Appliqué Christmas Stocking

Thanksgiving is here and gone and now the hustle and bustle begins in earnest. Have you been checking your list, and checking it twice, only to realize your list of ‘to dos’ is rather longer than time allows for a few more homemade gifts? Have heart, here’s an idea for a hand stitched, appliquéd Christmas stocking you can whip up in no time at all! The idea came from Carol, a friend, who e-mailed me for some sewing advice. She had some cut out quilt pieces from her mother she wanted to add to a ready made stocking-what a great way to use the pieces and create a keepsake!

Materials:

• One purchased ready made (plain) stocking
• Fabric quilt pieces-cut in shapes (you can cut some if no left-over pieces are available)
• Embroidery floss or other decorative sewing thread
• Buttons, charms, ribbon, Christmas decorations, or any other embellishments
• Stitch witchery, Heat n Bond, or other fusible material compatible with your fabrics
• Scissors
• Needle

Instruction 1:

• Iron the fusible material to the quilt pieces
• Iron the fused fabric pieces to the stocking in a desired design
• Stitch around each piece with a blanket stitch or other decorative stitch
• Attach embellishments

Instruction 2:

• Arrange the cut quilt pieces overlapping on the plain stocking base-attach using the crazy quilt technique
• Use decorative embroidery stitches to attach and accent
• Add embellishments

For both techniques cover as much or as little of the stocking as desired. Another idea to personalize the stocking is to use a picture transferred to fabric as one or more of the fabric cut outs sewn to the stocking.

Carol said she loves the idea that she can pass along a little something from her mother to her grandson. She plans to add something to her grandson’s stocking from her mother-in-law so she can call it a “great-grandmother” stocking. A friend suggested to Carol that she use one of the heart cut outs to make a pocket on the back of the stocking-and then add a note telling about this special Christmas stocking.

I am sure once you get started on this project you will come up with lots of good ideas and ways to use the bits and piece in your sewing basket. And in the process you will be creating a keepsake to be cherished for generations to come.