Holidays: June 2011 Archives
As part of our international stocking challenge- I chose Nepal! I know, right? I know what you're thinking... Odd choice...Nepal? Does Nepal even CELEBRATE Christmas??? No, nationally they do not. The reason I chose Nepal is because this 2 years ago I received a gift from a relative doing some world traveling, and she brought me some traditional broadcloth from Nepal- which happens to be printed with our celebrated Christmas colors of red, green and white!
Since this was very special fabric and realized I should use it wisely, I incorporated this Nepali fabric into the heels of our first Christmas stockings as newlyweds! I wanted them to match, but still be unique to our own personal tastes; and the Nepali broadcloth added that perfect special touch to help our stockings match, but still be different. I, of course, chose owls and I chose this birch tree stripe broadcloth for my husband. He's not a woodsman, but his beard might indicate otherwise! J I interlined each stocking with batting, chose a glitzy Michael Miller green damask print to line each one, and attached deep red velvet cuffs. I roughly stitched our initials in DMC Floss on each stocking and used whatever ribbon I had laying around as the hang tab.
The Christmas colors of the Nepali broadcloth make it perfect for holiday décor to treasure for years to come. Now I just have to figure out what to make with the remainder! Maybe save it for future children's stockings so they all coordinate together??? This has definitely put me in the Christmas spirit and I cannot wait! I've logged away many craft ideas for ornaments and gifts for this year and I should probably get started on them soon! It's only 6 months away! Of course I will blog about whatever things I'm making so stay tuned!
While Christmas is not around the corner for most of the Christmas shoppers, for those of us who love to give the gift of handmade, we need to get started soon. But it doesn't just stop with giving gifts; we also love to make everything Christmas-y, from tree skirts to garland. Sometimes I just get it into my head to make something for Christmas and while I may not complete the thought enough to see the end product, I know that I can get it out of my system by making appliqués. I make appliqués because they are small and fun plus I can add them wherever I want to sprinkle the Christmas spirit. Christmas Appliqués can be sewn onto long sleeved t-shirts, skirt hems, and jacket pockets. But appliqués can be more: by adding some Peltex to the back of an appliqué or sandwiching it between 2 appliqués, you can create ornament, garland and advent tokens. A simple Christmas appliqué doesn't have to be one thing. You only need to steal time here and there to create this fun, universal Christmas decoration.
To recreate my Christmas Appliqué, download the Linen Snowflake Christmas Applique pattern and cut it out. You can lay your fabric over the snowflake pattern to trace the embroidery design. You will need approx ¼ yd of hanky weight linen for 5 appliqués and ½ yd for 12. Trace your circles onto your linen and then embroider them before you cut them out. You can embroider the circle too and then trimming around it with pinking shears. Try off-traditional colors to give a vintage look. I used Copper for my snowflake which really blends well with the natural linen color. I recommend trying turquoise, navy, coral or silver. You can make a dozen and string them on a bias tape length for some garland or stitching some embroidery thread through the top for an ornament. You can also sew several onto your tree skirt or holiday banner.
Mine will be finding its final destination at the end of this month in a Special Holiday Poject. Stay tuned and follow me on Twitter (@tdangermiller) for sneak peeks!
