Uppity Owl: December 2012

Scraps Christmas Stocking Tutorial

If you can get your hands on RoseArt’s line of craft-kits called “Scraps”, you’ll never want to put the crazy characters down! These cute, fuzzy friends will provide hours of creative play for your children. They come in several different colors with a variety of adorable names & attachments. You can mix and match their legs & accessories because they button on & off, which makes these parts interchangeable with the other characters. The more you have the more creative creations you can come up with. Scraps are inspiring to say the least…which is why I’m so excited to have been asked to come up with a Christmas stocking that features them!

Finding a stocking pattern that I love has been a bit of a struggle for me. I always find cute fabric, adorable accessories, an array of ribbons and glitter, even pleasing ready-made stockings…but, I have yet to find the perfect stocking pattern. So, what’s a girl to do? She can design her own stocking of course! If you have a pattern you’d like to use, I would encourage you do so, but if you’re like me and have something particular in mind…try the method I used below. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is…..

Materials

9 different coordinating fabrics (or less, your choice); enough fabric to cover the front & back of the stocking, lining inside of stocking, lining for the cuff & loop for hanging up the stocking
Buttons (small enough to fit Scraps’ attachments)
Batting for cuff (optional)
Sewing Supplies
Stocking Pattern (see my pattern idea before buying a pattern)
2 Adorable Scraps by RoseArt (I used Hoots and Poofessor)
1 Sheet of white, glittery felt for toe & heel of stocking
Embordery Thread & Needle
Small, clear rubber bans. (The tiny ones you use for hair.)

Green Tips: If you’re someone who sews, try to use up your sewing scraps before buying any fabric or notions for this project. You’ll save time, money & help the environment. You can also use colorful fabrics from clothes your children have outgrown.

It’s a good idea to lay out all of your selections to make sure everything goes together before you begin. (I didn’t use the red fabric pictured…it’s a stocking that I used for creating my pattern.)

I like how the red fits right in though. ;0)

Select an old stocking by its size & shape or draw a stocking from scratch. Draw it the exact size you’d like it to be when finished; the seam allowances will be added later on while in the process of cutting out the stocking. The stocking below is what I used. When tracing its shape onto my pattern paper, I flipped up the cuff and traced around it too so that it became a part of the length, as the red section was too short for my taste. Next, I traced the stocking onto a brown paper bag. I ended up having to put together 2 paper bags because of the length…I just taped two bags together. When you are done tracing out the shape you like, cut the pattern out.

Cut several strips of coordinating fabric into 2“ strips…make sure they are wide enough by providing a ½ inch hang all around the stockings edges. Lay them out in the order you’d like them to appear, and then sew enough of them together to cover the entire length of the stocking. Leave about 1 inch extra at the top and bottom. For the sides, just make sure there is no less than ½ inch all the way around the edges.

Iron the strips flat, lay your pattern on top and make sure you have at least 1/2” of fabric available around the edges of the entire stocking. Some areas will have far more than 1/2”…that’s fine.

Pin your pattern to the fabric, and then cut around the pattern leaving a ½” of fabric from the edge of the pattern for seam allowances.

Use your stocking cutout as a pattern for the rest of the stocking. You will need 2 layers of fabric for the lining and one layer of different fabric for the back of the stocking. Make sure you cut two opposites for the lining. The fabric for the back of the stocking should be cut out with the right side of the fabric facing down, while the pattern itself is facing right side up.

Here are some pictures of the lining fabric ready to cut out.

Sew the front and back of the stocking right sides together using a ½” seam allowance. Snip fabric at the curves to get rid of excess fabric, which allows for a smoother appearance on the outside & easier turning. Don’t snip too close to the seam! Then turn the stocking right side out.

Sew the lining print to print using a ½” seam allowance, and leave it that way; don’t turn it inside out. Set aside.

Next, you’re going to cut out the toe and heel from the white glittery sheet of felt. Sew them on using a blanket stitch. This is a common stitch, which you should be able to get directions by googling “blanket stitch”.

Below: arrange the buttons on the stocking where you would like to sew them on. Notice I left the top blank because this is where the cuff will cover (see below).

Next: Insert the lining into the stocking & fit it to the inside until it conforms to the stocking, & line up the tops of the stocking and lining evenly. The lining adds a classy touch as well as keeps toys from snagging on the threads of the otherwise unfinished inside of the stocking.

In order to create the cuff, you’re going to cut out 2 front pieces and 2 back pieces. You can add batting if you’d like, it’s not necessary though. I did add batting. I love the sturdy feel it gives, and it makes for a nice touch. For my cuff, I measured my fabric out so that it would cover the top 3 strips of the stocking (about 4 inches down) with an additional 1/2 inch in the width for extra room, especially if you’re going to add batting. If you are not using batting then you do not need to add the ½”. You must also add your 1/2” seam allowance to these dimensions before cutting out the cuff at the top, bottom & sides.

I sewed the pieces to the batting along the sides and the bottom…leaving the top un-sewn; then turn right side out. Attach the cuff to the stocking with pins by inserting the cuff into the stocking with the right side of the cuff print facing the lining (this side will show when cuff is turned out). Line up your seams. Make the hanging loop before sewing the cuff into place.

To create the loop…cut a strip of fabric that will be long enough to provide at least an inch or two for hanging and at least an inch to hang below the point it’s sewn. I used a 10” x 4” strip…fold in half, right sides together…sew down the middle of the strip…trim about a 1/4” off the edge…turn inside out. Done.

The loop will be sewn into place between the liner and the cuff at the back seam. Attach by inserting the loop downwards into the stocking with the raw ends up (see the picture below where the stripped fabric is sticking out at the top on the left side). Sew all along the top with a ½” seam allowance, & back stitch at the loop to make sure it’s extra secure. When finished, flip the cuff over to the outside, and the loop will be ready for hanging. There are more pictures below.

The loop’s raw ends are sticking up at the top left in picture above & in the picture below where the fingers are touching it.

The off-white fabric is the lining for the cuff while the stripes are the right side of the cuff; the loop is made up of the same fabric as the cuff.

Above is a better picture of the loop going downward into the stocking. Once the cuff is turned inside out the loop will be to the outside.

Loop and cuff finished.

The next part is the most fun! Arrange the Scraps and their attachments in a flattering, eye-catching manner. Get creative! ;0)

Use the tiny clear rubber bands to attach the mystery, Pom Pals to the buttons on the stocking.

Finished! Whoo Whoo! Now it’s time to sit back and imagine the delight on your little ones face as they discover their Christmas stocking. They’ll be eager to dig up all the goodies inside…except, this stocking has goodies on the outside too! It’ll be a Christmas stocking they will never forget!

This crafting project was designed by children’s author and illustrator of Uppity Owl, Monica T. Blas. She is currently residing with her husband and 2 sons, in Bakersfield, California. She has blended her passions for writing, creating, and a love for the earth into her crafting projects. For more information on Monica, Uppity Owl and additional crafting projects…please subscribe to www.uppityowl.blogspot.com

Whoo Whoo~
~OvO~

Friday, December 14, 2012

RoseArt Shares Uppity Owl Tutorial!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Scraps Christmas Stocking Tutorial