Christmas Stockings

Finished stockings

     It is really fun to have personalized stockings hanging on your mantle at Christmas time.  Sometimes the stockings present some challenges.

Unstitched name

     A client had started to remove the name of one person so another name could be put on instead.  She quickly found out it wasn't easy so I finished it up but it did leave a few small holes.  Client said that didn't bother her.

Hoop ready for stocking

     The other challenge was that I wasn't going to be able to hoop them in the traditional manner.  A lot of times I can undo some stitching but that wasn't going to work here.  I hooped a piece of heavy weight stabilizer and cut a window in it.  Then I pinned the stocking underneath and stitched it that way.  Worked just fine.  Now is the time of year to be thinking about these kinds of projects.

Blackhawks Quilt

Chicago Blackhawks t-shirt quilt

     My niece is heading up to Wisconsin for school and wanted a t-shirt quilt to reflect her love of the Chicago Blackhawks.  Normally when I do t-shirt quilts, I cut the shirts into 13 x 13 squares.  However when I laid it out on these t-shirts, we would be cutting off the name or chopping the number in half.

Putting it together

     I measured the tallest design and cut all the t-shirts that length.  Then using the photo she had sent of the layout she wanted, I cut the widest.  For each column, I found the widest one and then cut the rest to that width.  This allowed me to keep it from getting too wide.

Center of quilt with the championship shirts

     I did have to add some to a couple of the shirts in places, because the shirts were smaller.  I interfaced them before cutting to size and then sewed them together.  Bought some red fleece at JoAnns and placed the top and fleece right sides together.  Sewed around leaving an opening and then turned right side out.  Stitched around the outer edge to close up the opening and also keep the fleece from coming to the front.  Then some 'stitch-in-the-ditch' at the intersections and it was good to go.

     It did take a little more time figuring out what the sizes needed to be but it was worth it in the end. She was thrilled with it.

Lake County Fair 2019

Tiger costume

     This year I was able to participate in our county fair.  The past few years I have either been gone during the drop-off time or the pickup day.  I entered 19 items in different categories in the textile division.  So excited that they all won a ribbon.
     The first one pictured is the tiger costume I made for my grandson.  That year I made four costumes the whole family could go as tigers.  So excited that this one won a grand champion.

Pillows

     Next up are various pillows I have made.  The first one is from my dad's flannel shirt.  I wore it for many years after he died but then decided it would get more use as a pillow.  The striped one is for our front porch rockers while the other two are from fabric left over after making valances for my mom.

Christmas items

     Christmas around here always means lots of sewing.  The top one is a pair of pajamas I decorated for one of the grandkids.  The denim stocking below is made from a pair of my husband's jeans for our grandson's first Christmas.  The other stocking is for our daughter-in-law using a readymade stocking.

Outdoor dining

     These items are from our outdoor dining, placemats, napkins and a tablecloth.  I like having an outdoor space as coordinated as an indoor space.

Clothing

     Here are the clothing items I submitted.  The first is my granddaughter's Easter dress and the other two are mine, a swing dress from a pretty teal knit fabric and a top from a crushed stretch velvet.

Blankets

     Here are a couple of blankets/quilts.  The top one is the one I made for our youngest grandson when he was born and the other is a receiving blanket that I made to give as a gift.

Pillowcase, apron and tote

     Lastly here are a few miscellaneous items, a pillowcase, an apron made from jeans and a tote.

     I hoped you enjoyed seeing these things, not sure I will be able to do the fair next year as I think we will be on vacation with the whole family at around that time.