thanksgiving table - The Idea Room

Monogrammed Table Runner

Last week I shared with you the simple Thanksgiving Table Centerpiece that I recently made for our Thanksgiving Feast. I also shared how to Build Your Own Box for the centerpiece. Did I mention that Thanksgiving is at my house for the FIRST time with our entire family?!! I have the centerpiece covered now but it needed a little something extra, so I decided to make a simple Monogrammed DIY Table Runner.

I have ALWAYS wanted a table runner and FINALLY had the perfect excuse to make one. It could not be easier. If you can sew a straight line, this project is for you!

I bought 2 yards of burlap, but any heavier fabric like linen or muslin will work too. Then measured and cut two pieces…14 in x 88 inches.

My table (which actually has not been built yet…long story…more on that later) is going to measure 60 inches square. I wanted the runner to hang over the edge of the table, 14 inches, on each end. So that meant that I needed a total length of 88 inches (60 inches for the table + 14 inches +14 inches = 88 inches).

Since everyone has different sized tables, you will need to figure out what length and width you would like your runner to be and plan accordingly. You can also make a table runner that just lays on the table and doesn’t hang over the edge like I show in some of the final pictures.

Then I took the two pieces and pinned them together with the wrong side of the material facing each other. Then sew some black (or another color) bias tape around the entire table runner. Now some people freak out about sewing on bias tape.

*Here is a little trick that I do that makes it a LOT easier to work with. I don’t actually pin mine on. I sew slowly and put it in the correct place and sew it on as I go. It makes it so much easier for me and it doesn’t pucker. Also, make sure to put the side of the bias tape that is slightly wider on the bottom so you are sure to catch it with the thread.

Then I made a simple stencil with my Silhouette Cameo and some vinyl. I cut out two of them to stencil a monogram on each end of the table runner.

This is another project that you could whip up in an hour or during naptime pretty easily. Now…here is where I fess up to a little secret…I actually have NOT finished this table runner completely. Gasp!

My sewing machine suddenly just quit working MID Project!! Gah! So I have to get it fixed or run up to my mom’s and finish it before Thanksgiving. BUT—I wanted you to be able to make one if you wanted too and give you enough time to get it done before the big holiday rush. So don’t look TOO closely ;)!! You can see the pins in a couple of places which I just put in there to hold the bias tape on for pictures! #keepingitrealpeople

But even halfway finished, I am really excited about how it turned out! I love how simple it is but it adds a little extra “umph” to your Holiday setting!

Oh…and as I alluded to above, we currently do not have a kitchen table that fits our entire family. We have a square table that seats 6 and now that the baby is no longer a baby in a high chair (she’s 5!!) we have to pull out an extra chair to fit us all around. My boys are both now full sized adults and we are running out of room (and food)!

We have searched high and low for a table that would fit our odd space and our family. What we have found is way out of our budget…so…we are going to build one. I KNOW!! Think we can do it before Thanksgiving? We will see. Life gets crazy so we are going to have to play this one by ear and see how it goes…!

Linking up here: Not Just a Housewife

November 12, 2012 · Filed under: Home Decor, Sewing, Thanksgiving Tagged with burlap table runner, DIY runner, DIY table runner, make your own table runner, monogrammed table runner, thanksgiving table

Bread Cornucopia

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Looking for a last minute centerpiece to decorate your Thanksgiving Table next week? Make a Cornucopia out of bread.

I have been wanting to make one of these for a while now after seeing one over at Taste of Home.

The process was actually quite simple. I took a piece of paper (an old homework assignment) and rolled it into a cone shape and taped it. Then, I took a sheet of tinfoil and wrapped it around the paper cone to get the correct shape.

Next, ball up some more tinfoil and fill the inside of the cone. **Make sure you have a single layer on the outside that is separate from the inside. This makes it possible to easily remove the tinfoil from the inside of the cornicopia after it has been in the oven.

Then I just make some bread dough and let it rise. After the first rising, I rolled the dough out into one LONG rope.

Take your rope and wrap it around the tinfoil cone shape. Let rise for another 1-2 hours depending on your recipe.

Then bake in the oven. I baked mine at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Times and temperatures may vary with your recipe and/or oven.

After your bread cornucopia has cooled, remove all tinfoil carefully (I had to leave some of the foil in the tail end since it was baked into the bread). Fill with fruit or anything you would like to display or serve. The best part is that it is edible. It can easily be made a couple days before Thanksgiving too!

November 18, 2010 · Filed under: Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Recipes Tagged with cornicopia, cornucopia, thanksgiving, thanksgiving centerpiece, thanksgiving recipe, thanksgiving table, thanksgiving table decor

Thankful Bucket

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Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions at your house? This is one Thanksgiving Craft we enjoy each year.

Each year my mom gives each of her children and their families a Thanksgiving Bucket. Then each family is supposed to fill the bucket with things that they are thankful for. Then after our Thanksgiving dinner, we sit around the fireplace, while are tummies are digesting our meal, and take turns sharing what we have written for our buckets.

It always invites a special feeling to our Thanksgiving Celebration. And though some of the kids (and adults…*ahem*) complain a bit, they always end up participating and enjoying the activity.

So this year I spiced up our bucket and have it on the kitchen table to remind of all month long to be thinking and adding things to the bucket that we are thankful for.

First, I added the word Thankful, then I simply took a rectangle piece of chipboard and decorated it with some scrap book paper. Glued some brown ribbon inbetween the paper and the chipboard and then tied it to the back of the bucket handles.

Then I added a small green leaf and some red berries that I snipped off the back of a wreath where you wouldn’t notice they were missing.

Then I whipped up some papers for the family to write down their blessings on. The kids are encouraged to write something each time they think of something they are grateful for and drop it in the bucket. It is a good reminder to us all of just how MANY blessings we enjoy and take for granted on a daily basis! It’s amazing how focusing on all the positives can change your outlook and give you some much needed perspective.

I love Thanksgiving for that very reason!

I have provided you with a free download of our “Thankful” cards. I simply printed them out on white paper and then glued them onto some colorful scrapbook paper. They aren’t very fancy, but if you would like to use them for your family, you can get them here.

What about you and your family? What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions that you enjoy?