Thankful Living: Autumnal Blessings #4...



~A Girlfriends Autumn Tea~

A pot of tea, some finger sandwiches & tray of sweets and you have the perfect

Girlfriends Autumn Tea ♥

I cover my table with a pretty cloth,  use fallen leaves from our Canadian Maple scattering them all over the table and write each guests name on a little chalkboard slate.

At each place setting I like to have something my friends can take home with them.

A small clay pot with a plant or herb, a seed package with seeds from my garden, a wrapped posy...

 This year, I decided to make tiny pumpkins.

These little teeny jack be little pumpkins are made using up scraps of chenille upholstery fabric, a fallen branch and real pressed leaf.

They are so small they can fit in the palm of your hand.  Stuff firmly so they can stand on their own.  Perfect for sitting on your desk, kitchen table, mantle or windowsill all Autumn long.

 

They are super quick and easy to create ~ this is how I made mine ...

JACK BE LITTLE PUMPKINS

Cut fabric of your choice 4"W X 3"L.

Fold right sides together and sew down length of fabric.

With needle & thread, baste along bottom seam - pull tightly and stitch in place.

Turn fabric right side out. You will already see your pumpkin taking shape :-)

Add a small amount of fiberfill.

Run a basting stitch along the top - pull tightly and stitch in place.  Using your finger, tuck gathered fabric down into the pumpkin.

Add a small drop of hot glue and push a small piece of fallen branch into the hole.

Add a tiny pressed leaf.

 

 For a small cutlery pouch, I used some fabric remnants I had.  Like the pumpkins, these are fast and easy to create in no time.  Perfect last minute crafts.

GATHER CUTLERY POUCH

Cut fabric 8 1/2" W  x 10 1/2"L.

Pin a strip of ribbon the width of the fabric and sew into place.

On a small piece of muslin, stamp the word GATHER and stitch in place half way down pouch.

Create two rosettes by ripping muslin strips 3/4" W x 15"L.  I like to start my rosettes by creating a knot at the end of the fabric.  This will not only give you a sturdy place to hold on to as you start twisting the fabric, but will give some depth to the look of the rosette. Then just simply twist and add a few dots of hot glue to hold as you go around.

Attach the rosettes above the word GATHER.

Fold right sides together and sew down length of fabric. Sew along bottom seam.

Turn right side out.

 Add a few beautiful leaves and tuck in a little "I am THANKFUL for you because ..." note before you add the knife, fork and spoon to the pouch.

Saturday mornings are spent going to garage sales with my daughter, and one of my "can't pass up" things are old Scrabble games. Because of this, I have a big container of scrabble pieces which I like to use in creative ways.  For my Autumnal tea , I chose words & phrases  like THANKFUL, BLESSINGS, AUTUMN & FALL IN LOVE for each place setting. 

***

The heroine enjoys her life

by rearranging it

according to her needs...

She knows that right here is where things happen,

not somewhere else...

that the world for her

is a place

where things are engendered

and brought to life

~Henry Miller~