Dyed Vintage Doily Table Runner

On a recent trip to my visit my folks, my mom pulled out a big bag of doilies. They were yellowed and all had coffee or tea stains, but the loving hands of my grandmothers had made most of them, so my mom couldn't throw them out. She asked if I would like to try to repurpose them. 

You bet I would! I have seen some beautiful repurposed doily creations by crafters and decorators around the blogosphere: added to clothing, pillows, and pieced into table runners. 

Here in the greater Seattle area where I live, we have had one of the rainiest winters on record. I saw an article yesterday that said Seattle has had 3 sunny days since the start of October. THREE. So I shouldn't be surprised that I have been aching to brighten up my house with all the spring colors I can get my hands on. I have even considered painting my dining table white.  

So, naturally, I decided to make a bright, spring table runner with the doilies. I will walk you through the steps of how you can make one for yourself, and give ideas of where to purchase what you need--even the doilies if you don't have heirlooms from your grandmothers. 

YOU WILL NEED: 

Doilies

I found this set of 24 here.

Here is a set of 4 larger ones. 

Dyes/Dye Kits

These kits are so nice because they come with squirt bottles and gloves. I actually used some of these neon colors on my project, I just didn't leave them to "process" for as long as suggested so the colors would be more pastel.
Find this and other kits here.

Large trays/cookie sheets

Protective Gloves

Squirt bottles/ Mixing bottles

STEP 1

Mix your dyes in squirt bottles according to package directions. If some of your doilies are made of synthetic fibers, add a little vinegar to your dye for color sustainability. 

Lay out your doilies on trays. Large ones can be folded in half to fit.  I recommend taking everything outside. It was raining throughout this project, but I didn't let it stop me!

STEP 2

One color at a time, slowly squirt the dye on layers of the doily designs. This part was super exciting for me. I loved how the color contrasts really made the beautiful designs of my grandmothers' handiwork come to life!

Don't worry about the colors bleeding into each other. That should happen. It will soften up the look of the final product. 

STEP 3

Gently squeeze out excess dye from each doily and place them in individual baggies.  Let them sit for 4-8 hours (depending on how bold you want your colors). 

STEP 4

This was an exciting load of laundry to remove from the dryer!

Remove the doilies from the bags straight into your washing machine. Wash with a little detergent and cold water on a gentle cycle. I threw a couple of old towels in with mine as "padding" for the roughness of the machine's agitator.  Tumble dry on low.  Remove and iron. I used spray starch to stiffen mine up a bit. 

STEP 5

Lay out your doilies and decide how you want to arrange them for your table runner. I ended up not using 2 of mine. They may become pillows in the future. 

Pin and Sew

If you look closely, you can see my straight pins holding together the pieces. 

Use a ziz-zag stitch in coordinating thread to sew the pieces together. It will be virtually invisible in the finished product.  I ironed it one more time after sewing. 

My little dining room feels much more ready for Spring! I smile every time I look in at the happy color and think of my sweet grandmothers and the time they spent making beauty for their homes. I am so grateful these special pieces of art were preserved.

Chalkboard Ideas for Every Season

A LONG while back one of my sisters requested that I do a blog post with ideas for chalkboard designs and messages.  Over the past 3 years, I have been snapping pictures of the chalkboards I have in my home each time I change the design, with a plan to one day share them.  

Now that I have an good number to share, I am finally fulfilling my sister's request. 

I made my chalkboards from thrift store pictures and chalkboard paint a few years ago, but they can be found just about anywhere. I have a small board in the kitchen (similar here), a larger one in my dining room (similar here); and I also use a tall, skinny one as a menu board. 

I have tried out the chalk markers that your can buy nowadays. This one writes beautifully, but if you plan to change your board very often, I recommend classic crayola school chalk. It is dirt cheap, and is super easy to wipe off and change often.

Be sure to pin or bookmark this post, because I will continue to add photos to it as I add new designs in the coming months and years!

This was from this past Christmas. My talented 13-year-old son drew the Santa. 

 I kept this one up for several months. Here in rainy WA, I need a reminder of all the bright spots in my life!

 Newsies. I hope you are singing and dancing now.

 Valentines Day. Or just because.

A little reminder for each of us as we leave the house each day. 

I did this one for a bridal shower and wedding reception. 

In the kitchen.

Halloween

I love layering my chalkboards in with my other decorations. 

More kitchen fun.

I did this for the first week of the art class I teach.

Another Christmas design. 

Origami Butterfly Wreath

I am so ready to welcome Spring warmth and sunshine. Bring on bright colors and bright days! We have had the sun peek out a handful of times in the past week, and it gave me the itch to make this new, bright butterfly wreath.  

Origami butterflies are one of the most easy origami folds to do. Once you make a couple, you will have it down. I used origami paper, but any square-shaped, foldable paper will work. I found this excellent picture tutorial from Simple Joys. I also made a video tutorial to share here:

Once your butterflies are made (I made 18 of varied sizes), you will need:

• 1 foam wreath form (I show how to make one from foam insulating tubing here).
• Fabric, yarn or ribbon to wrap the wreath
• Sewing pins (I had pearlized headed ones on hand, flat headed pins would be great)
• Pom-pom trim, ribbon, or other embellishments, if desired

1. Wrap the foam wreath tightly in your desired textile and secure with a sewing pin. 

2. Arrange origami butterflies, securing them with hidden sewing pins (see pictures below).

3. Add other trim if desired, also using pins to secure.

So easy, right??

 Here you see where I pinned the butterflies to the wreath.

Pins are only visible from this angle because I want to show how I they are pinned. They are well-hidden looking at the wreath from the front.

 With the varieties of paper out there, the possibilities for creative color combinations and themes are endless! I'd love to see what you come up with!

Participating in these link-ups. 

4 Season Wreath

I have had wreath envy lately.  A friend and neighbor of mine has had the cutest wreaths throughout the year, and so I finally asked her if she made them. She said she did, then she showed me her big, BRILLIANT secret. She has VELCRO on the wreath and changes out the flowers! I asked her if she would mind if I shared her genius on my blog, and she was gracious enough to allow me to. 

What you'll need: 

• 1 wreath form
• sewing pins
• 1 skein of yarn (something that will go with each season/holiday you plan to do)
• Flower making supplies: Felt / fabric; needle and thread; beads/buttons; fabric/hot glue
• Velcro--preferably something close to the color of your yarn
• hot glue gun and glue sticks

1. Tie a knot in one end of the yarn. Put a sewing pin through the knot and into the wreath form.

2. Wrap and wrap and wrap. Here's what I learned that sped this process up: (1) Wrap several loops around the form without trying to keep them close together, then stop every 10 or so loops and push them together; (2) As the skein starts getting more small, it will get looser. I would pull out several feet of yarn then wrap it around the center of the skein in tight loops. Then I held the wreath form between my knees and used both hands to wrap the yarn more quickly around and around. 

3. Once you have covered the form, cut the yarn off and tie another knot in the end. Use another pin to secure it. 

4. Hot-glue Velcro to the wreath where you will be placing flowers.

Now to make some flowers.I will share one tutorial for felt roses. 

Here are some links to other flower tutorials: 

Looped felt flowers from Infarrantly Creative

Circle petal flowers from The Fickle Pickle

Felt poinsettia tutorial from Stone Gable Blog

Rolled fabric flowers from Little + Lovely

I decided to share this  rose tutorial for one reason: I avoid using hot-glue whenever possible, and the method of flower making I will show uses a needle and thread. Why go to the trouble, you ask? Isn't a hot-glue gun easier?  I say NO. It is hot and messy. And using a glue gun to put something together that could be done with a needle and thread is asking for it to fall apart over time. A needle and thread is quick, clean, and secure. No glue clumps to pick at or hide. 

1. Begin with a square-ish piece of felt. Round or scallop the edges. 

2. Cut a swirl from the outside in. The larger you make the width of your cut, the deeper the rose will be. If you want a rose that is more wide and flat, make a skinnier swirl. This was a deep, small one.

3. Beginning at the center of the swirl, start a tight roll and work outward.  **For the roses that I did a wavy/scalloped skinnier width cut, I started on the outside and worked inward with my rolling. Both ways work and achieve slightly different looks. 

4. Continue rolling. Felt is great for these because it kind of sticks to itself as you go, so holding the rose in place as you work is easy.

5. Once it is all rolled up, turn it upside down. Using a needle and thread with a knot in the end, push through all layers of the base of the rose. On larger roses, I pushed through half of the layers to the middle first, then worked my way around.

6. Continue sewing back and forth through the bottom of the rose, working your way around the whole circle.

7. Tie off the bottom once it is as drawn in and secure as you want it.

8. Hot-glue (yes, it has it's purpose because it is a PAIN to sew through Velcro by hand) small squares of Velcro to the bottom of the flowers you make.

9. Arrange and re-arrange over and over again on your wreath! 

I did a blanket stitch around some felt to make the leaves for this Spring/Summer wreath. 

My neighbor let me borrow her Fall flowers to show this (I haven't made my own yet). Aren't they pretty? I was lucky they matched my yarn!

Participating in these link-ups.