Christmas Project #8 - Candles & A Matte

You have probably gathered by now that I love candles.  And I also love to put my candles on a matte.  Not only is a matte pretty but it also can help save your surfaces, especially when you burn them all the way down to the bottom like I try to do.  I think a lovely scented candle and a matte is an excellent gift, no matter what the occasion and with Christmas coming I thought I'd share with you step by step how I make mine.

I inherited a bunch of little quilt squares

I love to get creative and use up scraps from my projects to make most of my mattes.  Using up leftover quilt squares or creating your own quilt square for one of these if fun too.  Lately I've done some crazy quilting which is a really good way to use odd shaped scraps.

Patterns are super easy to make.  I used a Corelle salad plate to trace a circle onto a scrap of paper and cut that out.  I find it is the perfect size to use for those big jar candles.  I've also made a pattern by cutting a square 3 1/2" X 3 1/2".

You can be as simple or elaborate as you like too.  Some I just stitch together, nothing fancy.  Others I might quilt and trim with lace or add a border like a quilt binding.  Quilting them with a decorative stitch is also nice.

Using up some pieces of leftover batting

I begin by cutting out two pieces of fabric, my top and bottom and a piece of thin quilt batting.  Then I sandwich the pieces together by placing the fabric right sides together and the batting on top.  Once pinned I stitch a 1/4" seam all the way around leaving about a 1 1/2" opening in order to turn in right side out.

Machine quilted with a decorative stitch

This one is made using a leftover quilt square
I sandwiched it with a piece of batting and a fabric square
and then I stitched it with a 1 1/2" strip to bind it like a quilt

Before I turn it I trim the seam to about 1/8" all the way around expect where the opening is.  If it is a square I also clip the corners.  Once turned right side out I give it a good pressing.  Then I stitch along the edge to finish it and close the opening.  If I'm adding lace, ruffle or trim I pin that in place first before I stitch turning the end over about 1/4" to make a nice finish.

These go together rather quickly and are a lot of fun to make

Whatever one decides there are a lot of different ways to make and embellish these.  A cute little bow, a ribbon flower, some embroidery are all really nice touches.  The only other thing to do is choose a candle to go with.

The votive candle came from the dollar store and the pretty holder from a thrift store

Creating just one or even several mattes with fabrics that depict the various holidays or seasons would make a really nice gift for someone who enjoys candles.  Not to mention the fun you will have making these.