Stocking Up

Hello there, it's Horace here again today to wish you a happy weekend. Is your weather as dull and dreary as mine? Autumn has well and truly set in and it feels cold cold cold. I think we were rather spoilt with an extended summer, lots of dry days and a very mild October. I've been keeping well wrapped up in my lovely knitted cardi, with my pawmade quilt for comfort. As an aside, Ali Wade asked in my previous post, who was the ebear seller for my cardi? Her ebay title is nogoodcat, she's well worth a look if you want to be the best dressed bear in town.



Since the weather has turned, I need something to occupy my paws, so I've turned once again to my trusty sewing machine. Despite only possessing the machine since May this year, I've built up a rather large stock of material, mostly fat quarters and remnants, of which I've made a ridiculous amount of tote bagsand not a lot else so far.

I wondered what else I could make that would be quick, easy and fun, I racked my furry brain for ideas, when suddenly I realised, it's less than six weeks to Christmas. What does every good bear need at Christmas time? A stocking to house his presents from Santa, of course. Serendipitously, I had a small stocking pattern in my Quilt Now magazine, so I set about cutting three stockings, one for me, one for Podgy, and one for young Arnold, our bear cub.

Luckily, I also had some Santa patterned cotton in my fabric stash to last wayyyyyy beyond bear years, this stocking sewing was obviously meant to be! I was 'sew' excited (sorry, couldn't resist) that I forgot to take any 'before' photos. Oh well, Podgy came in whilst I was sewing the stocking tops, and snapped a rather odd angled picture of me at the machine.




Note to all who decide to make stockings with felt tops- if you make a mistake, it's almost impossible to pick your stitches from the felt. Take it from the bear who tried!

Anyhoo, despite my fancy stitched top going awry, I did at least manage to stitch not one, not two but three decent looking stockings that any self respecting bear would be happy to leave out for Santa to fill.



I'm rather pleased with these. I think I'll have the red patterned stocking, and gift the Santa stockings to Podgy and Arnold, I hope they'll be pleased.



Whenever I've attempted to stitch anything with a curved line before, I've produced a puckered finish, this time, before turning the stocking the right way out, I snipped slightly into the curved line, making sure I didn't cut right through my carefully crafted stitches. When I then turned the stockings the right way out, the curves were pawfect. Yippee. Do you think Santa will come and fill these beauties on Christmas Eve? I certainly hope so.

Now, what else can I stitch that is quick and easy on my paws?

With love from the bears