When Christmas time gets near, we wonder what more can we do to decorate our home. What more can we do to welcome this festive season into our home. We all like to do something nice for Christmas. This festive day comes only once a year and most of us do the best we can to make the most special day of the year. There are many ways that we can do to make this memorable, but most importantly it’s the best to get as involved as we can in this festivity.
Some of the Christmas Stockings are made of cross stitch where it is made by using an old needlepoint art technique out of cross stitch fabric, specialty fabrics and several embroidery flosses. Your cross stitch Christmas stockings can be designed traditionally with full sized pieces especially for hanging it on your mantle or it can even be a miniature size just like ornaments as well as gift card holders and it can be created using fibers like rayon, wool or sparkly nylon. As for the embroidery floss type, which normally uses cotton and has a certain pattern known as the basic 6-strand floss. The colors of the fabrics depend on your own choices, but generally during Christmas the common colors being used are ivory or white, black, red and green.
What you need to do:
- Colonial Blue Aida 14 cloth
- DMC embroidery flosses
- Tapestry needle
- Small scissors
- Embroidery hoop
- Blue moire faille fabric
- Light blue cotton fabric
- Gold lame
- 3/16-inch-diameter cotton cord
- Sewing thread (for stocking)
- White Aida 11 fabric
- DMC embroidery flosses
- Red fabric (for tree skirt)
- White fabric (for tree skirt)
Christmas Stockings
Method:
- Firstly you have to find the center of your cross stitch fabric, mark it temporarily using short length thread and then find its center design pattern. Next, you have to count how many stitches are needed from the edge of the pattern to its center. After that, you need to count down from the center right down to its bottom edge of your pattern.
- Once you finish doing that, you can choose the letters that you need from the alphabet pattern and center them right on the baseline just above your main design and each of the letter should be 9 stitches high and 8 stitches wide. Then you can start stitching the pattern and your recipient’s name on your cross stitch fabric.
- For your next step, you need to stitch running stitches by using sewing thread right around the outer edge of the design and allow an extra 1/8 inch past the design at its top edge before you trim the fabric 1/2 inch past the running stitches.
- Then, you have to place your design fabric onto the blue moire faille. This is used as a pattern enabling you to cut out a stocking back and make sure to cut two lining pieces from your light blue cotton fabric.
- Once finished, you have to cut and piece the lame into a 2-inch by 40-1/2-inch bias strip and this strip along with the cotton cord are used to make a piping. Then, trim the seam allowance to at least 1/2 inch length.
- After that, line up the raw edges of the piping and the design fabric before you baste the piping to the right side of the design fabric along both sides and the foot.
- Next, you must position the stocking back and design piece with its right sides together. Then, sew the stocking back onto the design piece and leave its top open. When you finish doing that, clip the curves and turn the stocking right side out.
- Take the remaining faille in order to cut a 1-1/2 by 5-inch bias strip before you start to fold the strip in half and then sew the long edge. Next, you need to trim the seam to 1/4 inch and turn the right side out before pressing it.
- After that, fold the hanger into half and sew it to the right side of your stocking back, adjoining the piping and ensure its edges are even.
- Then you need to sew the lining pieces together along the length of both its sides and foot, but make sure to leave a 5-inch opening on one side. The seam allowance also needs to be trimmed to 1/4 inch and clip the curves.
- Finally, you have to slide your stocking unit into the lining with both of its right sides facing one another and the top edge have to be sewn together. Besides that, you need to trim the seam and turn; and not to forget to use a needle and sewing thread enabling you to slip-stitch the opening closed.
Additional Reading:
Donna Kooler’s Second Edition Stocking Collection
