Friday, November 20, 2009

Day 12: Crafting - It's My Day!



Hi everyone!

Thanks for joining us for the last day of our Cross-Country Designer Blog Hop. It has been deliriously fun, hasn't it? Please remember to comment on the FEATURED DESIGNER'S Day in order to be eligible for the grand prize drawing. If you've missed some days, that's ok. Just click on the links on my sidebar and start reading. You have until Sunday night to submit your comments. That way you can go through everyone's featured day and leave a comment in order to be eligible for the grand prize. On Monday we will draw names of the winners and we'll all check our blogs to make sure that the winner has filled the requirement of commenting on everyone's blog. Then, on Tuesday, Gudrun [and the rest of us] will announce the winner! Good luck!

For those of you who don't know me, I am Linda Lum DeBono. I am a designer and author. I've designed fabric for the wonderful folks at Henry Glass and Co. I have written books on quilting, knitting and scrapbooking for Martingale & Co./That Patchwork Place and Leisure Arts. I've contributed to American Patchwork and Quilting, Quilts and More and other publications. Here's some more tidbits for those who are new here!


I'm from Toronto, Canada but I now live in NJ with this swell guy, my husband, Reno. As you know well by now, I also have two little boys, Adam and Alex, and we love to have fun!





I've written two books and have just contributed to one recently for the wonderful people at Martingale and Co.


I also write for the terrific folks at Leisure Arts. My latest book, Jolly Stuff [pub. Leisure Arts ] should be hitting your local quilt shop very soon. I hope that you enjoy it!






I have designed fabric for Henry Glass Fabrics in NYC for 8 years now! Love them! My latest line is Inspiration.



I have a lot of fun and exciting things coming up in the next year. Sometime very soon you will see a profile of me in the February 2010 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting. [I think in the next two weeks or so.] I can't wait! You will have to check out some of the designs that I've done for the magazine in future issues! I'll be sure to let you know! Phew! I think that that's enough of me.

Sweet Stocking [approx. 12" x 22"]

Now, let's get to my design for today. I hope that you love my stocking!



You will need:
1/2 yard lime green for the stocking front and back exterior
1/2 yard of your choice for the lining
2 fat quarters of different stripes
batting
1/4 yard red fabric for the ruffle [NOTE: I MADE THE RUFFLE FAIRLY WIDE. THE MORE THAT I LOOK AT IT, I THINK THAT A SHORTER RUFFLE MAY LOOK JUST AS CUTE. YOUR CHOICE!]
coordinating thread
stabilizer
ribbon

Cutting:


Download the template here.
From the lime green fabric, cut:
1 stocking front
1 stocking back [reverse the stocking template]

From the lining fabric, cut:
1 stocking front
1 stocking back [reverse the stocking template]
From the red fabric, cut:
1 ruffle, 6 1/2" x 42" - then trim in half lengthwise to yield two strips, 6 1/2" x 21"


Directions:

Fold your exterior fabric together, selvage to selvage right sides together. Cut out the stocking template. Do the same for the lining fabric.

Follow manufacturer's directions and fuse the candy canes to the front of the stocking. Stitch around the candy cane applique with a zig zag/satin or any other decorative stitch. Make sure that you have some stabilizer behind the applique when you're doing this step.



Next, layer the front of the stocking with a piece of batting on the wrong side of the fabric. Quilt the stocking as desired. Swirls, loops and circles are always fun! Repeat for the back of the stocking. Trim excess batting away.



Fold the ruffle strip in half lengthwise with wrong sides together and press. Open up the piece and fold in at each end 1/2". Stitch the ends with a 1/4" seam allowance. Use a needle and hand-stitch with a large running stitch at the raw edge of the strip. Pull the thread and gather to form ruffles. Repeat for the other red strip.





Pin the ruffle to the top edge of the stocking with the raw edges aligned 1/4" in from each side edge. Stitch together with a scant 1/4" seam allowance. Repeat for the back of the stocking.



With right sides facing, pin the front of the stocking to the matching lining. Repeat with the back of the stocking. Stitch across the top edge of the front of the stocking and lining. Repeat for the top edge of the back of the stocking and the lining.


Open up the stocking/lining pieces. Pin the front/lining piece with the back/lining piece with right sides facing. Stitch all around and leave a 4" opening for turning. Turn right side out and hand-sew the opening closed.



Push the lining back inside the stocking. Stitch a 1/4" across the top of the stocking body.
Hand-stitch the ribbon to the inside of the stocking. Overlap each end of the ruffle from the front and the back ruffle. Sew a small black button or just a plain stitch to hold the front ruffle to the back ruffle. Repeat for the other side of the ruffle.
There you have it! Your very own candy cane Sweet Stocking!

Today is also "Crafting" day. I love crafting. When I was a teenager, I was obsessed with making pop-up cards. I had several Japanese crafts books that had patterns to make the cards. I'm itching to make some more cards. I will have to dig out the books to show you just how cool they are. I bought this little one at a store in the Mitsuwa plaza in Edgewater, NJ.



I make these silhouette seating cards out of fabric and paper. The kids love to walk around the table and try to guess who will be sitting in that seat.



We have been glitter crazy this year. We covered the clam shells that we had and then I went outside to pick up some pine cones. Guess what got the royal glitter treatment?





Remember to check out my free designs page on my website here .






Last year, my friend Joanne helped me make these easy peasy wreaths for our school library. Just wrap some styrofoam balls with yarn. Then glue down in an alternating fashion, the ornaments and the yarn balls. Cool, right?




Thanks so much for hopping around with us. It has been a blast but more importantly, I have enjoyed it on a personal level. I have been enriched by reading the stories of my fellow wonderful designers. I know the super-talented Heather Mulder Peterson , Pat Sloan , Carrie Nelson and Roseann Kermes . I look forward to meeting the other fab and talented women at Quilt Market next year, Gudrun Erla [I thank you for organizing this awesome experience for everyone], Terry Atkinson , Terri Degenkolb , Sherri Falls , Pam Viera McGinnis , Sandy Gervais , and Kari Carr . Please visit their sites for their crafting stories today.

I thank you, dear readers, for sharing your stories too. We have all enjoyed reading them and your willingness to share them have made our efforts worthwhile. Special thanks to Sew Mama Sew and True Up for letting their readers know of our blog hop. Sew Mama Sew has a Handmade Holidays series going on now. Check it out! Too fun!

I am having a giveaway today. I'm splitting up the prizes and I will draw two winners:

* Fat quarter stack of Inspiration
* Several quilt books generously donated by my wonderful publishers, Martingale & Co.
* Some more fabric,  generously donated by the terrific folks at Henry Glass and Co.
* 2010 Calender/Instruction booklet and a copy of Bags, Pillows & Pincushions, generous donated by my awesome friends at American Patchwork & Quilting

Good luck everyone!

The most important thing that this blog hop has done for me is open the door to many memories. Sometimes we get caught up in the everyday and we forget the little things that matter to us. Create a little magic this holiday and I'll see you very soon.  xo, L