Off to the Races

It's the eternal question, do I make things so I can entertain or do I entertain so I can show off the things I've made?  Derby Day is one of my all time favorite celebrations...  of course I say that about all my parties;-)  I blame Pinterest, as soon as I saw these adorable bow napkins I was off and running to my stash for some seersucker to make these bow tie napkin rings.

Here's a quick tutorial in case you want to make your own...

Cut the following:

(1) 6 1/2" x 8 1/2" for bow

(1)  2" x 15" for strap
(1) 2" x 4" for cinch

(1) 10" strip of 3/8" elastic

Seam allowance 1/4"

Fold all 3 pieces in half, right sides together, and stitch down the long side.

Roll the seam to the middle of each piece and press open.

Turn the strap and cinch pieces right sides out keeping the seam centered.

Fold the bow in half matching the raw edges and sew together.  Roll the seam to the center and press open.  Turn the bow right sides out keeping the seam centered.

Use a safety pin to feed the length of elastic through the strap.  Stitch down each side to secure the ends leaving about 1/2" of elastic on each side.

Trim the elastic close to the stitching line.  Overlap the edges of the strap without twisting and stitch together to form a loop.

Stack cinch, bow and strap matching up seam lines.

Tuck ends inside one end of cinch and wrap it tightly around bow and strap.  Pin in place then hand stitch closed.  Catch the strap with a few stitches to prevent twisting.

Make a whole bunch so all your guests can be fancy.

Here's to another great day at the races.  Way to go American Pharoah!

Derby Day

  

This weekend marked the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby, my absolute favorite excuse for a party!!!  It's really the only sporting event that matches my attention span...  throw in a signature cocktail and the required preppy wardrobe and I'm in heaven:-)

Of course a party is just another excuse for getting crafty!  I was on a roll making Noodlehead berry baskets and decided to try one with this fabulous Nicey Jane laminate I picked up at Marden's last summer.  I suspect these will be my go to hostess gift for the summer.

It's also the perfect size for holding cocktail napkins:-)  Once that was done obviously my drink dispenser needed a matching label.  

I cut out concentric ovals from my laminate and chalk cloth, made two slits in the laminate wide enough for a ribbon, and then stitched around the chalk cloth to hold it all together.  

I really got to put my Chalkboard table runner to the test.  It was so much easier to just update what's being served on the fly rather then making all those food tags in advance.  

And since Lilly didn't make matching boy's shorts this season (ahem!), I was forced to whip up this adorable bow tie for Dex using this awesome tutorial from Pretty Prudent.  Can't you tell he loved it:-)