Guest Pat Desantis is an expert at assembling a beautifully decorated table to be enjoyed throughout the holiday. With a topiary tree centerpiece made from loops of prism ribbon and Christmas greens or ivy, and place mats also adorned by prism ribbon, the table is a feast for the eyes. To complement the festive table setting, Desantis offers the step-by-step for seasonal napkin rings in several styles . . . pick your favorite. Christmas Topiary Materials: one pot, approximately 6" x 6"
one brick of foam or floral oasis
one 1/2-inch diameter wooden dowel
floral pins or bank pins
wire picks
26" x 26" piece fabric (optional)
silk flowers and greens
Spanish moss
10 yards of wired ribbon
one card Wright's cord with tassels
floral wire Steps: - Paint dowel green or brown.
- Cut block of foam in half.
- Fill pot with half a block of foam, glue in place.
- Place dowel in foam and glue in place.
- Place rest of block into top of dowel, push in halfway, and glue to hold (figure A).
- Cover top of block with Spanish moss.
- Finish all raw edges of fabric by hemming or cutting decoratively.
- Cover pot with fabric, gather up all edges to the dowel and secure with cord and tassels.
- Cut stems of selected florals and wire them to the picks.
- Insert flowers into other half of block to form topiary ball. Insert the picks at various depths so the end result forms a topiary ball shape out of the block of foam. Alternate the various greens with fillers (figure B).
- Starting at the top of "ball," loop ribbon down, tucking every few inches.
- Make bow and place on top (figure C). Make second bow and place at base over cord and tassels. Add other floral items (fruits, vegetables, berries, etc.).
Prism Ribbon Woven Place Mats Materials: 4-1/2 yards of 1-1/2 inch ribbon
4-3/4 yards of 1-1/2 inch ribbon
14" x 24" piece grid paper
12" x 18" piece of EZ Felt
fabric glue Steps: - Cut 4-1/2 inch ribbon into eight equal pieces, approximately 20 inches each.
- Cut 4-3/4 inch of ribbon into 12 equal pieces, approximately 14 inches each.
- Line up long pieces of ribbon on grid. Butt them up edge to edge. Pin one end.
- Weave short pieces through these, also butting them up edge to edge (figure D). The side facing up will be the wrong side. You will now finish the edges by cutting and turning under alternating strips.
- Starting at one corner, cut the first horizontal strip to a point just short of the vertical finished edge. Glue.
- Turn the vertical strip edge up. Cut excess. Glue over horizontal.
- Repeat same process on all remaining edges of the woven piece. Don't worry about uniform hems or cuts--they will be covered.
- Center and glue felt to this side now, covering all "hemmed" raw edges.
Napkin Rings with Pleats Materials: For two rings: 7/8 yd. of 1-1/2 inch wide ribbon - The tubular ribbon seen here has been discontinued. Make your own tubular ribbon by gluing ribbon sides together to form tube.
spray paint
glue gun and glue
cardboard tube (from paper towel, foil, wrapping paper, etc.) Steps: - Cut two rings from cardboard tube, each ring one inch wide.
- Lightly paint the rings.
- Cut one piece of ribbon 6-1/4 inches long. Glue along outside of ring folding under end and gluing over other end to finish.
- Make a 1/2-inch pleat approximately every 1/4 inch with remaining ribbon. Finish edges as recommended in step 3. Glue ends together to form a ring.
- Place the pleated ring over the cardboard ring, with the pleats distributed evenly around. Glue in place.
- Add ribbon roses to napkin rings if desired.
RESOURCES :
ribbon, tassels - Wright's
Wright's (Wm Wright Co.)
West Warren, MA
US
Toll Free Phone: 877-597-4448
E-mail: help@wrights.com
Website: www.wrights.com
GUESTS :
Pat DeSantis
Public Relations for Wright's (Wm Wright Co.)
E-mail: pdesantis@wrights.com
Website: www.wrights.com
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