Good Things
PAGE 28WOVEN TRIVET
Supplies
Steel wire
Wire cutters
Twist rope
Craft glue- Cut a ring of wire (it comes in
a coil) for each trivet you want to
make. (Large trivets should be
7 inches in diameter, with ends over-
lapping 1 inch; small trivets should
be 5 inches in diameter, with ends
overlapping 1 inch.) - Cut proper length of twist rope
for each trivet: 3 yards for large,
2 yards for small. - Do a cow-hitch stitch around
ring: Fold rope in half, with one
end long and the other short. Place
it under wire, with folded part at
bottom and ends on top. - Bring both ends over wire ring
and pass them under folded area,
then pull to tighten. Bring long end
under wire ring, then back over
ring and through the loop formed;
pull to tighten (as shown, above).
Repeat all the way around ring. - Secure rope with an overhand
knot and tuck ends into knots on
each side. Secure with dabs of glue.
Sources
Galvanized steel wire, 14 gauge, $8
for 100 ft., homedepot.com. Imported
fine metallic twist, 5 mm, $4 a yd.,
mjtrim.com.A Grateful Spread
PAGE 114BLOCK-PRINTED TEXTILESSupplies
Paper towels
Foam sheet
Prewashed muslin fabric
Tex tile paint
Paper plate
Sponge
Woodblock
Iron and ironing board- Lay a paper towel on top of foam
sheet (it will give a little when you
print). Lay muslin on top; smooth
out any wrinkles. - Pour some paint on plate. Dab
sponge in paint; smooth evenly
onto block. Practice pressing block
onto a scrap piece of fabric, until
you feel comfortable with the pres-
sure you need to apply and the
amount of paint you need to use. - Press block straight down and
evenly onto fabric without wiggling
or moving it, then lift straight up. - Add more paint; continue print-
ing until fabric is covered with a
pattern. (Don’t worry about making
it perfectly uniform.) - Let fabric dry completely, then
iron other side to set. To clean
blocks, scrub under running water
with a brush.
Sources
Foam printing mat, $4; wooden print-
ing blocks, from $8 each; and trans-
parent textile paints, in Colonial Gold,
Indigo, and Blue, $3.25 for 2 oz.;
artisticartifacts.com. Muslin, $5 a yd.,
bandjfabrics.com.THANKSGIVING BOUGH
Supplies
Four sturdy branches,
such as eucalyptus
Floral wire
Wire cutters
Dried branches and
stalks, such as millet,
Echinops flowers,
blackberries,
and centaurea pods
Velvet ribbon
Floral shears
Hot- glue gun
Colored decorative
twine- Lay sturdy branches on a
work surface, in the general shape
you want your bough to take.
(We started with a wide X.) Secure
with wire. - Add next-heaviest pieces;
secure with more wire. Tie velvet
ribbon to center of structure and
hang on the wall. - Continue to tuck smaller stalks
and twigs between base branches,
trimming them and hot-gluing
and wiring them on as needed.
(Echinops flowers are great for
filling in bare branches—attach
them directly with hot glue.) - Gather smallest plants in
bunches and attach with twine.
Continue until you’re happy with
your arrangement.
Sources
Dried ‘Purple Majesty’ millet, $8 a
bunch; dried spray millet, $10 a bunch;
dried rattail millet, $9 a bunch;
dried Echinops flowers, $9 a bunch;
and dried centaurea pods, $3 a
bunch, drieddecor.com.DIPPED CANDLESSupplies
Beeswax pellets
Empty soup can,
washed
Wax dye
Wooden stick
Taper c andles- Place beeswax pellets in can.
Place can inside a small pot filled
halfway with simmering water;
let pellets slowly melt until fully
liquefied and depth of wax is
equivalent to length of candle
sections you want to dip. - Add wax dye; let melt slowly,
testing color with stick until it’s the
shade you want. - One at a time, slowly dip candles
into can, holding each straight
in melted wax and then pulling
straight up and out. - Hold each candle until wax is dry
to the touch; carefully lay on a pa-
per towel. Let harden completely.
Sources
100 percent natural beeswax pellets,
$10 for 1 lb.; and dye block, in Blue,
$3.25 for 2.5 oz., yaley.com. Green-
tree Home Candle Natural Church
candles, $30 for 2, abchome.com.CHELSEA CAVANAUGH (TRIVET); BRYAN GARDNER (OTHERS)148
THE HANDBOOK How-tos