A Christmas Table Matte

When we set up our Christmas tree last week I sorted through our ornaments and decorations to see if there was anything to get rid of.  Things are looking pretty darn good in that department, but at the bottom of one of our two bins was a tree skirt I had made a good twenty years ago.

The tree skirt was made two sided so it would be reversible and I didn't use a pattern.  I winged it and, quite frankly, it looked like I did.  I remember the blue fabric and ruffled trim I purchased at Rite Aid back when it was Payless and they had a fabric department.  The red was a huge piece of fabric my mother had given me.

We used the tree skirt for several years, but I didn't really like it much because I knew I hadn't done a very good job on it.  That was made even clearer to me when I sat down and began to take it apart.  When the mother of a friend made me a knew tree skirt several years ago this one ended up at the bottom of the bin.

Despite the fact that it was poorly made I really liked the fabric and the trim, which is probably why I've saved it all this time.  This year I decided it was time to either do something with it or let it go.  Then an idea popped into my head.

I washed the skirt and once it was out of the dryer I sat down with my seam ripper and carefully removed the gold ruffled trim.  Then I used the largest pattern from my fabric bowl covers project and cut out a nice round from the skirt.  I also cut out a circle of cotton batting leftover from my Americana Quilt project.

I trimmed the blue circle with the gold ruffle, layered on the batting and the red circle, stitched around it and then turned it right side out.  Once it was pressed I top stitched the edge closing the opening I had left for turning in the process.

Now I have a sweet little reversible table matte to set the mini Christmas tree on and protect my furniture.  It will be perfect in the new retirement house I am planning to buy in the not too distant future.

I was so pleased with how it turned out I decided to make another one with some other fabric and trim I happened to have.  I have a gift exchange that I signed up for coming up and thought it would be the perfect gift.  This time I did a decorative stitch along the edge and I like that even more.

I was further inspired to make a couple candle mattes after that.  I traced my bread plate onto a pieced of scrap paper and cut it out to make a pattern.  It is the perfect size.  I put it together the same way as the table matte and now I have a set to give that will be perfect to set a centerpiece on, or whatever.  And the candle matte is the right size for a jar candle.

I tied some red bows from some grosgrain ribbon I had in my stash and stitched those onto the green mattes.  I really like how that looks.

With that set completed I went ahead and cut out another candle matte from the tree skirt to match my table matte.  Now I have a nice set as well.  I'll probably make more to give away next year for Christmas.  They are a lot of fun and I think they turned out really cute.

I like the idea of these decorative mattes to protect our furniture.  I'll probably make some for everyday use too.  I want to make a rectangular one to put underneath our TV in the living room.  Right now I'm using a placemat.

Wouldn't a candle matte and a nice jar candle make a great gift?  I think so.