Summer decorations always seem so straightforward, with all the lovely summer blossoms available. Then fall comes, and I think of all the gold, red, and brown fall colors. I had always thought that fall was dull-colored until I was with a wonderful family friend one day who was picking up an oil painting she and her husband had purchased. The painting was a fall scene, and it made me realize how many wonderful warm colors make up the fall landscape, always punctuated by some red.
Here in the central Texas Hill Country, our fields turn a wonderful golden brown. The red oaks turn a burgundy red. One of the four primary prairie grasses, Little Blue Stem, turns russet and stands tall against the golden-brown of the other grasses. Switchgrass, another of the four major prairie types of grass, develops beautiful seed heads that wave in the breeze, Indian Grass has large, fluffy deep golden seed tops. Added to this warm-tone scene is Silver Blue Stem with its white soft seed heads, offering yet another color to the landscape.
One of the things I enjoy the most is arranging field grasses in baskets. I collect different grasses of varying heights and colors and add them over time to a basket. I use a piece of Oasis to stabilize them – the green foam-like material florists use in flower arrangements. There is no need to soak the Oasis in water when using grasses because the grass is already dried. If you don’t live where you can get field grasses, you can usually find something to substitute in the flower department of a grocery store or at a crafts shop. You may even see them in an empty field near your home.
One friend made a beautiful arrangement with dried beans in the base of a glass container, which added additional color to the arrangement. She then filled it with an assortment of dried plants. Last year, I made some small dried grass arrangements in golden-pink carnival glass containers for the dining table at Thanksgiving. I like to use copper accessories to coincide with the other fall colors. Here is an arrangement of grasses that I recently put together in a small copper basket from the 1930s that belonged to my mother. Here are several pictures showing how I started the arrangement and its final look.
Fabric pumpkins are great fun to make for fall decorations. You can find many different sets of directions on the internet. The one I like best is to start with a rectangle piece of fabric. I bought some patterned fabrics in gorgeous fall colors and some solid jewel-colored velvets. You can choose colors or patterns to go with your home’s decor or choose the colors you plan to use for your holiday decorating. It is easiest to work with a lightweight fabric, but I have seen beautiful pumpkins made of velvets and upholstery fabrics.
Here’s what to do.
Step 1 – Cut a rectangle in a ratio of 1:2; that is 10 inches wide and 20 inches long for a medium pumpkin. If you want a smaller pumpkin, remember to keep the rectangle in the 1:2 ratio—for example, 5 inches by 10 inches.
Step 2 – Fold the fabric right sides together lengthwise and hand-sew the shortest side together. Use a very heavy-gauged thread. If there is a selvage edge, be sure that it will not show when the fabric is turned right side out.
Step 3 – While the fabric is wrong-side facing out, gather the material up at one of the open ends and tie tightly using the heavy sewing thread or embroidery floss. If the fabric is thick, a rubber band can be used to keep the end closed up. This will become the base of the pumpkin.
Step 4 – Place a row of gathering stitches about 3/4 of an inch from the top. Leave the gathering stitches untied.
Step 5 – Turn the pumpkin right side out. Fill the pumpkin shell with a polyester batting till it is fairly firm. (If you stuff it too tight, it will be difficult to close and too loose, it won’t look like a pumpkin.) Pull the gathering stitches as tight as possible and tie the thread off.
Step 6 – Using a long doll needle with six strands of embroidery floss with a knot on the end, bring the floss up through the center of the pumpkin. Wrap the floss around the pumpkin once and bring the floss up through the middle again and pull it tight. Wrap again on the opposite side and come again up through the middle. Do this two to three more times and tie it tightly to close the opening as much as possible.
Step 7 – If you have some actual pumpkin stems, glue one into the top of the pumpkin with a hot glue gun. I generally use a curved stick about 2.5-3 inches long because I don’t have any pumpkin stems. If there is any gap in the top of your pumpkin, you can make a leaf or several leaves out of felt and glue them over the opening. Here is a photo of some completed pumpkins made by a friend and her children.
Here is one I made of velvet before I added a stem.
I have been reading some old cookbooks that belonged to my mother. The introductory portion of these cookbooks often discusses the basics of nutrition and meal planning and how the meal is served, how the table is set, and the care that should be taken in choosing table decorations and linens. What strikes me is the author’s attention to the setup of the table. How the table looks communicates to family and friends that they are important and that mealtime is something to look forward to, not just for the food but also for the pleasant atmosphere.
I hope that some of the ideas I have given you will help you prepare for your holidays. Making decorations that look nice and enhance your home and your table conveys that mealtime is a gracious and memorable event. I applaud your efforts to increase the enjoyment of family meals, eating together, and trying new foods and recipes. Have fun with your fall decorating, cooking, and eating.
Happy Holidays!
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