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Party Time with American Beauty by Dani Mogstad
Welcome to the excitement of the 4th of July! As we prepare to fire up the BBQs and take a refreshing dip in the pool, there’s no better way to accessorize your holiday celebration than with American Beauty by Dani Mogstad for Riley Blake. I’m Alexis Plunkett of @StitchedbyAlexis, a quilter and photographer from Southern California, here to add that extra punch of holiday pizzazz to your next gathering.
Join me as we explore a range of festive projects, including a reversible star table runner, versatile dinner napkins perfect for any occasion, and a stylish string quilt pillow cover. Whether you’re hosting a casual cookout or a formal dinner, these creations will elevate your decor with patriotic flair.
Grab a seat and get ready to be inspired as I share these delightful makes and gorgeous fabrics with you. Let’s make this 4th of July celebration one to remember!
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Star Table Runner
Oh, the Ohio Star…
Star blocks tug at my heartstrings, and incorporating them into a table runner adds an extra layer of charm, perfect for dressing up for parties and holidays.
This ‘Star Table Runner’ by A Spoon Full of Sugar is versatile for any occasion. Its dimensions, at 13 1/4 inches wide by 38 3/4 inches long, make it suitable for standard square, round, oval, or circular tables, as well as entryway or party tables.
I opted for a uniform look by replicating all three blocks instead of going for a scrappy feel and quilted it with a timeless 1 inch wide straight line in white. The fabrics work so well together and are super classy with their deep blues and rich reds. Below is a list of the American Beauty fabrics I used:
- Background (table runner): American Beauty Tonal Navy
- Binding: American Beauty Burst Red
- Star Background: Confetti Cottons Riley White
- Backing: American Beauty Main White
- Center star: American Beauty Floral White
- Center star outside: American Beauty Geo Navy
- Outside star: American Beauty Tonal Red
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And guess what’?! it’s reversible! With the large floral print, you can easily flip it over for a different look, or to hide any accidental ketchup spills from your party.
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Dinner Napkin
Have you used a napkin for something other than a napkin? Say decor? Napkins are a great cost effective way to add color and texture to an otherwise boring tablescape.
Here are ideas on how you can use a napkin for decor:
- Fluffed in a ball jar or champagne flute on a tablescape
- Lined in a basket to serve cookies, muffins, chips, BBQ buns or biscuits
- Folded to strategically hold utensils. Tutorial found HERE.
Utilizing scrap leftover from my projects I crafted a napkin using a 17 inch square in a matter of minutes. The tutorial can be found HERE.
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String Quilt Pillow Cover
String quilts are a fantastic method for utilizing fabric scraps and packing a visual punch. With relatively little planning, I grabbed my American Beauty scraps, a few pieces of Riley White Confetti Cotton fabric, a ruler, and made a 4th of July string quilt pillow cover.
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For your project, I followed THIS tutorial and changed up the dimensions to fit my pillow insert. See below:
- White squares: 9.5 inches
- Backing pieces: (2) 13.25 x 18.8 inches
- Binding: (3) strips measuring 2.25 inches wide by the width of fabric (WOF)
- White strips: 1 ½ inch strips
Notes:
- ¼ seam allowance
- I hand stitched the binding to the reverse
- 20×20 down filled pillow form used
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The results of these 3 mini projects with American Beauty collection are adorable and perfect for your next 4th of July gathering. If you want more mini projects like these, be sure to follow @StitchedByAlexis on Instagram and sign up for our newsletter for the latest releases.
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2 Comments
Zaineb
Fantastic blog post! I especially liked the festive, double-sided table runner. I also liked all the beautiful photos. Thank you for sharing.
Brenda J Keene
I love the fabric, it would be beautiful in other decor as well as patriotic decor. The blues are so pretty! The patterns in each piece are so unique!