THE CREATIVE PROCESS PART I

I haven't felt creative in a long time, but lately I am coming out of my foggy bottom and have begun sewing again, and I feel more like myself again. I made some purple Laura Ashley toile placemats/napkins:




So, happy with that result, I pulled out more toiles and started playing, trying different colors in different ways, thinking of how much I have of any one fabric and what I could do with them all together. This is the fun part, playing with the fabric, weighing the cloth in my hand, thinking of the cloth itself as well as the colors and patterns, just playing and imagining:







HOURS later, this is the decision I came to. I was always thinking of a tablecloth using the country scenes as placemats and a complimentary fabric for spacers between the mats, with a masculine and feminine top and bottom, at the narrow ends of the table, to signify where the man and woman of the house will sit. I used the blue and yellow country toile with the server, the fiddler, dancers, and picnicers and the other Laura Ashley toile, in yellow, the vine print, in 10"x12" pieces, and use the yellow Laura Ashley lovers toile for the border:





Finally, I could start sewing. You can see how I measure and cut in my other blogs, so I'll just jump to sewing and sewn:






I haven't gotten technical in this description, gone into measurements, etc., but I am using my own table as a guide. My table is approximately 48"x30" and seats six comfortably, two on each side and at the head and bottom of the table. The yellow lovers toile will be the skirt of the tablecloth, with a 10" drape, or hang. This will be a lovely versatile tablecloth which can be used anywhere in the house. In your bedroom, over a cafe table, or on the breakfast table, it will always be bright and cheerful.

I will be posting more pictures as I progress, and of course the BIG announcement when it is complete and listed on etsy!