The Island Batik ambassador challenge for November is Creative Christmas Stockings! We were given creative license to make one or more Christmas stockings, using any technique – traditional or funky – and in any color palette! How fun is that!

When thinking about making the stocking, my mind wandered back to my childhood. We didn’t have a fireplace, so we didn’t have stockings. BUT, my dad made sure my cousins, myself, and all the children in our little country church received a little brown paper bag filled with an orange, an apple, some soft peppermint candy sticks, and nuts. Of course, the moms would usually get the nuts to use in Christmas goodies! What a special memory this is for me.

We do have our stockings up on our mantle and I always find little gifts for the grand loves and give our daughter and son-in-love lots of candy! Occasionally they will also get other goodies too. Last year I made the grands Christmas stockings and embroidered their names and cute little designs on them. I used chalkboard fabric in the designs and let them choose the design they wanted in addition to the fabric. (Forgive me Island Batik, but I was not an ambassador last year, so only had “regular” Christmas fabrics from which to choose!) Here is a photo of their stockings hanging on the mantle!

The “adult” stockings are simple felt stockings that I purchased and embroidered our names on, so I decided this challenge is a great opportunity to start making us new ones!

I love pinwheels, so I decided to use them and made this for the top fabric. These pinwheels finish at four inches! Aren’t they cute?!

After cutting out the front, the back, I used fusible fleece and quilted them in a simple cross hatch pattern using my Solaris. Next I made the lining, then the top and pinned it on, stuffed it down inside the lining, and stitched around the top. I left about a five inch opening in the lining to turn the stocking, and voila! Here is my completed stocking.

Fabric: Island Batik: Pinwheel fabric from the Bee Kind collection, backing and lining Boysenberry, and top is Icing, all of which should be available now at your favorite quilt store that carries Island Batik fabrics!
Needle: Schmetz 80/20
Thread: Aurifil 2420 and 2545 for piecing and quilting
Batting: Fusible Fleece by Pellon

Thanks to Island Batik for this challenge and providing the fabrics to complete it – and to Schmetz needles and Aurifil for the great needles and thread, and to Prairie Spirit Alpacas for the fantastic wool mat I use for ironing! Island Batik and it’s industry partners make the BEST products ever!!

This was such a fun challenge! If you would like to see more fun creative Christmas stockings, visit my fellow ambassadors during the month or join my Songbird Designs Facebook group, where I will be posting them as they make them!

Thanks for visiting. Have a great weekend. Until next time…