Christmas Stocking Tutorial

Tomorrow is my quilt guild's 25th anniversary Christmas party. It's potluck, so I've got to decide what to bring. I don't want to bring bread or dessert, although dessert seems to be my specialty. Too bad we can't live on chocolate chip cookies and Italian Cream Cake. I bake lots of those during the Christmas season, so we'll be living on it if there are any left overs! Instead, I think I'll flip through my Sandra Lee recipe books and she if she's got one that's quick, easy, and tastes great. I'm sure there's one that will be perfect to take to a party!

Every year at the guild Christmas party, someone comes up with a quilt block idea for every one to make. Last year it was a snowman. Years before that it was an ornament block. This year it is a stocking block. For each block you make, you get your name put in the hat. If your name is drawn you win a stack of blocks. Usually people make lots of blocks, so there are about 9 stacks of blocks given away; enough for each winner to make a full size quilt. Notice I didn't show you a stack of snowmen or ornament blocks. That's because I didn't win any. That's okay, though. They were still fun to make.

This year one of the ladies came up with the stocking block idea. Because I have been busy Christmas decorating, here I am making the blocks as always the day before. I thought you should join in on the fun, too, so I decided to do my first (I think) tutorial. I have lots to learn about tutorials, one being that I need dark backgrounds for explaining light fabric items. My flannel board worked great for showing darker items. A stool also helped because I stood on it so I could shoot better pictures. The back of a Christmas wall hanging worked great for helping to show up the light fabrics. I must have looked funny standing on a stool while shooting pictures of a flannel board on an ironing board because my husband walked in and started laughing. This tutorial stuff is technical!

Here's what you'll need:

For the body of the stocking (Christmas): 1, 5x8 rectangle, and 1 4x4 square

 

For the cuff of the stocking: 1, 3x5 rectangle in a coordinating Christmas print

 

White background: 1 4x7 rectangle, and (3) 1 3/4" squares.

 

Step 1: Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of each 1 3/4" square

 

Step 2: Place two of the squares in the upper left hand and lower left hand corner of the 4" square. Place one square in the lower right hand corner of the 5x8 rectangle.


Sew on the diagonal lines.

Press the top part of the square back.


Trim the seam to 1/4 inch. It should look like this on the wrong side.


This is what it should look like on the right side.


Step 3. Sew the 4x4" square to the 4x7" background rectangle. Sew the 5x8" rectangle to the 3x5" cuff rectangle.



Step 4. Sew the cuff/boot rectangle section to the background/toe of boot sections together. Press. Block should be 8 1/2 x 10 1/2.


These would be so cute as a wall hanging or a table runner. You could embroider names on the cuffs, and embellish them to your heart's content!

As you can see, I made three of these, so my name will go in the hat three times.

It would be fun to win! Wish me luck!!

Wish me luck, too, in finding a recipe. Do you have a favorite one you like to take to parties?

Amanda