First, a completed cross stitch piece. This is Sail:
Specs:
Started 9/6/2015
Finished 11/29/15
Monthly Musing by Shepherd’s Bush
I'm happy that this is finished. It's not my favorite piece because of the problems with the blues, but it's part of a series and it's done.
Next is the stealth sewing project. It is now in it's new home, so I can reveal it.
I made 3 additional stockings to match 6 that I made in 2008 for my friend Jane (story below):
and
She also requested that I embroider a new name on an already-completed stocking.
Specs:
Started 10/24/15
Finished 11/22/15
Created 3 stockings to match the 6 that I created for Jane in 2008.
Fabric: Nancy Halvorsen panels; unknown plaid fabric for binding; new backing and lining fabrics to match the colors of the originals
The story:
I originally made 6 stockings for Jane. Two were for Jane and her husband and 4 were for her daughter's family. Fast forward and her daughter remarried 6 months ago. Her new husband has two children, so she asked if I could make two more stockings that matched the 6 she already had (and put a new name on one of the existing stockings).
Now I don't know if you know that fabric lines are only available a year or two unless they are extremely popular. Pretty much, if you see a fabric you love, make sure to buy enough of it because you might not find it again. Given that the panels I used to make the stocking were available in 2008, there was no way they'd still be available.
I researched the fabric online. I found that the only place to buy a panel was from the UK and it cost an arm and a leg. I bought a book by the designer that had smaller versions of the same designs, but I would have to do design work to create larger appliqués to come up with something similar.
Now, I know me: I always buy more fabric than I need in case I make a mistake or I hate the way something turns out. So I searched in my long-term fabric storage and found 3 extra stocking panels. Whew!
I also make more binding than I need and tuck away the extra. When I looked in my binding storage bin, I found the leftover binding from the first set of stockings. And it was definitely enough for the extras! Score!
I enlisted the help of the local quilt store to find a backing fabric that was in the right color range since I could not find anything similar to the old fabric. (And, of course, I bought extra of that!) I found a similar lining fabric online and purchased more than I'd need (thank you equilter.com).
I checked with Jane to get the correct spelling for the two kids' names. And she asked for another stocking!! Apparently one of the kids has a half-brother...it's good that I had an extra stocking panel and that I had enough binding.!
With the existing stocking as a guide, I quilted the stocking pieces and embroidered the names (and embroidered blond curls on the elf) on before assembly. By using the same binding, the stockings all look the same on the front, and only look different on the back and on the inside.
She was surprised and thrilled to get them yesterday, just in time for Christmas decorating. Mission accomplished!
Now that I have those completed, I can swing into full baking mode!
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