(ARA) - This time of year, every store in the mall is bursting with holiday-themed items for your home, from decorations for the tree to towels for the powder room. How many times have you looked at something in the stores and thought "I could make that"?
Make this the year that you add some handmade touches to your holiday décor. Your local craft or fabric store is a great place to get ideas as well as the materials you'll need. While you may think you don't have time to be taking on more projects at this busy time of year, consider it "therapy." Working on a craft project provides you with some time to sit, relax and do something you enjoy as an antidote to all the hustle and bustle.
And you don't have to be an expert seamstress to make items that will become cherished family heirlooms. Here are some simple holiday ideas from the experts at Bernina.
* Embellishing store-bought table linens gives them a custom look. For example, a seasonal placemat can be embroidered to make it "Santa's cookie placement." Add a holiday image such as a candy cane or holly leaves to a plain napkin for a festive table setting. Table runners are another great way to dress up a holiday table. Add embroidery and even fun trims like beads, sequins or fringe to make it your own.
* Christmas stockings are a great project to make for or with kids. You can personalize them for each child by adding special touches like the recipient's name, and decorating the stocking based on their interests -- trains, ballet, soccer. Add crystals, fancy trim and more. These stockings will be cherished for years to come.
* Pillowcases and towels also lend themselves to embroidered embellishments. His and hers Mr. & Mrs. Claus pillowcases add a lighthearted touch to a guest room. Towels can be gussied up with monograms or holiday-themed art. Look for festive metallic thread to use for your embroidery to really make it pop.
Using a sewing machine to do the embellishing makes it even quicker and easier. State-of-the-art sewing machines like Bernina's aurora 440 go a step beyond mere embroidery and let you thread paint. The Bernina Stitch Regulator, (BSR) "reads" the fabric. When the fabric moves, the foot sensor is activated and the stitches are regular and consistent. This allows the sewer to draw, "thread paint," or just write their name across a piece of fabric with ease. This embroidery machine comes with Editor Lite software, which allows you to create and edit designs on your own PC screen; the software includes five alphabets and 65 designs.
By putting technology to work for you, you'll have time to make gifts as well as add handmade touches to your own home this season.
For more information on the Bernina aurora 440 or for project ideas, visit www.berninausa.com.
