| A festive Yuletide spirit can still fill your | | | | length of raffia or twine ... the effect is |
| home or apartment, even if it seems all of | | | | charming in the kitchen or laundry room!* |
| your spare cash is being pumped into your | | | | Make a Faux Christmas Quilt for HangingThis |
| car's gas tank or your home heating bill this | | | | is a great family activity and can even be |
| year!Old socks ... pieces of fabric ... | | | | framed for seasonal display!Gather up all the |
| home-made baker's clay ... felt and old | | | | bits and pieces of fabric in your sewing |
| buttons ... torn and tattered table linens | | | | basket, or the old clothes in the closets ... |
| ... stored Christmas cards and wrap ... bits | | | | the more colorful, the better. Cut out |
| of ribbon and lace and bias tape ... with a | | | | color-based fabric squares about six inches |
| little imagination and time, you can turn a | | | | square and set the stack aside, sorted into |
| ton of ordinary household items into enduring | | | | solids and patterns. Make a separate stack |
| Christmas treasures. Here are three | | | | of pieces from solid whites, yellows, pastels |
| family-style projects to get you started -- | | | | and other light colored materials and trim |
| two easy garlands, and an quick and lovely | | | | them to about five inches square.Keep any |
| quilt!* Garlands galoreIf you think that | | | | smaller or odd-shaped remnants separate.Use |
| crumpled but still-shiny foil gift-wrap is | | | | pieces of cardboard to draw and cut out a |
| just too pretty to toss away, you're right! | | | | variety of simple holiday shapes about three |
| Cut it into strips about an inch wide and | | | | inches high -- trees, angels, candy canes, |
| three inches long. Use any colors you have | | | | hearts, stars, whatever says "Christmas" to |
| handy, and mix in other less-than-perfect | | | | you. Trace the patterns on the backside of |
| wrap as well. When you've got a bagful of | | | | the smaller or odd-shaped pieces, and cut |
| foil strips, glue the ends together to form a | | | | out. Stitch the Christmas shapes onto the |
| glitzy new garland for your tree!For homey | | | | five-inch white or pastel squares, then |
| appeal, trace your hand, mitten-shaped, on a | | | | center that piece on a complementing color |
| piece of cardboard and cut out the pattern. | | | | panel and stitch.When you've completed a |
| Transfer the pattern to pieces of red, green, | | | | dozen of these panels, line them up three |
| brown and burgundy felt, then cut out. | | | | across and four down, approximately 18 inches |
| Decorate the felt with snowmen ... button | | | | wide by 24 inches long. Stitch them to a |
| figures ... glitter-and-glue designs ... | | | | piece of plain unbleached muslin, leaving |
| gingerbread people ... angels and stars. Do | | | | three inches of space at the top. When your |
| a primitive straight stitch in a contrasting | | | | panels are sewn onto the muslin, fold the top |
| color, all around the outer border of your | | | | over and stitch across to form a pocket, |
| felt "mitten." Turn your creations into a | | | | through which you'll slide a plain wooden |
| sweet and simple hanging garland by securing | | | | dowel or even a sturdy hickory stick.Hang and |
| the felt designs with old clothespins to a | | | | enjoy! |