Christmas is Coming! Stockings were made.

Another sewing weekend and it was glorious! TWO finished WIPs (work in progress). My list of WIPs is dwindling as the new year approaches. Well, not really, I'm just getting all of the little projects out of the way for that king size swoon that is waiting in the wings.

 

 

Just after Thanksgiving I fell in to the Christmas spirit! I figured stockings for my in-law's place was the perfect Christmas project this year. We decided not to do a tree since we are traveling so much for the holidays so a some Christmas fabric was really needed to make it feel like winter.

 

As you can see, even these little stockings had the cat trying to squeeze on to the fabric while quilting the fronts.

 

 

How is that even comfortable?!

 

I embroidered our names on the front cuffs and gave us each a snowflake, of which no two are alike, so I kept with the spirit and made them slightly different. You can't really tell from these pictures.

 

The backings of both stockings are both that deep blue snowflake material (my favorite). I hand drew the patterns directly onto batting and only had to seam rip them apart twice since I wasn't working with a pattern.

Figuring out how to get the insides, right sides together, and the outsides, wrong side together plus a cuff right side out but not sewn in with no seam at the top was HARD. I struggled through it with the first one and just took things wicked slow, but I figured it out!!! SO thrilled.

 

With finished stockings I turned back to the mermaid quilt. I couldn't really decide on a quilting pattern for it so I went with a tiny meandering stitch which ate a lot of thread but has really textured the quilt. All the little mermaids pop out of the quilt as I didn't sew over them but framed them.

 

 

It was a trying process trying to keep Neti from playing with the safety pins, her main bad quilting habit. I think I forcefully shoo'd her away from the quilt at least fives times and got hissed at in the process. She was not a happy cat.

 

Finally finished quilting I laid it out to trim the edges and allowed her to roll on it for awhile. She was appeased and allowed watched me finish binding and tagging it.

Done! It was too dark to get good pics of the finished product. Pictures soon. Goals for this weekend? Not a quilt, but a dress. SO out of my comfort zone. I've been calling the sister for advice. Maybe I should just make her make it for me at Christmas. Hmm...

Happy Crafting!