Back in May, my friend A and her guy W moved into a tiny A-Frame in Big Sky, Montana. In August, we visited, and I had big plans to photograph all the delightful cleverness that goes into living in their 400 square-foot wilderness retreat, from the skis they've rigged up as narrow-but-useful kitchen shelves, to the display case they appropriated from a local shop to show off their own treasures. Alas, we spent our time fishing and river floating and camping and s'moring, and the shots didn't make it. I think a photo shoot is a pretty good excuse for a return visit, though, so hopefully that'll work out.

In any case, to both celebrate their new home and thank them for being the hosts with the mosts (truly - they showed us such hospitality and the best time ever), I wanted to make a couple little gifties. The ball got rolling when I spied, within a few days of one another, these pieces of fabric:

The first is a table runner from Ikea. I'm not sure what kind of fish it is, but I figured my friends would know; he's a fishing guide and fly fisher extraordinaire, which is why I chose this for him. The second piece was a couple yards of this kitchtastic blue from Goodwill. It felt very Montana...if potentially insensitive? I considered it before buying, and I have to say, to me, this fabric reads earnest. A sincere celebration, not a slight toward Native Americans. This is not the Washington football team, is what I'm saying.

So, I took it home, washed it and hemmed and hawed over what to do with it. I considered making throw pillows out of both, or some kind of wall hanging. The final solution was a bit of a combo: one throw pillow, and one piece of homey art.

For the pillow, I used my normal no-sew tableware-into-pillows technique (as seen here and here) and just adapted it to fit a table runner (which I cut to size) rather than napkins or placemats. Once the middle and one side were "sewn," I stuffed the pillow (with stuffing from an old worn out pillow - waste not, want not) and then hem-taped the next side.

Next, I turned my attention to my art. I cut a piece of fabric to fit a frame I had bought, choosing to highlight a galloping horse and howling wolf (and not, say, a displaced people).

I used these letter stencils as a guide, tracing inside of them with a silver Sharpie, which I find is easy to see on almost any background, but also easy to paint over. Using white latex paint and a small angled painter's brush, I filled in the letters. I wanted my letters to be filled in, not the traditional stencil look, so I just free handed the fill-in, as it were. Then I hand-lettered the sweet, painted over it in the same paint, with this result:

I used an 8" x 10" frame I found at Marshall's for $10 to frame it. I really like how it turned out - I think it's perfect for a couple who've fiercely embraced Montana as their home. Then I boxed it up with the pillow, the remaining fabric (I thought my friends may come up with something crafty to do with it) and a pretty candle, and shipped it off to Big Sky.

I think my friends really dig it, and I can't wait to see what they do with the extra fabric. I also think, as a general idea for a housewarming or hostess gift, this is so adaptable. Of course, throw pillows might strike some as weird (can't imagine why) but the unadulterated fish runner or dish towels would have perfectly suited this couple. And finding fabric or a scene that reflects a home or place and customizing it seems like a great way to give a host gift with slightly more meaning than a bottle of wine - for cheaper than a decent bottle of wine. (A & W, if you're reading this, disregard that part). I can picture the same Home Sweet Home over any city scape, local map or natural vista that speak to your hosts/new residents. Plus, it's appropriate even for tea-totallers. See how it's for the win?

Hope your Wednesday (and first day of October!) is going well. See ya soon!