Crafters - clever way to display holiday greeting cards?

[breeze]

Well, I'm back to taping cards on the shelves....sigh....
I'm NOT brilliant with these kind of ideas, you know...

[streetsoldier]

I haven't started yet...only have one from a Storm2K denizen, and TWO from the White House so far. Oh, yes; got one from our local Domino's Pizza, but that one doesn't count.

[Miss Mary]

In theory I could sew this quilt tonight. It wouldn't take much. I couldn't find wooden O rings so I'll settle for brass ones. Just have to buy them. We're already getting cards, so it could go into effect.

Trouble is it's cold!!! Brrrrr!!! I sew better during the day too.....

We keep our thermostat on 65 again to save on what I know will be, very high heating bills.

Well, anyway I'll let you all know if I make it. It's just a matter of sewing on the bias or quilting tape around the edges and then the rings. Heck, my fingers are cold, just typing!

Mary

[streetsoldier]

Under such circumstances, Miss Mary, it's good to remember....

"Many are cold, but few have frozen."

[Miss Mary]

Well, my hands warmed up! Last night I measured the quilted fabric, cut it, sewed the seam binding on it and voila, all it needs now are the O rings. I'm going with simple brass ones, that you'd use on curtain tiebacks. Found stretchy gold colored ribbon or string at the fabric store that will match the rings.

Hoping to have this hung by tonight.

Another option I realized when sewing was I could have chosen a xmas fabric backing and to finish the edges I could have sewn in cording. That might have looked nicer. My stitching on the binding isn't perfect. Hoping to hang a bunch of cards on this quilt, so you won't notice my minor flaws!

I'd take a picture but our iPhoto's are not on my browser. I'll try to work on that before the end of the year. And post a picture.

Mary

PS - speaking of lower thermostat temps from a previous post, I heard my sister-in-law keeps hers on 62, even when they're home. I'm about to raise ours, 65 is brutal in the evenings!

[weathermom]

I don't mind having the thermostat lower, I love sweaters! But my fingers and nose get cold!!

[O Town]

Wow Mary, glad to hear you dug deep and got the quilt done. Woo hoo! Yes I would love to see a picture with all the cards attached. Ya know even if you didn't put the cording in, you could always go back next year and add some other edging, just have to sew it on top instead of in the seam, but it would still look nice. Funny you say you sew better in the day, I seem to do alot of it at night, I guess it is because the kids are in bed and I seem to get more done and can think straight. Just got done hemming about 8 pair of jeans for the twins, they are in between sizes they need a bigger size over all except in the lenth. Joy.

You guys crack me up, you keep the thermosat on 62. Wow. We don't have central air and heat, but my mom keeps hers around 70-72. We have those ceramic oil filled heaters. They work okay, but right now I have on my p.j.'s and a robe and my hands and nose as weathmom said is cold. You guys will laugh but it's 50 outside now, and I am brrrrr, cold.

[Miss Mary]

Kelly - we keep our thermostat on 65, my sister-in-law is the one that keeps hers on 62. I heard of another family doing the same (62) and they had company over for Thanksgiving. Needless to say they did not raise the thermostat for company. That is one of my rules - we raise it to 68 for guests. Or even 70.

4 years ago we did this and our highest gas and electric bill was $380. My brother-in-law and wife who refused to lower their's below 72 (they had a 1 yr old then), had a whopping high bill of $760 or something. No lie.

So we'll stick with 65, so far we are making it. We have to get thru January yet!

To my quilt....it's done! I sewed 7 rings across, and put in 6 rows. I figure I can add a few more here or there. I was going to do one 7 ring row, then 6, then 7 and so forth. But keeping the rings even worked better. I sewed them on my machine with the buttonhole stitch. Went fast!

After I was done, I had another idea - I could have sewn on buttons, various sizes and colors. Or all the same. Then looped the ribbon tie around each button. Or for yet another, I could use gold safety pins and attach the card/ribbon loop on that way. As someone suggested, mini clothespins were another option.

Kelly - the reason I sew better during the day is b/c I'm an old fart.....LOL Between my 40th and 41st BD's, I needed reading glasses. My arms were not long enough! Couldn't read restaurant menu's, the phone book, etc. And after being up for 12+ hours, sewing is challenge. I joke I need a flashlight, to see anything....LOL

Mary

[O Town]

He he he. lol Mary. The thing about that quilt is over the years you could change things if you wanted, like the way you attach cards. I like the button idea, that would be kinda neat. It could evolve over the years. Anyway glad it's done, for now. I ended up hanging mine with push pins along this wood trim ledging( I think is for a plate display, I have pictures on it) that is only about 2 inches wide, and 4 feet long. The old home owners but up. It looks alright, but maybe I will think of something over the next few years.

[Miss Mary]

He he he. lol Mary. The thing about that quilt is over the years you could change things if you wanted, like the way you attach cards. I like the button idea, that would be kinda neat. It could evolve over the years. Anyway glad it's done, for now. I ended up hanging mine with push pins along this wood trim ledging( I think is for a plate display, I have pictures on it) that is only about 2 inches wide, and 4 feet long. The old home owners but up. It looks alright, but maybe I will think of something over the next few years.

Next year keep a hole punch near where this trim/plate edging is in your home. Put a hole in the same corner of each card, so they hang in a way you can glance up and see who each one is from. Take twine, ribbon, string, tinsel, anything you could loop thru the hole. Pre-tie these loops, about two or three inches long before tying into a knot. Then loop one thru each hole, back thru to form a new knot. Then attach them to your trim. There I'm stumped. You could still use push pins, inserting them before the cards arrive, so as each one comes, just hang another card. Because here in our house, they all seem to arrive after mid-December, you have little time then for tying ribbons, etc. Right now I have my supplies in a basket by the quilt, ready for the next batch. Nobody better take that hole punch! I tell ya.....LOL You could also attach faux green roping along this edge too. Once that's in place, you could hook each ribbon loop around one single piece of roping, bending it so the card stays up. I did that years ago on roping up and down our banister. Looked nice but it was up high and you couldn't read the names.

I wish I had made this quilt wider now. And with the buttons! Then I could have pre-tied my ribbon loops, putting them thru each card hole, re-tying for a new knot and then just hooking them over a button. I glanced at button prices at Hancock's - yikes! Very expensive. I'd watch for a sale at Wal-Mart, 100 buttons to a bag or something. That would be the only way. I'm still happy with how this turned out though - about 75% happy!

Mary

[Miss Mary]

Quilt update.....so what if all my decorating isn't quite finished yet. It will be.....LOL Anyway, I am glad I made this quilt a priority. Hubby has gone over a few times to see it and even has read cards. Used to be he saw 1/4 of our cards and read the notes people wrote us. So this year he's up to date.

One family publishes their own newsletter, to look professional. It's folded, like a business letter so when I hung it, you can't open it up. Now I wish I had sewn on buttons.

So my advice would be find a bin of cheap buttons at Wal-Mart, sew them on any old quilt, hang it and use that for your xmas quilt. That way you can keep taking the cards off and hang them back up.

We're having a xmas party next Friday and I just know someone is going to mess with this. Flipping the cards over or untying them! But that's okay....trick will be to make it to the mailbox hours before it starts and quickly hang ones that just arrived, in case guests' cards came that day.

Mary

[CajunMama]

Me thinks you need to post a picture of your quilt!!!!! Anyone second this idea?

[Miss Mary]

I wish.....I'm lousy at digital cameras and the computer. LOL But I'll try.....hubby will likely roll his eyes!!!

My college aged daugther came home, walked past it and stopped - hey, you made a....a.....xmas card quilt? I laughed how it became a question but Nina liked it......or she said she did!

Warning - you do get backed up, I'm about 10 cards behind that I need to tie on today. I know we'll get more today and tomorrow. Last week they trickled in. That's why if I had sewn buttons on, it would be a snap to hang them up.

I just might sew buttons on after xmas is over. I can easily snip the machine stitching, taking each ring off, sewing a button right back on the same spot. If I find the time....LOL

I was thinking you could do a card quilt for other occasions - baby/bridal showers (hanging engagement congrats cards too), or birthdays......trouble is most cards come the day of the party, with a gift but for one example, when my in-law's celebrated their 40th Anniv. we asked for cards or letters with funny, short stories or remembrances mentioned. I think my SIL's put them all into an album, and it sat on a table. But if you hung them on a wall, many could walk by and read them.

Hey, I should market this idea! If only it would be a money maker....

Mary

[O Town]

Me thinks you need to post a picture of your quilt!!!!! Anyone second this idea?

I have mentioned it several times mama.

Mary, My hubby would do that same eye roll if it were me. Have one of your children post it. And defintley put on the buttons, but you really don't have to do it till next year, or just leave the quilt out after Christmas and do it sometime between now and next year. Seems like it would make getting the cards up alot easier, and like you said earlier you could take them on and off easliy.

[Miss Mary]

Also, I'm thinking people will want to take cards down and read them. Now they can't. Since we're hosting a party this Friday, I've been displaying people invited and likely to come, in prominent places.

And get this, my BIL Jay, who's disabled, doesn't always think clearly now. Which is very sad, I'm just stating a fact (stroke). He mailed out his xmas cards long before Thanksgiving. I think they went out the first week of November. And can I find his card - NO! I know he's going to expect it in the first left hand spot, kicking off the whole display. I keep looking and looking.....oh well.

Mary

[breeze]

Mary, tell him that it was SO precious, you've locked it away
in your bank box....

Now you know why my family looks at me strangely....

[Miss Mary]

Annette - that's cute, thanks for the suggestion. However.....

~we found the first xmas card of the season~!!!

I had to bump the first displayed card.....now let's see if he notices. If he does, he may send out these cards in October! He's nutty that way....

Mary

[Miss Mary]

Okay, either I'm delirious from all the holiday goings on or I'm just really ambitious. But I'm considering buying buttons today and switching this quilt around, for 2006. My question for you crafters is.....would you sew the same button on, over and over......or would it look more interesting to use different types? I'm hoping to find a bucket of buttons, say at Wal-Mart before I buy individual ones on button cards at Hancock's - that would be too expensive.

Of course I could always steal from my kids former Elem T shirt, when I stitched 100 buttons on it, in the shape of the number 100, for a big celebration then - the 100th day of school! It's packed away somewhere.......I was always hoping my niece who's in K now there, would want to borrow it.

Mary

[O Town]

You can't steal the buttons off those shirts, that was hard work I am sure. lol. Not sure what kind of buttons I would use. Are you planning on plastic, or metal? Metal seems like different ones would look good, but if you are going with plastic, all the same color, or alternate green and red. I did not think the plastic ones were too expensive. I guess it's personal taste to what you want though. You could do different sizes too. But for some reason I see plastic buttons all the same size and color. It's a good idea to get this done now before it gets packed away, and before next season when it gets all hectic again. Now you have as much time as you need, no stress. I really think the buttons are a better choice than the rings for convience reasons though, so go for it!

[Miss Mary]

You can't steal the buttons off those shirts, that was hard work I am sure. lol. Not sure what kind of buttons I would use. Are you planning on plastic, or metal? Metal seems like different ones would look good, but if you are going with plastic, all the same color, or alternate green and red. I did not think the plastic ones were too expensive. I guess it's personal taste to what you want though. You could do different sizes too. But for some reason I see plastic buttons all the same size and color. It's a good idea to get this done now before it gets backed away, and before next season when it gets all hectic again. Now you have as much time as you need, no stress. I really think the buttons are a better choice than the rings for convience reasons though, so go for it!

That's what I thought - get it done now. It's not as if I have anything else to do.....not!!! Oh I could pack away xmas stuff, or clean well again (it's been a week!), he he. But if I find myself at Wal-Mart today, I may see what they have.

Actually I envisioned wooden buttons. And then twine for the loops. I could even precut the loops now, have 60 or so ready in a zip lock. That would be very useful for next year!

No I wouldn't steal the buttons off that shirt....LOL But I do have it packed away somewhere......they were a hodge podge of old buttons, some dating back to when I was a kid! My mom gave me her old button tin, and I used some of them for this shirt. I think one of my girls got her picture in the yearbook with it on!

Mary