Mardi Gras – Geeky Girl Engineer

Mardi Gras Door Decoration

Posted on February 13, 2022 by geek

I’ve made several Mardi Gras table runners just by sewing simple strips, and I also made one table runner using a pattern I bought. Then I had some leftover fabric pieces as well as some fabric I really loved and wanted to use for something special. Also, I had found a really nice fleur de lis cross-stitch pattern while I was in New Orleans, and I wanted to use the cross-stitch for something special. So what to do? I decided to make a quilted piece to hang on my front door. Luckily, my front door is actually a set of double doors because my Mardi Gras wreath is hanging on the other door.

Finished piece hanging on my front door

The centerpiece of the piece is the cross-stitch for which I used Mardi Gras colors. This was a perfect place to display the cross-stitch.

Fleur de lis cross-stitch in Mardi Gras colors

Since I don’t live in New Orleans, I decided perhaps I need to make it completely clear what my decorations are for, so on the absolutely wonderful fabric by Dear Stella that I just love, I machine embroidered “Happy Mardi Gras.” I love the beads on a fence design, and with just a little work to get the spacing right, the white space allowed me to embroider the greeting.

Mardi Gras fabric with “Happy Mardi Gras” machine embroidered on it

Then I just used left over fabric from the table runners to complete the piece. This included the back, which is entirely composed of leftover fabric stitched together.

Back of Mardi Gras door decoration composed of leftover fabric

Mardi Gras Table Runner from Pattern

Posted on February 12, 2022 by geek

I previously made several Mardi Gras table runners using simple strips. These were really easy and a fun way to show off the wonderful fabrics I found. While shopping for Mardi Gras fabrics, I also found a pattern for a fun table runner or wall hanging using appliqués. It features king cake pieces, crowns, and plastic babies, so it is perfect. It was relatively easy, but with so many squares to put together, it is clear that my sewing still needs to improve as not all the corners met. Oh well, I will keep practicing. The pattern also called for prairie points, which I have never made before. I like the way they came out, and for the appropriate piece, they can be perfect like for this table runner.

King cake table runner

Close up of one side of king cake table runner

Closeup of middle area with appliqués of king cake and free motion quilting to decorate king cake

Close up of one side of king cake table runner

Mardi Gras Cross-Stitch

Posted on January 31, 2022 by geek

I made these last year, and I evidently forgot to post photos of them. I found some wonderful cross-stitch thread named appropriately Mardi Gras. The words are based on a font pattern that I found online. The rest of it is original. I drew a fleur di lis and masks on a grid and then created a cross-stitch pattern out of them. It is probably difficult to see in the photos, but for the stitched beaded necklaces, like Mardi Gras throws, I used seed beads to make them really look like beads. The one that says Happy Mardi Gras was originally the only one I was planning to make, but I had a bunch of the thread left over, and I really liked it, so I made another piece just to use the thread. I created a patted mat board with the finished pieces. I then hung them with Mardi Gras beads that I glued around the pieces. I love to decorate for Mardi Gras. It is just so much fun.

Cross-stitch pieces on padded mat board hung by Mardi Gras pieces

Two Mardi Gras cross-stitch pieces

Happy Mardi Gras cross-stitch

Cross stitch that says Laissez les bons temps rouler

Laissez les bons temps rouler cross-stitch

Mardi Gras Table Runner

Posted on January 30, 2022 by geek

I was able to spend a couple of days in New Orleans on my way back home from spending the holidays with relatives. One of the top things I wanted to do was find a fabric store with New Orleans theme fabric, especially for Mardi Gras. Outside of New Orleans, finding Mardi Gras anything really, can be difficult. I found a fantastic fabric shop on Magazine Street (a great shopping area if you are ever there) called Chateau Sew & Sew. They had so many wonderful Mardi Gras appropriate fabrics, and I went a little crazy. Anyway, I just made some simple table runners with standard 2.5 inch strips. I made one for me, my mom, and a few extra. I am thinking of trying to sell an extra on Etsy or something, just to recoup the cost of the fabric. They were so easy to make, and they are just so fun. I am so happy to finally have some Mardi Gras decorations inside my house. I did make a Mardi Gras door wreath and a couple of cross-stitch pieces, but still I needed more decorations.

They are, of course, mainly green, purple, and yellow, the colors of Mardi Gras. I found two different fabrics with fleur de lis, a constant symbol in New Orleans. I used the fabric with irises for a couple of reasons besides the colors. Louisiana iris is the state wildflower of Louisiana, but also my mom was in Krewe of Iris. In the below photo, the one of the right, is the one I made for me. I just love the fabric that looks like Mardi Gras beads, so I used that to border the rest of the strips. It makes the whole runner a bit wilder, but I love it. I also used several different green, purple, and yellow strips for the binding instead of one fabric for binding. That also makes it a bit wilder, but it is for me. Finally, for all of them, I used a programmed stitch in my sewing machine that I think looks like Mardi Gras beads for the quilting stitch.

Mardi Gras themed fabric sewed in simple strips to make table runners

Three of the Mardi Gras table runners

Mardi Gras themed fabric sewed in simple strips

Part of one of the Mardi Gras table runners

Part of the Mardi Gras table runners I made for me

Mardi Gras wreath

Posted on January 16, 2021 by geek

Half my family are from New Orleans, which means I have been to Mardi Gras many times. It also means I have pounds and pounds of Mardi Gras beads. Aside from bringing them out while holding a Mardi Gras party, I am not really sure what to do with them. I decided to make a wreath with some of them.

As a part of Christmas decorations, I had bought a greenery wreath. The greenery was attached to a metal ring that has prongs evenly spaced around the circumference. I opened up the prongs, so I could remove the greenery and compost them. Then I decided to repurpose the ring to serve as the base of the Mardi Gras wreath. The prongs worked perfectly to hangs the ends of the Mardi Gras beads. I then just kept the middle part of the bead necklaces between the prongs. I kept adding more and more beads to fill in the wreath.

Adding beads to metal wreath base

Once I had added plenty of beads and the wreath felt complete, I added a few necklaces that have the krewe’s medallion on them. I spaced those out so that they would hang evenly along the wreath. I also added three necklaces (gold, green, and purple because New Orleans Mardi Gras) to the top. Instead of wrapping them through the wreath, I placed them inside the top three prongs and pull the rest of the wreath, so they could be used as the wreath’s hanger. Finally I added a mask near the top. I used pliers to pull the metal prongs back together. I then used ribbon to wrap around the wreath at each prong location. I also wrapped the ribbon around the prongs as they did not close fully.

Then voilà, I have my finished Mardi Gras wreath. Laissez les bon temps rouler.

Mardi Gras wreath