Pour 2 cups water around the pork.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.  Remove the pork and dump out the remaining liquid.  Shred the pork with a fork.  Return to crockpot with BBQ sauce and heat for another 25 minutes.  

source: slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

DIY Dropcloth Advent Calendar

It's been a few days since I've been on here, and I'm sorry for the absence, {I tried to get this posted yesterday but our internet crashed and I couldn't} but let me just say that I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family.  I didn't pull out my camera at all over the weekend, but my sister did.  You can read her post about our holiday here.  She has some great pictures, including one of our whole family.  Go on, check it out!  Interestingly enough, Sherri also posted about advent calendars yesterday, and here I am talking about mine today!  Can you tell we are sisters or what?  I love her :)

This year I've decided to make some Christmas crafts for our home, hopefully ones that we can use year after year.  My first project was an Advent calendar.  Advent really started this past Sunday, but most calendars begin with December 1st, so I followed suit.  Here's my finished product:

I guess it's not completely finished because those numbers are all pockets.  For my calendar, I'll be filling each pocket with a card on which will be an activity for that day, plus a Bible verse about the Christmas story.  I'll be including verses from our family Advent book {Christ in Christmas: A Family Advent Celebration}that prepare us each day as we look forward to Christmas Day, celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Ready for the tutorial?  It's very simple, but it was a bit time consuming.  You still have one day left before December 1st, so if you make really good use of your time you could get it done before then.  Or, who's really going to care if you start a few days late?

Supplies:
-canvas drop cloth {I used remnants from my dining room chair slipcovers}
-fabric paint
-number stencils
-sponge brush
-red thread {or other Christmas color}
-dowel rod
-holiday ribbon

1. Cut out two pieces of canvas 22" x 36" {you could make this bigger, if wanted, I used these dimensions because of the wall where I planned to hang it}.

2. Cut out 25 pieces, 4"x4"  for the pockets

3. On 3 sides of each pocket piece, fold over 1/2 " and iron in place.

4. Place a small amount of black fabric paint on a paper plate to use for your numbers.

Place the number stencil in the center of the pocket piece and gently dab the paint in the stencil.

 Repeat for all 25 pockets, remembering to center the double digit numbers appropriately. {The instructions on my fabric paint said to wait 4 hours to dry, which I did.  Just be sure that it's not still wet before continuing}.

5. Top stitch the upper pocket edge {side that you did not fold and iron} using a zigzag stitch.  I used red thread to add some contrast color to my calendar.  Repeat for all 25 pockets.

6. Place the numbers on the right side of one 22"x36" piece of canvas, starting with the top row.  Measure down about 3.5" from the top of the piece and 2" in from the side to place your first number.

 Measure 1" between each number across,

and 2" between each number going down.

You can eyeball this if you want, but these are the measurements I used and it worked for me.

7. Pin each number in place when you have them all laid out.

8. Using a zigzag stitch, top stitch the three folded sides of each pocket to the canvas piece.

9. Cut loose threads.

10. Place both 22"x36" pieces of canvas right sides together, lining up edges.  Sew on 3 sides using a 1/2-inch seam.

11. Turn right side out and press.

12. Fold over top edge of both pieces and press.  Stitch, creating the rod pocket.  Insert dowel rod.

13. Measure dowel rod and cut off the excess. {Using an exacto knife worked for me, but I wouldn't recommend it; I just couldn't find the hacksaw and didn't think a kitchen knife was a good idea}.

14. Cut a piece of ribbon long enough to hang the calendar and tie each end to the dowel rod.

15. Make small cards to put in each pocket for a daily activity to enjoy for the first 25 days of December.  Alternately, you could also place small gifts in each day; just be sure if you do this that you use hardware strong enough to hold any extra weight when you hang your calendar.

Linking to:

Tutorials and Tips at Home Stories A to Z

Show me What Ya Got at Not JUST a Housewife

Best DIY Projects of November, at Beneath My Heart