Only one design makes all of these ITH free standing applique Christmas stockings. Use up your Christmas print scraps while making these delightful stockings for your wall or hang them on your tree.
This project is a great project for learning how to do ITH free standing applique. Polar fleece was used for the cuffs in the samples. Polar fleece does have a right side which is smooth and a wrong side that is fluffier. The Heat N Bond Lite® was fused purposely to the right side of the polar fleece so that the fluffier wrong side would give a furry effect to the cuff of the stockings. Several of the sample stockings are bordered with metallic thread. If you choose to use metallic thread be sure to use a 50 weight metallic. Its finer thickness will suit the density of the border stitches and you will not have to change needle sizes to run it in your machine. Run the outline and tack down stitches in a regular embroidery thread and just use the metallic in CS 8 for the border.
Step 1:
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Cut your fabrics per the materials list above. Hoop two layers of fibrous water soluble stabilizer in a 5” x 7” embroidery hoop. Press your main fabric a couple of times with Magic Sizing® or spray starch to stiffen. This makes the applique fabrics cut more cleanly and helps reduce fraying. Following the manufacturer’s instructions fuse the Pellon Craft Fuse 808® to the back of one 8” x 6” rectangle of the Christmas Print and the Heat N Bond Lite® to the right side polar fleece.
Step 2:
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The sample is being sewn on a multi-needle machine, therefore, it is necessary to rotate the design at the sewing machine. If you are using a single needle machine you will not have to rotate the design.
Step 3:
Run the 1st color stop (CS) in a color to match your main fabric as a placement line.
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Step 4:
Spray adhesive on the back of the main fabric rectangle with the Pellon Craft Fuse® fused to it. Position it over the placement line. Run CS 2 to tack it down.
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Step 5:
Remove the hoop from the machine – do not unhoop – trim the applique right up next to the tack down lines. Return the hoop to the machine and run CS 3 as a placement line for the cuff in white.
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Step 6:
Remove the Heat N Bond Lite® paper from the back of the cuff, spray the cuff with adhesive, and position over the placement line. Tack down with CS 4 in a matching thread.
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Step 7:
Remove the hoop from the machine – do not unhoop – trim the cuff applique right up next to the tack down stitches. Usually, at this point we would say to iron the applique, but we did not iron this applique down to avoid flattening the polar fleece. The Heat N Bond Lite® was only used to give a firmness to the polar fleece. If you have used regular quilting cotton for the cuff press it with an applique iron.
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Step 8:
Run CS 5 as a placement line for the ribbon hanger. Red was used so you can see it in this picture, but white is recommended in your project.
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Step 9:
Remove the hoop from the machine – do not unhoop – place the hoop face down on a flat surface. Fold the ribbon in half – raw edges meeting – place the raw edges in about 3/8” over the placement line. Secure the ribbon over the placement line with cellophane tape. Cellophane tape is used as it is easier to remove after it is stitched through. Secure the looped end with embroidery tape. Embroidery tape is used as it is slightly stronger to hold the looped end out of the way until the project is completed. Return the hoop to the machine and run CS 6 to tack the ribbon down.
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Step 10:
Remove the hoop from the machine – do not unhoop – lay if face down on a flat surface. Spray adhesive on the wrong side of the remaining rectangle of the main fabric. Position over the project on the back of the embroidery hoop. Return the hoop to the machine and run CS 7 to tack down the back fabric.
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Step 11:
Remove the hoop from the machine – do not unhoop – lay it face down on a flat surface. Being careful not to loosen the stabilizer in the hoop, trim the back fabric right up next to the tack down lines. Be careful to not clip your ribbons too!
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Step 12:
Return the hoop to the machine. Run CS 8 in a matching or contrasting color to border the stocking. Run CS 9 in a matching or contrasting color to border the cuff.
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Step 13:
Remove the project from the hoop. With the wrong side facing you, to help avoid cutting your ribbon, trim the stabilizer around the whole stocking.
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Step 14:
At your kitchen sink, wet a sponge with HOT water and gently rub it around all the edges to remove the remaining stabilizer. Lay on a clean smooth dishtowel to dry.
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Step 15:
Make as many as you need to cover the area where you would like to hang them. Cut jute rope or ribbon about two feet longer than you area and attach the ribbon hangers with miniature clothes pins. Congratulations your Christmas Stocking Garland is complete.
Award winning Digitizer, Embroidery Educator, Author and a Consultant to the Industry, Pat Williams has 30 years of experience in the embroidery industry. Pat has won multiple awards for her digitizing expertise including the 2007 Impressions Awards Grand Championship, Best of Show as well as the 1st and 2nd Place Awards. Pat’s love of digitizing has afforded her the opportunity to write numerous articles for Impressions magazine in the United States and Images Magazine in Europe. In 2001 Pat was named “Embroidery Educator of the Year.” For many years Pat taught digitizing seminars at the ISS Shows in Long Beach, CA and for Compucon software. She now resides in Tucson, AZ.
