Get a Holiday Head Start in July

When I was in high school, my best friend’s mom threw a Christmas-in-July party every year. I loved that party. We would decorate the tree, eat cookies, and, best of all, my friend and I would make each other a present. I’m sure this will come as no surprise, but making the gift was often my favorite part. One year, at the height of our Marilyn Monroe obsession (we were theater kids! It was the 00s!), I found a plain wooden cigar box and decoupaged it with pictures of Marilyn, then covered it in glitter and rhinestones. It was a thing of beauty to my 16-year-old heart.

I bring this up because these parties instilled in me two things: You can always find a reason to throw a party if you really want to, and it really and truly does not hurt to start thinking about holiday presents in July. As a weaver, this is especially important because while we have many weave-it-in-a-weekend projects in the pages of Easy Weaving with Little Looms, if you need to find 5 or 6 of those projects to weave in time for the holidays, the projects feel less “quick-and-easy” and more tedious.

Beautiful towels like the Red Brick Road Towels by Regina McInnes would make cooking Thankgiving dinner at least 10 percent less stressful, we're sure of it.

So consider this a reminder. If you want to weave some beautiful towels or table linens for Thanksgiving, start looking at projects and yarns now. There’s a good chance it’s just silly hot where you live, so it’s the perfect time to stay inside and weave. That way, once the beautiful weather in October hits, you won’t feel guilty and can enjoy the outdoors. The same goes for all your gift-giving weaving that needs to be done. Start on things now. A scarf here, a set of towels there. Come December, you’ll be ready to go and can relax ... well, at least as far as gift-giving is concerned.

With only a slight modification, Alison Irwin's Touch of Turquoise bracelets can become spectacular napking rings.

As for me, I’m looking at the Fall 2024 issue and getting some serious inspiration for my Thanksgiving table. Jennifer Kwong’s incredible Harvest Festival Runner would be a showstopper centerpiece for sure, and it’s a cinch to weave. Pair it with Regina McInnes’s Red Brick Road Towels, and you’re good to go. Alison Irwin’s Touch of Turquoise bracelets could easily be redone as napkin rings, so if you’re a bandweaving fiend like me, you should consider those for your table as well. And of course, I can’t forget Deb Bagley’s Pin-Loom Pumpkin Patch. Put all those projects together and you’ve got yourself a gorgeous tablescape.

I don’t know about you, but now I’m just full of ideas for things to weave. So as I relax with my loom, I can weave up projects for, and daydream about, the cooler days yet to come.

Happy Weaving,

Christina