A Christmas Stocking Story

As an organized hoarder - no, no, I mean collector of miscellany (aka "things I love") - there was no need to shop outside my stash for this entire project!

Loved making this special commission so much!
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Ribbons, twine, special thread, flannel, vintage button, wool from a sweater I no longer wear, zipper that's never been used, home décor samples sorted by colour?

Check, check, checkity-check!

What about a specialty fabric for the lining? But, of course!

Plush lining as a special treat for little hands!
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The Osnaburg? Yup, had that too.

As a quilter, did I need it?

Nope. I bought it because it called to me.

I know.

It's a thing.

Once in a blue moon I get a feeling about something. I've learned to trust that feeling, and just go with it when I can. It hasn't failed me yet.

The Process, in pictures:

Make a plan
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Begin with something FUN!
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Cut the shape
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Prepare the "crazy" patches for the heel and toe (and sew them on)
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Stitch the lining so it will last
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Use that zipper!
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LOVE this!
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Time for the flower
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Add a cuff, and put it all together
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Send it off for a little girl's very first Christmas!
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This may look delicate, but it's actually fairly bullet proof.

It's meant to be a functional stocking, so everything has been permanently glued, stitched and double stitched. Even the frayed fabric has been lightly coated with a sealer to prevent further disintegration. With reasonable care, this stocking should last for many years!

Linking up with:

Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation

Try, Learn, & Grow!

Carole

A Kaffe Adventure!

"Be Creative", she said . . . and my heart skipped a beat when I saw the quilt top.

"You got it!", said I . . . and off I skipped into Kaffe-land, with visions of fun times ahead!

The "before" shot!
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My client is creatively fearless herself, so she'd appliqued black sashing strips between the blocks after the top was pieced, "to give it some POP". (Mission accomplished!)

Because the sashing strips vary in width in the most charming way (suits the playfulness of the quilt!), I quilted them with randomly sized pebbles for extra security, and to give a nod to the spotty theme of the prints.

Pebbles secured the sashing and extended the spotty theme of the prints into the quilting.
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After ditching around the vases and bowls, and pebbling the sashing, I used black thread horizontally on the "tables" to help define them as such.

Quilted right through the shadows on the tables - shadows don't have substance in real life,
so I treated them the same way in the quilt.
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Backgrounds were all stitched with vertical, wavy lines that wouldn't visually interfere with the prints, but would provide a directional change from the horizontal table-stitching.

"Before" quilting the background
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If the vase (or bowl) was a "hot" colour, I quilted the background with "cool" coloured thread, and vice versa, in an attempt to help the pottery stand out a bit more.

"After" quilting the background
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And, finally, the pottery!

I knew the quilting wouldn't show much on the front of the quilt, but it sure would on the solid coloured back, so I went with feathers!

Feathers fill the vases
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Feathers gracefully fill awkward shapes in short order, too - which was definitely a consideration when deciding how to quilt the pottery. Some of the vases have fancy lids!

Feathers fit in practically any space!
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See what I mean about the back? Gotta love all that quilt-y texture!

Sure can see the quilting from here!
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On the table for trimming - sometimes it takes a few rulers to get things right!

Trimming the finished quilt.
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And then it went home and my Kaffe adventure came to a close.

Bowl block
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Being in a new space has disrupted my photo habits - I haven't quite figured out where the best light is - so I haven't been sharing as many client quilts as usual. Apologies to those who have been hoping to see their beautiful quilts posted here. Time to pull up my socks and do better! :-)

Linking up with:
Show Off Saturday @ SewCanShe where Caroline shares a super-cute idea for a quick quilt!

Try, Learn, & Grow!
Carole