Stockings!

I've got back from another workshop at Step by Step Patchwork Centre at South Molton. Today's workshop was called Boxes of Delight - and the tutor was Jan Tillett. The very first post on this blog shows a piece of work I did at another of her workshops - that was Stitched Herbaceous Borders. I shall update this blog later (might be later today, later this week, later this month - you'll just have to wait to find out!).

Today's posting is about the Christmas stockings I made for Christmas 2008. Three stockings were for youngsters (babies / toddlers), the others were for adults - the children in this house!

The first stocking shown was for Karla - Mathew's girlfriend. I embellished the Christmas tree with threads and beads. I used embroidery threads for the name, date, my initials and the hand embroidery, and rayon threads for the satin stitch around the appliqued pieces.

The next stocking shows the one I made for Mathew. Those of you who know Mathew will understand the significance of the appliqued pieces - and those who don't know Mathew will be able to guess at the significance! I didn't embellish the Christmas tree to the same extent, but I did include some bead work on the guitar - for the tuning pegs and the frets. The strange shapes - in case you are wondering, are guitar picks - plectrums - or is it plectra in the plural?! Mathew is the guitarist in the family - although Nathan also plays.

Nathan's stocking is the next one up: no prizes for guessing which instrument he plays! I used bright musical fabric for both the guitar and the drum kit - fabric that has guitars on, and musical notes. Nathan has a bit of a thing for candles, so he has a candle. I tried to make the drum kit like his - but as his drum kit is HUGE - I didn't try too hard to replicate it - it wouldn't have all fitted on! As a total deviation from the subject of this blog, why is it that the past tense of fit is fitted, and yet the past tense of sit is sat? I like the idea of saying that something wouldn't have fat on!

Anyway - that's a whole different subject, a whole different topic for a blog.

Back to Nathan's stocking. I included a treble clef and a quaver (note) on the stocking - continuing the music theme, and used music fabric for it. The cat is included as Joey (big black cat) has a thing for going into Nathan's room. Joey lets us ALL know that he wants to go into Nathan's room. Problem is, Joey is getting a bit old, and has earned himself the name of 'bone bonce'; this is because Joey will miouw and scrape at Nathan's door when Nathan isn't there! Still, you have to excuse him, he is in his latter years.

How to I get the patterns? I've used clipart and done internet image searches (I used Google) to find pictures. The treble clef has been adapted slightly, to make it work well as an appliqued shape. The cat I drew myself, as I did the star and the candle. The drumkit was a little different, in that I found a picture of 'Nathan's' drumkit - the same brand as his kit, and then tried to identify the key shapes of the kit. I took these key shapes, and applied them. It doesn't really stand up to close inspection, but the shapes are enough to make the image clear.

I've used shapes from childrens books previously - Dick Bruna's 'B is for Bear'. I've had the book for a very long time, and mum used the pictures first for the stockings she made for us back in 1978. I've continued the tradition - I must have made between 15 and 20 stockings now. I don't sell the stockings. I have offered to make them for family and friends. I have taken orders for them at church; I have not taken any money for them - I have asked for a donation for the church funds. The donations go straight to the church - I have donated my time and fabrics.

I have found the internet fantastic for developing my talents - especially my talent of drawing! I'm useless at drawing, but the images on the web allow me to reproduce shapes to a decent standard. There are so many images that can be used to help the production of a quilt - either quilting patterns, applique patterns, or ideas for quilts. It's for this reason I have Dali pictures and optical illusions on my blog.

Until the next time...