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Bon Appétit: French Script Napkin Tutorial

My favorite job as a child was setting the table for a holiday meal.  It was an opportunity to go into my mom's linen closet and pick out the pretty things reserved for special occasions.  I can actually still remember the smells of the table cloths, napkins, pillow cases, and sheets mingled with candles and other decor items tucked carefully away.  In 17 years of marriage, I have only once hosted Thanksgiving, as cooking isn't my strong suit and so fortunately our tradition is to share a beautiful meal around a splendidly adorned table prepared by my mother-in-law.  So I find myself making an occasion out of none to prepare a simpler meal, with a lovely place setting, and invite a family over to bless with a spirit of welcome hospitality that says, "You are appreciated, loved, and valuable enough for extraordinary effort and attention to detail."  It is one of the ways I express love.  The pitfall, is sometimes I set up a standard or expectation for myself that is too high, and because I see an event so over the top in my imagination (think David Tutara's  $50,000+ "My Fair Wedding" type events) and want to go all Martha Stewart on it, I don't invite people over as often as I would if I had a less ambitious imagination. In my mind, once I have the table scape designed, I am motivated to create the meal to showcase the table setting.  I realize that this is exactly opposite of all my gourmet cooking friends for whom the food is the focal point, and therefore, I truly appreciate any opportunity to dine at their homes where I don't have to think about what to cook, but can just marvel at the artistry of their flavorful combinations. Regardless of our motivations, Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate the countless things we have to be grateful for.  Gratitude inspires the fabric design of this french script, which is translated from the scripture found in Psalm 95:2-3: "Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods."

This tutorial is for those who would love to make something to infuse their table with a spirit of thankfulness this holiday season.  (For those who need a shortcut, Pier One has a similar napkin available with English words of gratitude...it just needed to be improved by pointing to the One to whom we owe all praise!)

Supplies needed to complete this project:

• Scissors or olfa cutter
• Ruler
• Cutting mat
• Iron
• 1 or more yards of French Script fabric in the linen cotton canvas available from Spoonflower
• Sewing machine
• Black crochet thread
• Steel crochet hook (I used size 1.30 mil)
• Pencil (a fabric pencil or pen is best, but any pencil should work.  I used one like the blue one here this)
• Needle (optional for making hole in fabric for easier crochet hook insertion)

1.  Prewash the fabric.  All my store bought napkins look beautiful the first time I use them and then when I wash them, they shrink and are no longer square.  The best way I know to have square napkins, is to prewash the fabric and dry it in the dryer. 

2. Cut out your square.  For this particular set of napkins, I was trying to get 6 napkins out of one yard of fabric, so that made my cut 17.5 inches square.  If I was to do this again, I would order more fabric and do a slightly larger square so that the finished napkin could be more like 18-19" square instead of 15.5"

3. I found a fabulous tutorial for sewing mitered corners on YouTube.  I highly recommend watching it before continuing.  Check it out here.  I have photographed my process for mitering the corners below.  Turn over the raw edge of the fabric about .25" and iron.  Turn over another .25" and iron again.

4. Open up the creased fabric and mark the folds with a pencil

5. Cut the tip of the diagonal corner off.

6. Fold down the corner to the bottom point.  I played with this fold until I got it to meet properly and look right when the edges were folded back under.

7. Iron the corner.

8. Top stitch the edge.  At this point you could stop and call the napkin finished. 

9. I wanted to add a little crochet edging.  Place a mark with your pencil every 10 cm along each edge.

10.  Start in a corner and chain (ch) 7, then single crochet (sc) in a mark and then ch 5, sc in the next mark, then ch 5 and repeat around the napkin until you come back to the starting corner.  I joined in about the 2 ch spot of my first chain of 7 and did a final sc to finish it off.  Then I tied a square knot and wove in the ends of the crochet thread.  I found it difficult to puncture the fabric so I used a needle to make a small hole in each mark before doing my single crochet.  This added some time to the whole process, so what you decide to do will probably depend on your personal preference and the strength of your crochet hook and weight of fabric you purchase from Spoonflower.

10.  Invite someone over for a meal or cup of tea and use your new beautiful napkins, or give a set away as a gift to bless a friend.

Inspirational Scripture:
"Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods."
Psalm 95:2-3 (NLT)

Coffee Break!

When the circumstances of life push against us, it can take a concerted effort to remain in a peaceful state. This last week was a perfect opportunity to walk in peace in spite of the craziness all around. Although it took a week longer than I had expected, the Coffee Break fabric collection is available on Spoonflower at last! Staying peaceful is always a good idea.

Inspirational Scripture:
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: 'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.'"
Isaiah 30:15

Coffee Cup Cozy Tutorial

October is a big birthday month for us, and Christmas is just around the corner.  This means that gift season is upon us, and because sometimes it can become a challenge to purchase things for each special person, I have put together the tutorial below for anyone who would like to make a gift instead.  It is my first attempt at a tutorial so if anyone gives it a try, please share your feedback with me!  This tutorial is designed to go with my Coffee Cup Cozy cut and sew fabric that is available from Spoonflower.com.  I created the Deconstructed Moss Decor color palette for this design using the Adobe Kuler App.  (The photo in the background is indeed the centerpiece mentioned in the color scheme description.)

To complete this project you will need:

• the fabric mentioned above
• eyelets (8 per cozy)
• ribbon (34" per cozy)
• fusible interfacing
• coordinating thread

1. Iron on fusible interfacing for a lining. Dont forget to use a pressing cloth, and follow the directions that come with the specific interfacing you chose.

2. Cut out along dashed lines.

3. Sew the right sides of the fabric together with a 1/4" seam allowance leaving an opening to turn.

4. Clip the corners at a diagonal to take extra bulk away, and then turn the right sides out.

I used a pair of scissors to make sure I got the points looking crisp, but using a pencil might be a better idea so one doesn't accidentally make a hole in the fabric.

5. Turn opening under, iron it & then topstitch it closed.  I love topstitching as it can give a polished and professional look to your project.

6. Insert eyelets.  Lay four eyelets out along the finished edge and marked the placement of each one. (My fine point sharpie worked perfectly).

Eyelets from Hobby Lobby, Eyelets from Paperwishes, Oriental Trading Company discontinued the ones I used. The Eyelet Outlet has a mix of browns that might work or they also have black. Grommets could be an even better option.  I just used what I had on hand.

Then punch holes and install the four eyelets. (I used my silent setter scrapbooking hole puncher for this step).

Next fold the coffee cozy in half and mark the other side for eyelet placement.  Punch four holes and install four more eyelets.

7. Lace 34" of ribbon through the eyelets

8. Brew or buy some coffee or tea

9. Snuggle it up & enjoy! This makes a perfect gift with a coffee card hiding inside!

Inspirational Scripture:

"You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings." Psalm 23:5

Meeting Bailey Joy...

It has been ages since I have blogged about a project, and so I am very excited to share a sneak peak of my new Good Dog Bad Dog Fabric collection.  Although it is still in the proofing process, it should be available for purchase through spoonflower.com by the end of September.

This fabric collection is inspired by our new puppy Bailey Joy. Part Beagle and part mini-Australian Shepherd, she possesses a bundle of energy that constantly tempts her to mischief, but she has a good heart and a desire to learn. The images on the Good Dog Bad Dog print come directly from her favorite pastimes these first few weeks.  As I write this post, she is nuzzling me hoping that I will take her for a walk. I hope that you enjoy her antics, but be advised, if you don’t want the novel image of a doggie doo accident, check out the Good Dog fabric, as it is edited for those who prefer to view puppyhood through rose-colored glasses!

Inspirational Scripture:

"She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night." Proverbs 31:18

La Petite Maison (The Little House)

My son loves Lego^® and we build things a lot. I mean a lot. As an example, this week we built the Lego^® Creator Transport Ferry #4997, (1279 pieces) [click here for a stop gap animation by Madaboutlego], the Lego^® Creator Highway Transport #6753 (1294 pieces), and the smaller Lego^® Creator Ferocious Creatures #5868 (416 pieces). This wouldn't necessarily be a lot for an experienced builder, but my son is only 5!

After "shopping" (which is what he calls it when I help sort out the pieces for each step) so he can assemble, I get a little crazy and just want to have the satisfaction of putting a few pieces together myself! I didn't ever get to play with Lego^® as a child (I know, I was totally deprived!) but as an aesthetic child, the primary colors of red, blue and yellow, must not have called to me from the store shelves. So as a grown up, I decided to build my own model inspired by a vintage set (Lego 560 Town House) resurrected from my husband's Lego^® collection. Only, of course I had to redesign it to be more appealing to the little girl of long ago that liked more feminine colors.

This project has taken a few months of the middle of the night hours. It was a bigger challenge than I anticipated, because I was building virtually and have no background in 3d software or code of any kind. I'm not gonna lie, the learning curve is not for the faint of heart!

Lego^® has a section on their website that lets a novice user design their own creation by downloading their free Digital Designer software, but I soon discovered that you couldn't control how your instructions were going to look, and were limited only to standard pieces that are available on their sight for the moment. So I researched other options and discovered Lpub, Ldraw, Bricksmith, LdGlite, LDview, and Brickstore, all programs that could help me with the challenge at hand.

I should pause here to mention that there is a very large and brilliant Lego^® community in this world, that I had never encountered before, and these devoted souls are creating amazing things, both in terms of models, and programs, and videos of their creations. My little 621 piece model with its step by step instruction book, and xml file that automatically fills your Lego^® wish list at Bricklink is merely an attempt to put a little something within the reach of the girl who might enjoy building, but wouldn't have considered it before.

I am excited to report that I was able to purchase most of the pieces from Lego^® and the rest from Bricklink and build an actual physical model to test out the instructions. I have found that many people outside the serious Lego^® community, are unaware of the Pick a Brick section on the Lego^® website where you can individual pieces for your own building projects.

For fun, a listing for a PDF of the Instructions, parts list with part numbers, color quantity and description, and a Bricklink XML file is available for purchase on eBay, just in case someone else wants to build La Petite Maison. Interestingly, in January, Lego^® did finally introduce a line of product for girls!

Inspirational Scripture:

"For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God." Hebrews 3:4

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Building a House

When our son was just about to turn four, he was ready to graduate from his toddler bed to something larger. His room at the time was very small, so I wanted to come up with something that would maximize the available space, fit a twin size mattress, and double as a play area. When I discovered the company Tanglewood Design, I was thrilled to learn that in addition to selling kits, and ready made beds, they also sold the plans for the DIY family to customize and create their own masterpiece. I absolutely fell in love with their philosophy and designs, plus they were personable and helpful as well, so I highly recommend them!

My husband agreed to take on the building project. In his spare time over the next few weeks he borrowed a friend's wood-shop and tools. When he was done cutting out the pieces, he rented a truck and brought them home for me to paint. My original idea was to make a giant tree for the corner of the room, with a rounded door in the trunk, so that our son could go into the trunk to climb into his bed. I wanted LED lights to hang in branches over the roof line to twinkle as a nightlight, but I couldn't find a tutorial anywhere to create such a thing, and as our budget and space were limited, that part didn't come to fruition. However, months later, I stumbled on an article that featured just such a tree (albeit in a beautiful fairy tale girl's room) designed by Kidtropolis. Feel free to check out their link so that you can imagine the complete concept!

Below is a view of the inside of the bed where our son sleeps. The brilliant part about this design is that the space under the bed is big enough for a double mattress, if a family has more than one child or prefers a bunk bed option. We elected to stage it as a little man cave, and set it up like a miniature living room. We added a door (not in the original design) so that we could close in the bookshelves, and keep the space from looking cluttered. Instead of a tree, in keeping with the play house theme, we had a steel plate made for an exterior park light (so that it can't tip over).

Our son still absolutely loves his bed. I never tire of hearing him tell someone he meets for the first time, "I have a house bed that my dad and mom made...and I got to help!" My husband and I joke that we always wanted to build a house together someday. Now we can cross it off our "bucket list".

Inspirational Scripture: Psalm 127 & Joshua 24:15

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Technical Difficulties

Beginning this last week I have been experiencing a few technical difficulties with my computer randomly shutting off while I am performing the usual tasks required for preparing blog posts. (I know this is normal for all of you PC users, but I have been spoiled with a Mac for several years now, and it is unusual for me!) So have no fear, with a plethora of projects to share, they will be coming as soon as a work-around is discovered.

There are also a few things in the works that I can’t wait to share. I am just working on programming aspects that are way over my head. Sometimes “It’s just not right!” that I have to “do coding” in order to complete a project. My Bassett Hound would have better luck studying quantum physics! After all I prefer to just design and create. I am sooo not a programmer! But on the other hand, asking dumb questions of genius software designers that live overseas, is an exercise in humility. Combine that with stubborn determination, a creative type that doesn’t know any better even though she should, hours plugging in numbers randomly to see what happens to the code each time, and who knows what new creation will surface! If a completed project doesn’t show up each week, it may be because I am working on one of those 40 hour, or yes, even 80 hour projects.

In the mean time, (as my computer just crashed again) it is a perfect opportunity to ponder the deeper questions in life, and practice not “freaking out” about electronic circumstances, no matter how aggravating they may be. I am reminded daily (and sometimes hourly) how much I don’t have all the answers to life’s questions. Thankfully, God does and we can go to Him.

So if a “deep thoughts” post shows up (hint, one is coming); following is my disclaimer. If I get a glimpse of a corner OF a truth, that is sooo very different from claiming to have a corner ON the truth. God often puts something in my heart that shocks my mind and I may initially want to reject it. But if it keeps coming back and feels like an “Ah-Ha!” moment, I am forced to consider it. When I attempt to share it, it can be miss-understood, and it is possible that I, myself miss-understood it to begin with. (i.e. That I am wrong.) The fear of being wrong or presumptuous would be a sorry excuse for never taking the risk to share something that could bring, life, hope, beauty, and truth to someone and thereby glory to my Heavenly Father. I refuse to be enslaved by fear. I wish it was possible to be “right” about things all the time, but I realize that that is impossible, because we only see part of the picture. So in all humility, I ask for grace, that we may anticipate and discover moments of beauty together!

Regarding wisdom & grace: James 1:5 & 1 Corinthians 1

Mirrored Moss

At one time this piece was most likely a mirror. But with the glass missing, it was begging to once again frame beauty. It could have easily showcased a vintage portrait or a new piece of glass, yet it somehow called for something more.

Textural qualities, and wonderful color variances made moss a perfect choice. I find myself drawn to it in nature and awestruck when I consider all the life to which it is home. It presented the long-awaited solution to the mirror's dilemma. Now it encourages one to change their focus and reflect upon the beauty and mystery found in life.

1 Corinthians 13:12

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The Nature of Love

The Nature of Love

Think I perhaps too much of myself,

A glass full of love and not much more?

Is love even love kept unto itself

Or be it true only poured on the floor?

Surrendered would I be void of love's wealth

Or giving life's drink end thirst evermore?

© 2005 Jolene R. Balyeat

This image was created many years ago in response to a picture that came to mind when I was struggling with the concept of giving love, receiving love, surrendering to love, and whether it was possible to run out of love, be destroyed by it, or loose yourself in the midst of it. The art is very abstract, and doesn't come close to capturing the image that flashed through my mind to illustrate the truth I believe God shared with me. Honestly, this piece doesn't reflect my "style" or preferences in any way, but the point behind it valuable enough to risk criticism on its amateurish composition.

Because, I knew that love was an overwhelming force, I was worried that if I opened myself up to it I would be undone, emptied, and destroyed in the process. I was concerned that my feelings would be too great to control, and that I would shatter, and all that I was would spill out leaving nothing left.

In a momentary flash of revelation, I saw myself as a glass full of water, with the ground under me a parched dessert, thirsting for a drink that could restore life. I saw many other glasses, equally selfish, refusing to surrender life giving drink to a desperate world. Then I saw myself surrendering and an eternal supply of water from heaven, pouring on, in, over, around, and under me. Life sprung up wherever the water fell. A flower, representing fruit, joy, life, and beauty bloomed. I was not lost, or destroyed in the process at all...just surrendered and surrounded in God's supply. Now it seems foolish to have been so afraid. But I was. I suppose I share this because in the picture there were other glasses too, not just mine. Some of these glasses are symbolic of people in churches, some may be people reading this blog. I don't know. I do know this, the lesson I learned was: take the risk. It is worth it; and once one surrenders to love, one is not only open to give, but also to receive.

"But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life." John 4:14

For further reflection see: Revelation 22:1-2 & Psalm 145:16

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Magnetic Words

It may only be February, but it isn't too early to start counting down the days till June. The Farm Chicks Antiques Show takes place, in June, at the fairgrounds in Spokane, WA. In addition to soaking in the collective creativity of so many artists in the same venue, I have started a tradition of buying a few letters to make something with each year. These letters came out of a vintage Eye Rest Anagrams Game. I glued them together and then to magnets to create words that could be rearranged into simple sentences. Digging through the bowl of letters to spell out a few words was fun, but nothing compares with how my son giggles when making silly sentences from them as he learns to read.

Hopefully, in the midst of the fun, I can also teach him that the words we say stick to people, much like these magnets will stick to his chalkboard, for "Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit." Proverbs 15:4

Inspirational Scripture relating to our words: Proverbs 10:11 & Psalm 19:14
Inspirational Scripture relating to God's words: 1 John 1 & Deuteronomy 11:18 & John 6:63

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Labor of Love

Every once in a while there is a project that presents itself that is a bit over the top, and I hesitate to start it because I sense it will take on a life of its own and consume more time than it should. This pirate costume was just such a project.

It started when I met a very theatrical little boy who lives across the street. He has a gift in drama, and can do the best impersonation of Captain Jack Sparrow that I have ever seen. Almost every time I see him he is in a different costume, playing a different role. Pretty impressive for a six year old! So when his pirate-themed birthday invitation came, I knew he had to have the proper attire at his disposal. Fortunately, I found a Simplicity 3644 pattern on eBay that fit the bill perfectly. After much research about the actual costume worn in the movie, some additions to ensemble, and somewhere between 50 and 60 hours and 30 buttons later, here is a portrait of the Jack Sparrow costume's inspiration and finished reproduction

Inspirational Scriptures that reference God blessing through items made of cloth:

Acts 9:36-43 & Acts 19:12