Designs Plus Volume 16: Free Project
Sew Christmas Stocking
This stocking would make the perfect gift for a sewing friend or one for you. All of the designs used on the stocking are “in-the-hoop” designs from the Martha Pullen Company.
The faux cuff, smocking-in-the-hoop design, is made from a pre-embroidered Swiss Christmas edging. The Swiss edging is first pleated and then embroidered with in-the-hoop smocking.
Another in-the-hoop design from Martha Pullen’s CD’s is a scissor case. This two-part scissor case will hold a small pair of embroidery scissors. A faux embroidered pair of scissors is embroidered onto organza and then cut out to position inside the scissor case.
Sewing threads and buttons were stitched onto the red and green stocking as additional embellishment.
All supplies are available from the Martha Pullen Company catalog or from their online catalog at www.marthapullen.com.
Embroidery Supplies
• Martha Pullen Smocking In-The-Hoop CD – design #mp2201
and #mp2232
• Martha Pullen Sewing Accessories CD – design #sb1704,
#sb1705 and #sb1722
Materials
• 1 yd. 5 7/8”-wide pre-embroidered Swiss Christmas edging – Pleat 12 rows – cuff
• Sticky water soluble stabilizer
• Medium-weight tear-away stabilizer
• Dark green silk dupioni – front & back 13” x 22”-(2)
• White batiste – lining – 13” x 22”-(2) and 5” x 10” – scissor case appliqué
• Organza – 5” x 5”
• Piping cord – 1 3/4 yd.
• Red-checked silk dupioni – 1/2 yd. – bias piping, heel & toe appliqué, hanger
• Four or five buttons – embellishment
• Small lengths of threads – embellishment
• Red/Green plaid ribbon- 3/8”-wide – 18”
• White lace beading – 5/8”-wide – 18”
• Bodkin
• Chalk marker
• Stocking pattern with heel & toe appliqué available as a free download at www.dzgns.com
Preparation
A. Trace the outline of the pattern for the Sewer’s stocking onto a 13” x 22” piece of dark green silk dupioni using a chalk marker. Trace the lines for the heel and toe. Using design #sb1705-back scissor case, mark the embroidery’s center mark on the fabric.
B. Using the appliqué pattern, cut out the heel and toe from the red-checked silk dupioni. Set aside.
C. Pleat one yard of Swiss embroidery Christmas edging with 12 full space rows. Remove 2 pleats on each side for a seam allowance. Tie-off pleated piece to match the vertical length of the design #mp2201.
Embroidery: Smocking-in-the-hoop
1. Hoop sticky water soluble stabilizer in a 5” x 7” hoop according to manufacturer’s instructions. Score the release paper and remove it from the stabilizer. Mark the vertical and horizontal centers of the hoop onto the stabilizer.
2. Combine designs #mp2201 and #mp2232. Using embroidery software or your sewing machine, combine and center design #mp2232 on top of design #mp2201. Fig.1
Fig.1
Print a design template with the horizontal and vertical center marked. Send the combined design to your embroidery machine.
3. Prepare the pleated Swiss embroidery strip. With the pleated Swiss embroidery fabric strip face up, place a piece of sticky water soluble stabilizer on top of it. Align the stabilizer with the top and bottom rows of the fabric. The stabilizer will hold the pleats in place and upright during the embroidery steps.
4. Place the hoop on the machine. Select the combined embroidery design.
5. Stitch the first color onto the stabilizer only for placement of the fabric. Remove the hoop from the machine.
6. Place the prepared pleated fabric with stabilizer on top, right side up and centered onto the hooped stabilizer, aligning the center marks and basting line. Check that the pleated rows are parallel within the hoop.
7. Press the fabric to the stabilizer and remove the pleating threads, except for the top and bottom rows.
8. Re-select the first color and stitch the first color basting stitch onto the pleated fabric.
9. Continue with the remaining design stitches until the design is completed.
10. Remove the design from the hoop and cut away excess pieces of the stabilizer from around the embroidery. Rinse and soak the remaining water soluble stabilizer away. Let dry. Place embroidery face down on a folded towel and press lightly.
Note: Detailed instructions for Martha Pullen’s Smocking-in-the Hoop may be found at www.marthapullen.com or on the inside cover ofthe Martha Pullen CD, Smocking–in-the-Hoop.
Scissor Case
1. The scissor case is a two-part appliqué design. The first part is the scissor case top, design #sb1704. Cut a 5” x 10” piece of white batiste. Fold the batiste in half so it measures 5” x 5”. Lightly spray between the fold with a temporary adhesive spray.
2. Hoop a medium weight tear-away stabilizer in a small hoop. Spray with temporary adhesive.
3. Center the 5” x 5” batiste on the stabilizer.
4. Bring the design into the machine.
5. The first stitch is an outline stitch for trimming away the fabric outside of the design. Remove the hoop from the machine; do not remove the fabric from the hoop. Trim the fabric outside of the stitched line.
6. Place the hoop back on the machine. Stitch the remaining colors. Change the flower colors to red instead of pink. The last color in the design will embroider a satin edge along the top of the design.
7. Remove the design from the hoop and carefully remove the stabilizer. Set aside.
8. In the machine, select the second part of the design, #sb1705. This design is the back of the scissor case.
9. Hoop a medium weight tear-away stabilizer. Mark the hoop’s horizontal and vertical center lines onto the stabilizer; spray with temporary adhesive (or use sticky tear-away stabilizer).
10. Place the stocking front green silk fabric with the marked center for the embroidery in the center of the hoop aligning centers.
11. The first color of the design is an outline stitch of the design. After stitching color 1 remove the hoop from the machine; do not remove the fabric from the hoop.
12. Place the first design #sb1704 (front) on top of the hooped back and pin in place. The front’s outer side edges of the appliqué will extend about an 1/8” outside the back’s outline edge and will be trimmed in the next step. Pin front to back in the center area to avoid the needle and presser foot when it stitches. Place the hoop back onto the machine and stitch color 2. Color 2 is a tack-down stitch for appliquéing the front to the back.
13. After color 2 stitches, remove the hoop from the machine and trim the appliqué fabric outside of the tack-down line on the front only. Do not trim the green silk fabric of the stocking. Remove the pins from the embroidery.
14. To attach the ribbon hanger for the scissor case:
a. In the center of the 3/8” plaid ribbon, tie a small bow.
b. Apply a small amount of fabric glue to the two ribbon ends. Lay the two ends across the top of the hanger loop at the top of the design and press the ribbon to the design top.
c. Pin the bow of the ribbon above the design out of the way of the pressure foot. Fig. 2
Fig. 2
15. Color 3 is a zigzag stitch around the design. Trim any stray threads, fabric and ribbon outside of the stitches.
16. Complete the remainder of the color stops in the design.
17. By hand, sew the ribbon to the silk stocking above the scissor case.
Stork Scissors
1. Hoop the 5” x 5” square of organza centered onto sticky water soluble stabilizer.
2. Embroider the design. Remove the design from the hoop and trim the excess stabilizer. Rinse and soak the scissors design then remove the remainder of the stabilizer. Let dry. Place face down on a folded towel and press lightly.
3. Run a bead of fray stop around the outer edges of the design and let dry.
4. Using a small pair of curved scissors, carefully trim the organza away around the embroidered scissors. Set aside.
Construction
1. Pin the smocked piece to the top of the stocking and baste the edges to the stocking at the sides and top along the ¼” seam line. Fig. 3
Fig. 3
2. Weave the red/green plaid ribbon through the white lace beading. Press and lightly starch.
3. Fold under 1/4” on the heel and toe appliqué as marked on the pattern. Press seam. Pin appliqués to the stocking along the markings. Baste to the stocking along the outer edges of the appliqués. Fig. 4
Fig. 4
4. Shape the lace beading with ribbon along the curved inside edges of the heel and toe appliqués. Fig.5
Fig. 5
5. Zigzag the edges of the beading to the stocking. Butt the lace to the appliqué edge catching the silk fabric with the zig and the lace beading with the zag of the stitch.
6. Cover the 1/8” wide piping cord with a 1 1/2” wide strip of the red-checked silk dupioni fabric. Use a piping foot or zipper foot for stitching. You will need 1 3/4 yards of the piping. Trim the seam allowance of the piping to 1/4” wide.
7. Pin the piping to the edges of the stocking having the raw edges of the piping even with the traced outline of the stocking. Clip the seam allowance of the piping along curves to make it lay flat. Stitch the piping to the stocking with a 1/4” seam.
8. Cut out the stocking front along the drawn outline.
9. Place the embroidered “stork scissors” into the scissor case. By hand sew the scissors to the stocking to hold in place.
10. Additional embellishments were added to the stocking using buttons and lengths of cut thread. Wrap lengths of red, green and gold embroidery thread around a card or your hand like making a tassel. Tie the loops together through the middle. Tack the threads to the stocking by hand with a needle and thread. (Refer to the stocking photo for placement) Sew one of the buttons on top of the stack of threads. Sew several other buttons around the thread stack. Fig. 6
Fig. 6
11. Stack the two lining rectangles right sides together and place on a flat surface.
12. Place the remaining stocking rectangle (back) right side up on top of the two linings.
13. Place the cut out stocking (front) right side down centered onto the stack of rectangles and pin together.
14. Stitch the four layers together using a 1/4” seam allowance inside the edge of the cut out stocking front. Leave the top of the stocking open for turning. Fig.7
Fig. 7
15. Trim all the layers even with the cut stocking front. Clip curves.
16. Turn the stocking to the right side by reaching between the two lining layers and turning to the outside.
17. Next, reach between the two stocking fabric layers and turn to the outside again.
18. Cut a 1 1/2” x 5” strip of the red-checked silk bias. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together and press. Open up the fold and press the outer raw edges to the center fold. Fold in half again lengthwise and straight stitch the two folded edges together.
19. Fold the strip in half and pin the raw edges even with the raw edges of the stocking at the heel-side seam. Baste the strip to stocking at seam line.
20. Cut a strip of stocking fabric (green silk) 2” x 15”. Fold the strip in half lengthwise having the wrong sides together and press. Pin the binding to the right side of the stocking top at the heel-side seam, folding the end under 1/4”. Stitch binding to the stocking with a 1/4” seam. Overlap the binding at the heel-side seam over the 1/4” turned-under edge. Cut off excess.
21. Fold the binding to the inside over the seam allowance and pin in place. Stitch the binding to the lining by hand.
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