The B Farm : 4th of July

Happy July 4th week to all from the B Farm! I managed to get quite a bit done from my project list last week. I didn't finish everything but I got the major projects done that needed to be completed by the weekend so I feel good about that. And the mantel is finally decorated for the 4th/Summer. I added a few red flowers to the flower arrangements, the chippy star, a raggie star garland, Uncle Sam made from a piece of fence picket, and the lantern filled with starfish.

Uncle Sam was made from a piece of fence picket with a strip of wood for hat band glued on then painted. Easy!

One of my projects from last week was making a raggie star garland for the fireplace mantel. I used the technique from raggie quilts - easy to do. I like the way it turned out too.

To begin with, I got 4 different cotton fabrics - 2 reds and 2 blues. I got 1/4 yard of each except for the stripe and I got 1/2 yard of it. You also need some osnaburg fabric - I had some left over from a raggie quilt I'd already made. You can find it with the muslin and other utility fabrics. It frays well.

Next, you cut your star shapes ( I made a template from a piece of cardboard ) - you will need a piece of osnaburg and a front and back of your cotton fabric for each star. I cut out 3 striped stars ( 9 pieces ), 2 dark blue (4 pieces), 2 red floral (4 pieces) , and 2 light blue (4 pieces) and 9 osnaburg stars. Then you layer the stars together - 2 cotton stars, right sides out, with one osnaburg star in the middle. Sew each star with a 1/2" seam allowance. You will then snip each seam allowance 1/4" to 1/2" apart, being careful not to snip the thread. You can see the stitching on the red star below:

Wash the stars then dry them. This causes the edges to fray and rag. Poke a hole in the arms of each star and tie together with twine. Hang and enjoy!