12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop!

I am excited to be a part of the Christmas in July Blog Hop!  Blog hops are so fun and it's a great source of inspiration.  Thank you to Sarah Craig of Confessions of a Fabric Addict for organizing the hop.  She's got a gorgeous Christmas Quilt Along going on during the hop so be sure to check it out!

I decided I wanted to free motion quilt some stockings in colored thread.  I drew a grid based pattern in my design notebook.  Then I transferred the design to the fabric once a grid was drawn.

Now it was time for the stitching.  I realized as I was tracing the stocking shapes onto the fabric that two would need to go to the right (front of the stockings) and two would need to go to the left (back of the stockings). 

I used a bright green polyester Glide by Fil-Tec thread.  I love the way Glide thread shines and it runs fantastically in my machine.  

The red fabric I chose for the top of this stocking had poinsettias, so why not?

I love feathers.  I'm not sure I've done one with this curvy of a spine before, but it looks awesome!  I'll have to play more with this idea.

This is a curl pattern that I believe is Angela Walter's.  It's fun and a quick way to fill space.

Next I sewed the stocking sides together at about 1/4 to 3/8 inch.

To secure the stocking I then sewed a zigzag stitch in the seam allowance.  You never know what might go in them and I didn't want a hole to happen!

Then I flipped the stocking right-side out.  To get it smooth I put my fingers inside the stocking and pressed out against the seams to even out the curves.

Next it was time for the top of the stocking. The inner pieces had to be turned inside out and would become the hanging loops.  The outer pieces are for the top flap of the stocking.

I took the top flap and inserted it inside the stocking.  The hanging sleeve is under there too.   Pins were a necessity for this task.

Next I flipped up the flap and then turned it over the stocking.  It allowed me to have a finished look without having to bind the top of the stocking.

Here's the finished top!

Front of stockings!  I really like the way the colored thread shows up on the white fabric.

Back of stockings!  I like these designs too even though they weren't for the front!  You could stitch the back the same as the front, but I didn't want to spend as much time on the back as I did on the front so I went for something simpler.

If you love to free motion quilt, check out my Brick Wall Free Motion Quilt Along that started last week here.

Don't forget to check out all the other wonderful posts in the hop!

July 14th:     Sharon Vrooman @ Vrooman’s Quilts

                    Carole Carter @ From My Caroline Home

July 15th:    Yanicka Hachez @ Finding Myself As An Artist

                   Chris Dodsley @ Made by ChrissieD

July 16th:     Marsha Hodgkins @ Quilter in Motion

                    Leanne Parsons  @ Devoted Quilter

July 17th:     Tonia Conner @ All Thingz Sewn

                    Selina @ Selina Quilts

July 18th:     Lara Buccella @ Buzzin Bumble

                    Soma Acharya @ Whims and Fancies

July 19th:     Joanne Harris@ Quilts by Joanne

                    Suzy Webster @ Adventurous Applique and Quilting

July 20th:     Vicki in MN @ Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting

                    Jennifer Fulton @ The Inquiring Quilter

July 21st:     Michele Kuhns @ Crayon Box Quilt Studio

                    Jan Ochterbeck @ The Colorful Fabriholic

July 22nd:     Alla Blanca @ Rainbows. Bunnies. Cupcakes.

                     Zenia Rene @ A Quilted Passion

July 23rd:     Joanne Hubbard @ Everyone Deserves a Quilt

                    Paige Alexander @ Quilted Blooms

July 24th:     Carolyn Jones @ …by CJ

                    Tisha Nagel @ Quilty Therapy

July 25th:     Susan Arnold @ Quilt Fabrication

                    Beth Sellers @ Cooking Up Quilts

                    Linda Pearl @ One Quilting Circle

I hope you get to quilt today!

Suzy