Late Summer Flowers

My friends Nancy Bednar and Tamy Bollar both have birthdays this Saturday. Neither one lives in the area but I set the table for a what if? dinner.
The table theme started with the huge floral arrangement. I had this fabulous fabric to make lapkins that coordinated perfectly.



The dining room looks so different with the new to me rug under the table. It belonged to some friends of the family. When Edna passed away Cy moved and sold some of their wonderful pieces.

This is one of two rugs that came home with me. I believe my love of the oriental influence must stem from Edna’s decorating taste.



As you can see the sunflower floral arrangement had to be at the end of the table. It’s enormous.



I added some early fall decorations in front, since it is still hot here I am trying to transition. Maybe it is like the movie and I misquote – "If we decorate for it, it will come."



My wheelbarrow napkin rings are all ready for a final floral harvest. The lapkin fabric was from a Wilmington Prints line called Late Summer Flowers 3 or 4 years ago.



The place setting :







I found the salad plates in the clearance aisle at Home Goods last spring.





I love the light reflecting the design of the glasses onto the table. I have had these vintage glasses for ages.



I used these doilies that my MIL made last week on the Breakfast with Susan Rios.



The huge floral arrangement was from Aimee’s. They were a store in Dresden, Ohio that made amazing silk arrangements for Longaberger baskets.



The sunflower quilt in the background was also made using the Late Summer Flowers collection.



A little closer look.



I raise my glass in a toast to my friends birthdays. Although you are not close in distance, you are always close to my heart.



Happy Birthday Nancy and Tamy – you can now blow out the candles.





Stitch at you soon,
Dawna

Cast :
Chargers – Pier 1
Plates  & S&P – Longaberger, Vintage Vine – retired
Salad Plates – Home Goods, Deartis, made in Portugal
Bowl – Longaberger
Napkin Rings – Can’t remember
Water Glass – Antique store 16 years ago
Stemware – Lenox Monroe, Aria Shape
Candles & Fall decorations – House collection


  Linking to :
Cuisine Kathleen - Let's Dish
Between Naps on the Porch - Tablescape Thursday

Napkins – Part 2– Cutting out Napkins

This is Part 2 – Napkins - Part 1 was posted last month. I actually call them lapkins as they will cover your entire lap.



For a lapkin you will use 1/2 of the width of a piece of fabric cut off of the bolt. This will vary slightly, but the average is approximately 22”. Purchase 5/8’ for every two lapkins. Although most of my dinner parties are for six, I always make enough for eight guests. So I purchase 2 1/2 yards.

The extra two can be used for a bread basket, under the centerpiece or tied around the water pitcher to catch condensation.

I used one under the centerpiece for my Oh Canada tablescape.



I do not prewash my fabric before cutting. I like the hand of the fabric off of the bolt. 
I will also starch my fabric with Mary Ellen’s Best Press before cutting. This is not your Grandmother’s starch. It comes in a multitude of lovely scents or unscented, and does not leave any white chalky residue on the item being ironed. My favorite scent is Caribbean Beach.



To get a good straight of grain hold the fabric up and shift the selvedges back and forth until there is no bias showing. Lay the fabric on the ironing board and press along the fold, Best Pressing as you go. I like the  crispness you get and it gives the blade a good finish for trimming.

I double my fabric so I am cutting four lapkins at a time. Place the fabric on the cutting mat with the folded edge next to your body. This way when you cut away from yourself, you are cutting towards an opening. Don’t worry about laying your fabric along a line on the mat.

First square up your cutting edge. Lay a triangle bottom on the folded edge .



Slide a 24” long ruler so it sits snug against the triangle. You can see in the photo below that the fabric under the 24” ruler isn’t straight. After trimming you will have a nice square corner.



Move the triangle out of the way and make the cut. When you are done cutting --- CLOSE the cutter.




Measure the width of your folded fabric to determine the usable width. Be sure to subtract the unusable selvedge edge. Some selvedges have holes in where the fabric was held while running through the presses.  You really don’t want to see those when you are all done.


A close up of the holes.



Then using multiple rulers or a large square ruler if you have one, cut a 21 1/2” (insert your measurement here) strip.



Carefully turn the fabric so as not to misalign your edges.



Trim off selvedges using the triangle  and 24” ruler once more.



If need be use two or more rulers to get the desired size. Trim the folded edge last and you are ready to serge the edges.



In Napkins – Part 3 I  will show you how I set up my Bernina 1150 MDA for a great finished rolled hem.

Stitch at you Soon, Dawna

Linking to Stone Gable - Tutorials,Tips & Tidbits

Breakfast with Susan Rios

Yesterday dawned as a perfect morning. It was overcast which gave the day a decidedly fall feeling. We even received some rain during the day. I t was great to be at the store and watch it come down outside. The only way it could have been better was if I could have been out walking in it.



I decided to set the table with some of my Longaberger butternut pieces to ease into fall.  With them I used my very first set of dishes – Liberty Blue. My Mum got them at the grocery store the summer before I started my second year of college.

Some of you might notice something different in the dining room. I’ll tell you about it on Saturday. There is something missing in this picture. The first one who notices and comments on it I will send a small gift.



I hadn’t used them for years and unpacked them from a box in the garage. The original plan was to set the table for six, but there were only five plates. Then there were only four mugs. I know what I need to look for the next time I go to an antique store.



The placemats and napkins were a wedding or shower gift and pulled the colors together perfectly. The napkin rings are from Gifts in the Attic. A store long gone, but forever missed.



It was then I realized the table reminded me the two Susan Rios pieces I have upstairs.
Susan’s paintings evoke a vision of serene elegance and timeless beauty. Click  on Susan Rios to go to her website.
I have been lucky enough over the years to get to know here and she is as gracious and amazing as her work. I purchased my first piece of her art in 1989.



The plate under the teapot was once one of hers and seemed perfect for the table. The teapot was up in the cupboard just waiting for the dishes to reappear.



The doilies were made by my MIL years ago. They were given to me when visiting this summer. I didn’t notice the rust spot until just now, I’ll need to bring home some Vintage Textile Soak from Bolts.



I’ve started to change the sideboard towards fall as you can see in the background. My shamrocks are perking up in the slightly cooler weather.






The Art of Susan Rios has been out of print for many years. It is one of my favorite coffee table books. The large doily underneath was made for me years ago by an employee.



The place setting: The Liberty Blue with the butternut make me think of fall leaves against a crisp blue fall sky.



The silver ware was my Mum’s. She no longer used it and gave it to me years ago.

 



The square plates were last used for the Under the Sea tablescape.



You can just see the new addition to the dining room at the bottom of this picture.



Thanks for joining me, I truly enjoy all your visits.

Stitch at you Soon,

 Dawna


Cast :
Plates, mugs & fruit bowls – Liberty Blue
Chargers & leaf plates – Longaberger Placemats & Napkins – Wedding gift
Flatware – William Rodgers

Linking to :
Cuisine Kathleen - Let's Dish
Between Naps on the Porch - Tablescape Thursday

The Gift of Friendship

I was lucky, this morning’s weather was perfect for coffee in the backyard by the pool.  There was no wind!



As the store is closed for the weekend I had called my friend Lynn last night & invited her for coffee. As luck would have it her daughter Shannon was visiting so there would be three of us.



I decided that since time in our busy lives is precious, coffee with friends is a gift. So instead of just making an almond crème loaf of bread, I dug out my Williams-Sonoma Gift Cakelet Pan. They came out of the pan as perfect little  presents.




The color on the pottery is rich and vibrant . With a basket weave background on the base of the compote,



and as the background on the pitcher.



I chose a vintage tablecloth that pulled the pink from my Longaberger Majolica pottery. I have the oval serving compote, a pitcher and four plates. Four? What was I thinking. I mean I know I only needed three for this morning, but why didn’t I get eight. As any dish fanatic collector knows four is ok, but if they come in sets of four - eight is much better.



Pink cranberry water glasses, pink Longaberger Horizon of Hope mugs from a few years back (luckily I have three), and Portmeirion  Botanic Garden flatware just about finished the tablescape. All that was left was some flowers (silk) in the Grandma Bonnie Snapdragon basket and some luncheon napkins made for a Horizon of Hope benefit 10 years ago. I think I have about 60 of them.



The gifts are ready with some brown sugar caramelized almond topping, blueberries and vanilla yogurt.



Bon Appetit.



Here’s a tip if your dish is too deep like mine was. I filled the bottom with some decorating marbles then some white decorating stones.





Cover with waxed paper. You now have a level surface to  place cakes surrounded with blueberries.



For those in the states enjoy the last long weekend of the summer.



Thank you to all of my new friends in the blog world for the gift of inviting me into your homes, and also for joining me in mine.

Stitch at you soon,
                            Dawna

Linking to 
The Tablescaper - Seasonal Sundays
Lavendar Garden Cottage - Cottage Style Linky Party
A Stroll Thru Life - Tabletop Tuesday