DIY and Trash to Treasures at Heart and Home

Howdy! Thanks for stopping by today. It's still kind of gloomy around here -outside it's very stormy and wet and cold. I spent the last few days hanging around the house, but didn't have much inspiration to do much! I've got some great projects lined up, but I need to take care of a few things before I can start working on them!

I did manage to sort of rearrange a few items around the house to make the place look a little more welcoming, after putting all the Christmas stuff away. First though, I took a couple of days and just looked at the empty spaces until I couldn't stand it any longer. I love to pare down, but all that emptiness was ridiculous!

To spruce things up, I decided to make a table runner with the left-over burlap I had from making tack boards a few years ago.

It was a simple project that took very little time.  First I gathered my materials: burlap, ribbon trim, thread and scissors:

I pulled a thread along where I wanted to cut a straight line:

I stitched three pieces together to make one long piece

( I sewed french seams so there would be no raw edges on the wrong side of the runner,

and to make a stronger seam.)

I stitched the wide grosgrain ribbon trim over the seams, and zigzag stitched along the long sides and the bottom edges.

 On the bottom, I pulled a thread about 1-1/2 inches from the edge, stitched over it with two lines of zig-zagging, and then pulled all the threads out below the stitching to form a fringed edge.

I'm still deciding whether or not to stencil a monogram in black ink onto the ends of the runner.

For now, here's the finished result:

I like the contrast of the textures between the crocheted piece I layered on top of the burlap,

and the colors of the fabric against the black table.

This was so easy, and made me feel like I'd accomplished something worthwhile this week - besides all the regular household chores I think it's nice to have something fun to work on, and something new to add a little pizazz to the decor!

I did it myself, for DIY Day and Trash to Treasure Tuesday, at Reinvented. Thanks Kimba and Kimm! Also linked to Shimmer and Tulle 's blog party, and Transformation Thursday - thanks Gina!

Thanks for visiting today, have a fun time, look around awhile and stop by again soon! Before I forget, check out the BlogFrog widget in my side bar! I thought I'd try it out, and I need your help. Sign up, and become a BlogFrog Friend! It's quick and easy, and will connect you, your blog, and Heart and Home to a bunch of really great blogs and  people with the same interests in home, design and family.

Until next time,
XO
Heidi