Hey Everyone, welcome back to Stitch Along Sunday on Monday.

Upon reading the rules that Ruth set out for this weeks challenge I really had no idea what to do. Then she reminded me of a few things that happened this year and well my brain was then in overdrive on what I could make. I could make a miniature of one of my art quilts, create a colour wheel, replicate a quilt block or make another Christmas item.

To read the rules check them out here on Ruth’s blog, December Week 3 Rules. Don’t forget to check out the December Stitch Along Sunday Gallery and Ruth’s blog for her wonderful Calla Lily piece.

I chose the latter seeing how I am in stocking and sac making mode. Plus all the Christmas fabric is very readily available and I didn’t really have to make any decisions then. The only decision was what design to put on the stocking.

I guess I like snowmen seeing how yesterday’s post was about a Felted Snowman Postcard.

To start I drew the stocking on a piece of paper. I had no plan for the size and just drew. Then I drew in the snowman and other bits.

Design drawn on paper

Once done I used the light box to trace my pieces onto fusible web. This week I am using Wonder Under, which is not my favourite fusible, because Steam-a-Seam 2 Lite still isn’t available.

I fused all my pieces to the fabric and cut them out and then placed them on the stocking to make sure everything fit.

Pieces placed on stocking before fusing in place

Once they were all in place I fused the whole lot to a piece of Timtex and cut out around the stocking shape.

Pieces fused to Timtex and ready for cutting

Stocking fused to Timtex and ready to be cut out

For the stitching I used a satin stitch and Sulky rayon thread as I wanted a bit of a shine. Most of the time I use a thread that will stand out but today I decided to match my thread to the piece.

Matching thread for each piece with satin stitch

Satin stitch in matching threads on each piece

Once the stitching was done I fused the stocking to another piece of Timtex which already had the backing fabric fused to it and cut out the shape.

Stocking layered onto another piece of Timtex with backing fabric

Stocking fused to second piece of Timtex

I realised a bit to late that I hadn’t added in the mouth, eyes and buttons which meant that I would have thread ends on the back of the piece. No fear I just cut out another piece of fabric and fused a new back in place.

The piece was completed with a satin stitch all the way around. This mini stocking is 6 ½″ from heel to top and 5″ from heel to toe – quite a contrast from my jumbo stockings of 3 feet from heel to top and 2 feet from heal to toe.