Hung by the chimney with care (Part 2)

You've seen our basic stocking pattern. Here are a few variations we think you'll love!

2. Wonky Pieced Stocking pattern

You will need:
(2) 12" x 20" pieces of batting
4-5 Christmas-themed fat quarters or fabric scraps to piece the stocking front (and back, if desired) Prints shown here are from the Santa's Workshop and Christmas 2012 collections, as well as the Marblehead collection.
3/4 yard of a Christmas-themed print for the lining
Basic sewing supplies

To piece the stocking front:
This stocking front uses batting as a foundation, and the strips are pieced directly onto it. Lay out a 12" x 20" piece of batting and cut your first two strips of fabric. Strips can range in width from as narrow as 1" to as wide as 4" and should measure about 12" long. Lay out the first strip near the bottom of the batting piece.

Lay the second strip on top, matching raw edges, with right sides together. Stitch using a 1/4" seam allowance.

Press the second strip up so it looks like this: 

Now it's time to trim the second trip on a wonky angle. There are two ways to do this. You can flip the entire piece upside down and fold back the batting, as shown below. Position your ruler on a slight angle and trim ONLY the fabric strip just added. 

Or, the second option is to leave the piece right side up and fold the batting away from under the just added strip. This way you can trim your strip while seeing the angles and widths of the strips below. The important part is to make sure you DON'T trim the batting too. 

Here's an example of a wonkily trimmed strip. TIP: If your chosen fabrics have some busy prints, try mixing them with something calmer, like our Marblehead prints (see lime green below).

Whichever method you choose, after you've trimmed the strip, fold the batting back up and position your next strip against the raw edge of your trimmed strip. Repeat to add strips the entire length of the batting. Vary strip width and angle of wonky trimming for added interest.

You don't have to quilt the finished stocking top; the foundation method means that it is quilted already. But a nice finishing touch is to choose a contrasting thread color and topstitch 1/4" on both sides of each seam line.

Note: If you prefer not to do wonky piecing, use strips cut to the width you desire, and no trimming is necessary!

Layer the stocking template on your pieced stocking front and cut out out. You can either repeat for your stocking back, or just use a single piece of fabric, backed with batting. Follow the directions for our basic pattern to complete the stocking. 

Note: Be sure that your stocking back, whether it's pieced or not, is a mirror image of your stocking front. 

3. Diagonally "Pieced" Stocking

Using the Marblehead Metallic Xmas stripe creates the look of stripes without the work!

You will need:
(2) 12" x 20" pieces of batting

1 yard of Marblehead Metallic Xmas stripe

3/4 yard of a Marblehead Metallic Xmas print for the lining

Gold thread

Basic sewing supplies

To piece the stocking front:

Position the stocking template on the stripe, with the stripes running on a diagonal as shown. 

  

Cut a loose shape around the stocking. Back this rectangle with batting, baste, and quilt along the diagonal lines. This helps create the illusion of piecing! Tip: Use gold thread to match the lines on the fabric. It doesn't have to be metallic, though--a gold colored thread works just fine and is easier than metallic!

Position the stocking shape on the quilted fabric and cut out.

Repeat for the the back side, making sure the stripe are oriented correctly and the stocking shape is a mirror image of the stocking front. 

Follow the directions for our basic pattern to complete the stocking. 

And one more variation we're providing for inspiration:
4. Checkerboard "Pieced" Stocking

You will need:
(2) 12" x 20" pieces of batting

3/4 yard of Marblehead Metallic Xmas stripe

3/4 yard of a Marblehead Metallic Xmas print for the lining

Gold thread

Basic sewing supplies

We'll just get you started with this one...

Cut 3" wide strips ACROSS the stripe.

You'll need strips of 6 squares each, but don't cut yet! Lay out your first row, and then position the remaining fabric below to make sure your have a fairly even distribution of color. Trim off extra squares.

Continue adding 6-square strips until you have 12-13 rows. Piece the rows together to create a checkerboard look, and then follow the directions for the diagonal stocking above--layer with batting, baste, and quilt on real and "faux" seam lines. 

Have fun! 

If you make one of these stockings, we'd love to see it! Send a photo to fabriquiltblog (at) gmail.com

And...we hope Santa fills your stockings with something besides coal!

Hung by the chimney with care... (tutorial)

The stockings, that is!

If making stockings is one of the unchecked things on your to-do list, we're here to help! 
Today's tutorial is a basic stocking design with a fold over cuff, and then we'll show you a few alternatives for adding a bit more detail. (Finished stocking size: approximately 10" across toe x 22")

Click here to download the stocking template. It will print out on three pieces of paper, and you'll need to cut it out and tape the pieces together as directed on the template itself. If you have a stocking around the house, you can just trace that if you prefer. 

1. Basic Stocking Pattern 

You will need:
3/4 yard each of two different Christmas themed prints (1 for outer stocking; 1 for lining)
Prints shown here are from the Santa's Workshop and Christmas 2012 collections.
Interfacing or batting (optional)
Basic sewing supplies

To make the stocking:

Fold the outer stocking print piece in half, wrong sides together. If the fabric features a directional print (this one does), make sure it is oriented correctly. Position the stocking template on top and pin in place. Cut out around the shape, leaving a 1/4" (or slightly more) seam allowance to create a generous stocking. **Note: If you choose to cut the front and back stocking pieces separately, make sure they are mirror images of each other.**

Repeat for the lining fabric. **Note: If your lining fabric is directional, orient the template so that the fabric design is upside down. This will make the fabric on the cuff right side up when you fold it over.**

**Note: To create a sturdier stocking, you can also cut two stocking shapes out of interfacing or batting. Pin or baste to the wrong side of each outer stocking piece and continue with the next step.**

Place the two outer stocking pieces right sides together and stitch along the sides and bottom with a 1/4" seam allowance, leaving the top edge open. 

Repeat with the two lining pieces, but leave a 4" opening at the bottom for turning.

Clip the seam allowance in curved areas to help create a smooth curve after turning.

Turn the outer stocking right side out. Stuff the outer stocking inside the lining, right sides facing. Line up the top raw edges, and align the side seams. 

Pin the raw edges together.

Stitch around the top edge using a 1/4" seam allowance. 

Turn the stocking right side out through the opening in the lining and sew the opening closed. 

Press the top seam of the stocking, letting a tiny bit of the lining fabric show on the outside (this will ensure that the under side of the cuff doesn't peek through after you fold the cuff down). If desired, topstitch the top edge of the stocking. Fold the cuff down as much as desired. (See how the print is right side up?!) Press the fold. You can topstitch this folded edge as well, if you like. 

To make the hanging loop, cut a 3" x 14" strip of fabric. Fold in half lengthwise and press. Open the fold back up, and fold each lengthwise edge in again to the center fold.

Fold the strip along the center fold again to create a long, narrow strip with finished edges.

Topstitch along the open edge of the strip to secure. 

Decide how long you want your loop to be and trim strip accordingly. Hand or machine stitch the raw edges to the inside top of the stocking along the heel-side seam. 

Fill with goodies, hang by the fireplace, and enjoy!

Check back again soon for a tutorial showing variations to this basic stocking.

12 Faves on 12-12-12

In honor of 12-12-12, we're presenting 12 of our favorite fabrics from the past year!

They are, listed from left to right and top to bottom:
1. Garden Whimsy by Judy Hansen
2. Tribal Council by Ro Gregg
3. Pretty in Pink by Ro Gregg
4. Marblehead Northern Woods by Ro Gregg
5. Folk Art by Sara Trail
6. Farmer John's Garden
7. Marblehead Metallic Xmas by Ro Gregg
8. Funny Farm

9. Lady in Red by Ro Gregg

10. Cook's Helper by Judy Hansen

11. A Star is Born by Ro Gregg
12. Wildflowers

Are these your favorites too? Let us know if your favorite isn't on the list!

We also have free quilt patterns on our website for many of these collections. Check out the quilts below and click here to download the pdfs of the various patterns.

1. Garden Whimsy

2. Tribal Council

3. Pretty in Pink

4. Marblehead Northern Woods

5. Folk Art

6. Farmer John's Garden

8. Funny Farm

9. Lady in Red

10. Cook's Helper

11. A Star is Born

All Aboard...the SnowBall Express

Imagine...

Kids having cotton ball "snowball" fights on an airplane.

Fantastic, intricate balloon hats.

A holiday party in an airport terminal.

Volunteers across the country organizing an event to bring together families who have lost military family members since 9/11. 

Chartered planes, operated by employees volunteering their time, hopping from city to city to collect these families for a long weekend of fun and friendship.

Teary-eyed yet? Us too.

We at Fabri-Quilt were honored to be a part of the 7th annual SnowBall Express last week at Kansas City International Airport.

What is the SnowBall Express, you ask? 

It's an annual event that brings together children of fallen military service members for a weekend of fun in Dallas. You can learn more about it here.
American Airlines flies families from all over the country to Dallas on special charter flights, and the kids spend the weekend staying at hotels (who donate rooms), and partaking in special events and activities. SnowBall Express honors the fallen military members and give the kids the opportunity to bond with new friends facing a similar situation.

The American Airlines crew in Kansas City organizes cheery send-off for area kids--this year 22 families in all. The group brings in Santa, an amazing balloon animal company called Up, Up and Away, an Army brass band playing carols, and homemade cookies.

Setting the mood with a cozy fireplace, complete with Santa's legs!

Have you ever seen such cool balloon hats? 

Getting ready to board the plane

  We became involved through donating fabric--both the dark blue "sky" and white "snow" fabric used on the walls to create the snowy scenes, and other holiday-themed fabrics for fundraising projects. 

The brass band belts out carols, helping to set the mood.

 Rhonda, one of the American employees in Kansas City, works with her mother each year to create small quilted projects from our fabric. Last year it was aprons and hotpads; this year, stockings. She sells these items and uses the proceeds to help put on the SnowBall event. This year stockings hung for decoration were filled with small baggies of cotton balls.

Why cotton balls? The tradition is that each time the plane stops (this particular plane went from Detroit to Chicago to St. Louis to Kansas City, picking up families, before heading on to Dallas for the weekend's activities), kids on board throw cotton balls at the newcomers. With their own baggies full of cotton, the Kansas City folks were ready to dish it out!

Yep, those are kids in the overhead compartments! (Only while the plane is on the ground, of course!)

Hugs from Santa as the kids board the plane.

 KBMC, one of our local news stations, came to the event as well. You can watch the video clip here.

We can't wait for next year's event! It is such a heart-warming way to kick off the holiday season.

Sara Trail on TV!

Check it out--Fabri-Quilt designer Sara Trail was featured upcycling clothes in a Disney Channel "Make Your Mark" segment, which focuses on young people doing extraordinary things. Way to go, Sara!

Christmas Star Place Mat Tutorial

Today we have a quick and easy place mat project for you, designed by Linda Visnaw. If Linda's name sounds familiar, it's because she spearheaded the Hopi Opportunity quilt effort we blogged about a while back. (Raffle tickets are still available!)

She created these place mats using Marblehead Metallic Xmas prints. They only look like complex wonky or paper piecing; it's actually raw edge applique using 2" wide strips and fusible web. How's that for a shortcut, especially when there are still cookies to be made and presents to be stitched, not to mention wrapped?!

Click here to download the pdf instructions for making these stunning place mats.

We especially love all of the different quilting designs Linda used. Her pattern includes a great suggestion for machine quilting--try out a variety of new and familiar quilting designs in the segmented spaces in and around the stars. No two place mats are alike!

And just for fun, a view of the back of one placemat:

If you try Linda's pattern, send us a photo. We'd love to see what you make. Contact us at fabriquiltblog (at) gmail.com

To see more of Linda's work, visit lindavisnaw.com

Panda-monium!

Today, we're excited to show your our new Peter Panda fabric. These cuddly-looking, black and white creatures rate high on the cuteness scale, and we think you'll love the fabric too!

Aren't they sweet?

Paw prints--a great small coordinate

Add color with green bamboo

Another allover print

A panel, perfect for fussy cutting blocks and a border

What would you make with this collection? A quilt? Pillows? A messenger bag?

And a little bonus: For ten fun facts about pandas, click here.