String-pieced Stocking

Next week, I have the opportunity to give my lecture “Tips and Techniques for String-pieced Quilts” to three groups of quilters. Since Christmas is fast approaching, I decided to add a stocking to my array of string-pieced projects. If you are interested in a fun-to-make stocking that uses strips of red and green, read on!

Piecing narrow strips and strings on a foundation adds stability and allows for various widths and shapes of fabric since the pattern is trimmed or cut after the strips are sewn together. Some examples of foundations are muslin or other fabric, interfacing, paper, batting, and batting plus fabric. For my stocking, I chose a batting scrap as the foundation.

First, I traced my stocking pattern onto a piece of batting with a magic marker. Then I covered the traced area with strips of red and green Christmas-y fabric. I began with the red and green plaid strip and added strips to both sides of it, sew-and-flip style. I pressed lightly after adding each strip. I could have embellished some of the strips with rick rack, lace, or other trim.

After the stocking shape was covered by strips and strings, I pinned my stocking pattern on top of the foundation pieced fabric and cut out the stocking shape with scissors.

I could have string-pieced the back of the stocking as well, but I simply cut a stocking shape out of Christmas fabric and quilted it with straight lines about 1″ apart on another batting scrap. I sewed the front and back of the stocking right sides together and clipped the curves. After turning the stocking right side out, I sewed two stocking shapes together from muslin for the lining. I slipped the lining inside the stocking and pinned a 6″ hanging loop to the top before attaching binding all around the top edge. I machine sewed the binding to the outside of the stocking and hand-stitched it in place on the inside.

What a fun project! I still have strips and strings of Christmas fabric, so in future, I’ll be making more stockings!

If you would like to view a step-by-step video tutorial on string-piecing, I recommend watching Lori Holt’s “Sew Your Stash Series # 3 – 8″ Scrappy Strings Block Tutorial” on You Tube.