Quick and inexpensive decorative ideas can save you headaches when last-minute company comes to call. Decorating expert Kathi Cardinalli offers tips for uncomplicated ways to dress up your home for drop-in guests. Fabric Napkins Fabric napkins may be used in many ways and always make an occasion seem more special. Make reversible napkins by sewing together two large squares cut from favorite fabrics. Cut a 22" square of fabric from each pattern, and sew them together with right sides facing, leaving a 3" hole for turning. Trim excess fabric at the corners to eliminate bulk, turn the napkin right side out, stitch the opening, and iron flat. Add a line of topstitching 1/4" from the edge to keep the napkin flat wash after wash. Make at least 12 napkins, and use them as place settings (figure A), table runners (figure B) and bread-basket liners. To make an easy ribbon napkin ring, pick up a napkin by its center, gather the fabric, and tie a wide ribbon around the middle. Stamped Place Cards Design simple place cards with rubber-stamped designs. Stamp a piece of card stock and fold it in half. Use a craft knife to trim around the edges of any part of the design that falls above the fold so that that part of the design will stand up when the card is on the table (figure C). Candles and Baskets Gussy up a fat pillar candle with greenery held in place with a rubber band. Hide the rubber band with ribbon tied in a bow or a knot (figure D). Apply Fray Check® to the ends of the ribbon to prevent the raw edge from raveling. Tie a colorful ribbon around a basketful of table linens or votive candles to add a festive look (figure E).
RESOURCES :
Kathi Cardinalli
Fray Check
Prym-Dritz Corporation
Spartanburg, SC 29304-5028
Phone: 864-576-5050
Fax: 864-574-3847- custom
Email: amysummers@dritz.com
Website: www.dritz.com
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