Names on Stockings

   

     In our family as the children were born I made them each a stocking to hang by the fireplace.  As they have grown and married they now have their own homes but I still like to hang a stocking for them at our house.  My daughter wanted the stocking I had made for her as a baby at her house along with the ones I made for her husband and son.  She went out after Christmas and bought some ready made stockings for next to nothing.  Then it was just left to me to put on their names.  I decided to do it right away so I could pack away the stockings as a finished project and not have to worry about them next year.

Name templates

     The first thing I did was to create the names with my software.  I then printed out templates of the names to ensure proper placement.  I opened up the first two stockings at the seams to make it easier to stitch.

Name in place

Markings done

     I placed the template on the stocking and then drew the registration lines with a disappearing marker.

Name in place

Markings done

     Then it was just a matter of hooping some sticky backed stabilizer and placing the stocking on it with the lines matching the marks on the hoop.  I floated a piece of heavy cut-away stabilizer under the stocking after attaching it to the machine.  I stitched the names, cut away the heavy stabilizer and then carefully tore the stocking away from the sticky paper.  Stitched back up the sides and they were ready to go.

     The last stocking proved to be more difficult.  It had decorative stitching all around so I couldn't just undo the seams.  For that one I used the under-the-hoop method for stitching.

Name in place

Marking a window for embroidery

     First I again determined the placement for the name.  I had to use pins and a white chalk marker  for this one because the pen would not show up on the black.  Then I used the template to trace a hole in the heavy weight stabilizer that I had hooped.

Window cut in stabilizer

Wonder Tape on back of stabilizer

     I cut out the window and then turned the hoop over and applied some Wonder Tape to the back edges.  I then lined up my marks on the hoop with the marks on the stocking and pressed the hoop onto the stocking.  I added 4 pins for security and then attached the frame to the machine.

All lined up and ready for pins

Stitching out  under the hoop

     When placing the frame on the machine I made sure that the back of the stocking was under the arm with the bobbin.  Again I placed a piece of the heavy cut-away stabilizer under the stocking front and stitched out the name.  I just had to remove the pins and trim the stabilizer from the back and his stocking was ready to go.

…and the stockings were hung by the chimney with care

     It was a bit of work to get everything just right but don't they look great?  They are all ready now to be filled next year.