Trees Decorated? √
House Decorated? √
Christmas Shopping Done? Semi- √
Handmade Gifts Done? . . . .
chirp. . . .chirp. . . . . .chirp.
This week I’m going to be extremely efficient and organized and get lots done. That’s what I’m telling myself.
I’ll let you know how that goes. ;)
In the meantime, I have a fun Christmas Placemat and Napkin tutorial to share with you!
Here is what you’ll need to make a set for your holiday table:
• Placemats (Purchased or Made. I found these beauties on clearance at Target. Love.)
• Fabric for Poinsettias and Napkin Binding (I made 4 and I used about 1/2 yard of 60″ fabric)
• Linen for napkins (18″ square per napkin)
• Small Scraps of Felt and 1 Button per placemat
Start by drawing out a petal shape for your poinsettia leaves. Cut out 10 leaves per placemat. (It sounds like a lot but it goes fast.)
Layer 2 petals right sides together. Sew around the edges with a small seam allowance, leaving the bottom straight edge open.
Turn right side out.
Fold the two sides of the bottom edge together and sew across the edge. This will put a little pleat in the bottom.
Repeat for your other petals.
Cut a small circle out of felt. (I used a thread spool for a pattern.)
Sew the folded edge of your petal to the felt circle.
Sew four more petals to the felt circle.
Sew a fun button to the center to cover up those raw edges.
Position the flower on the left side of the placemat, about halfway between the top and bottom so that one leaf points up, one leaf points to the left, one to the right, and two point down.
Tack the flower well to the placemat on the underside of the left and right leaves.
Make sure you don’t sew all the way through the leaves.
Now your flower’s all sewn on and ready for a napkin.
You can use purchased napkins for this next step, or make your own.
This is “cheater” bias tape – but it looks pretty and worked for the amount of fabric I had.
Sew a strip of red fabric to 2 sides of the napkin, right sides together.
Fold the fabric away from the napkin. Fold it in half, then turn under the unsewn edge 1/4″. Lay that along the edge of the napkin and sew down. You are covering the raw edge of the seam inside the fold.
For the opposite two sides, cut two pieces slightly longer than the napkin. Sew on as you did before.
Fold the red piece right sides together and sew up the sides of the fabric, along the edge of the napkin.
Turn right side out and turn the raw edge under 1/4″. Sew down as you did the other sides.
Now you have a pretty napkin trimmed to match your placemat!
Tuck your napkin under the poinsettia.
Add your place setting and you’re all ready for a beautiful holiday table!!
Those of you with little ones might be thinking this isn’t too practical. I have an idea for you that we used to do.
When our kids were little, we would sometimes have “special” dinners. We’d set the table with pretty placemats, napkins, good dishes, and eat by candlelight.
It usually wasn’t anything fancy, but somehow candlelight and a pretty table makes even meatloaf seem special.
The kids loved it and it made an ordinary dinner a little more fun. They were usually on their best behaviour too, so that was nice.
It is a fun adventure as long as you go into it knowing it’s entirely possible that something will get spilled on, or worse. If you plan for it, then you don’t stress too much about it. :)
The holidays would be a perfect time to try it out – and it could also be a great “practice” session if your family does a fancy Christmas dinner. So you could make up these placemats to set out for your “special dinner”!
That leads me to a question.
Do you do a big, formal-ish Christmas Dinner? Do the kids eat with you or is there a “kids” table? Or does your family do something more casual that day? I’d love to hear about it!
We do homemade soup, salad and warm break for Christmas Day. So much more relaxed than a big dinner. Plus I’m tuckered out from making Thanksgiving Dinner still . . . can’t muster up the energy to do Christmas the same way. ;)
your poinsettias are very pretty! We live pretty far away from family so it’s usually just us 4…no big ta do, casual and yummy :-)
Hello! I am stopping by from the link party at Its So Very Cheri. Your tutorial is superb. Thanks for sharing with us how you made those lovely poinsettias.
We usually have a formal Christmas Eve dinner. Christmas late morning we go to the movies, followed by a dinner of cold cuts and salads…very casual. Everybody is usually pooped by then! :)
These are so pretty! We usually do our Christmas dinner on Christmas eve and Christmas day is spent eating a big breakfast and leftovers!
Christmas is usually more low-key than Thanksgiving. My brother’s family usually travels during Christmas so it’s just us and my parents and it’s nicer than a usual meal but nothing too big either. Love your idea for a fancy dinner on a regular night!
Beautiful placemat and napkin!
this is so lovely! Thanks for sharing. We don’t actually have a dining table and, like you, I’m running out of time but I see these flowers decorating next year’s presents!
Thanks for the great tutorial. I love the way that looks. As far as Christmas dinner, over the years it’s gotten more and more relaxed and we’re one step away from paper plates. LOL I FORBID that to happen though. I really, REALLY miss getting all the pretty dishes and setting the fancy table the way my Mom did for years and years though and I’ve been contemplating going back to that. Why have the pretty stuff in the first place if you only adimire it sitting in the china cabinet all year long never to come out for air right? I think part of my problem is this house is so small and we don’t have a dining room and the kitchen is long and narrow. If we want to all sit in the kitchen at the table it needs to be pulled out from the wall aand then it fills the open (and cooking areas) area of the entire room. :( WHY I never saw that when we bought this house, I have no idea. I miss the fancy holiday table. In past years we set up another table in the living room, which of course then fills that room but at least everyone is sitting together.
I hear that chirping, too. I need to get my act together!!
Love the place setting!
We usually spend Christmas day with the hub’s fam, and there is a semi-formal dinner (lunch) with a kids table. Of course, the “kids” include any of the youngest who won’t fit at the big table including my 2 year and my 26 year old sis-in-law. lol!!
This is super cute! We just do “fun food” on Christmas day and Christmas Eve is actually kind of casual too. This year my husband has to work on Christmas day :( So it will just be the kiddos and myself which will probably be really casual – Santa gets tired when she has to work alone ; ) Next year though….I’m bookmarking this idea!
In Australia we don’t have Thanksgiving so Christmas is the biggest celebration of the year. We usually start the day at morning tea foodwise with dips and nibblies on the table then slowly the main dinner event takes place. My kids are grown up now and in the last few years have done their favourite dishes to help at Christmas lunch. We have always sat together and eaten and even the kids use the best dishes. I think they have recognised that it is very special. The evening meal and the day after we are still eating leftover ham and puddings etc!!
This is again super cute tutorial..you are so nice in your photography..i wish i can be too..but.!!!
have a great day ahead..
Very cute!
These are so adorable! I love the built in poinsettia napkin holder. I featured you today on my favorite things :)
Super cute! Thanks for linking up to Quiltstory!
Hi Beverly – I was just over here seeing what you were up to and saw that you linked this – thanks! I love the dimensional poinsettias, another wonderful job!
Happened on your blog from the shabby chic cottage site. I love this and though I won’t make it this year, I want to do it for next yr. I don’t think it is a problem w/ kids. I have 4 and we use cloth napkins almost exclusively. (except when we are camping! LOL)
This is so pretty! Almost too pretty to use for fear of getting it dirty!
My husband’s family doesn’t have any young children so they don’t have a kids table. As a child, we sometimes had one and we would decorate it with plastic wine glasses and old placemats and it made us happy! : )
Soooo pretty! Poinsettias are my favorite Christmas item to decorate with!
This is such a cute idea. I like what you said about training your children to be on good behavior by treating them to candlelight etc. — nice idea.
What cute place mats! I love poinsettias! Thanks for linking up Topsy Turvy Tuesday’s!
I LOVED your poinsetta flowers. I am a BIG poinsetta gal at Christmas time. ‘Tis cold up here in Ottawa … and around Christmas it is light by 0730 and dark again by 4:30 …. so bright beautiful flowers are what I use to make our home joyful. Christmas is always celebrated with worship and we wear our very best both Christmas Eve, Christmas Day AND Boxing Day. We use all of the good dishes and make celebrating as a family on special days a tradition … one that I hope and pray is passed down to our children’s children. I love to decorate and next year … these poinsetta flowers will adorn some part of our Christmas home. Thank you for sharing …
I love this Project. Thank you