I’ve been so busy driving and shop hopping all around Minnesota that I failed to finish this post with the winning name from my 12 Days of Christmas in July Giveaway post. So here it is, a bit late, but at least “now you know the rest of the story (Paul Harvey).” This was my first giveaway at Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats in celebration of the things I learned that day here.

Under Tu-Na Helper’s close supervision, I plugged in the numbers to a random number generator from the internet. There were 110 comments left on the giveaway post here. Number 2 is the lucky recipient of the Christmas stocking and all the goodies it holds.

Random number generation / Random Numbers

Generate number between 1 and 110 = 2

Congratulations to: Jean McKinstry July 25, 2017 at 3:03 am

“I met you during the 12 days of Christmas Blog hop, and you are now on my blog list, I follow you with Blogger.”

Jean wrote the comment above on the day of her birthday. She must be very lucky, indeed. I met Jean, too, during the 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop. Jean is from New Zealand which explains why she was commenting at 3 (my time) in the morning. She blogs over at All Points of the Compass and was smitten by that little pillow pincushion I made here and wrote me a delightful poem about it which I published here on the Eleventh Day of that Blog Hop.

This is how the parcel looked after traveling thousands of miles. (Picture by Jean McKinstry and used with permission)

I emailed Jean for her shipping address and apologized profusely as in my rush out the door for the Quilt MN Shop Hop I had forgotten to take along the box, the stocking, and all of it’s contents. She waited patiently for me to get back home to mail all those goodies to her. They’ve now been packaged, mailed, and received.

(Picture taken by Jean McKinstry and used with permission.)

Surprisingly, the package didn’t take long to get there. Jean wrote me a lovely email thank you note extolling the virtues of everything in that box including the Ziploc bag that I used to contain it all. Had I known that a bit of plastic would have been so well received, I would have included a couple extra bags.

I think Jean rather enjoyed opening that package and savored every minute. Jean was also the first recipient of my new blogger business card which I will tell you more about soon.

When I read her note, I decided it was just too good and heartfelt to delete so I thought I’d share her kind words with you (with her permission, of course).

Here’s a close-up of that thimble pincushion necklace.

“Hello Karen

The mail arrived on Friday!!! There are so many goodies inside, I am thrilled beyond anything you could imagine. The pins, so fine and extra-long, a seam ripper, that is fabulous, a super wide shaped hand part, M&M!!! They will get shared around. The neck thimble, purple, a colour I love, and the goodies you have made. The little bucket will go on my window-sill by the sink bench, so I can see it all the time, my tiny pin cushions, the one with a pinwheel, and so lovely, And a strawberry, that might be a decoration on a Christmas fabric tree,

Thank you so much for them all. The little flower basket card, your card, and the wrapping and bright green bag, all made this so truly wonderful.

Then, I almost forgot, the great zip lock bag. We have them here, but yours are so much better.

Can you tell how thrilled I am? On a scale of “ how is the pain from 1 to 10?”, this is off the Beaufort scale of gale force wind!!!

Fondest greetings

Jean”

Jean’s been busy using the items she found in her Christmas stocking.

Evidently Jean’s had to use the seam ripper several times today and it looks like those pincushions are earning their keep.

“… the tree farm really gave them a good workout. Phew, they all needed a rest afterwards!!!” (Jean)

What I Learned Today:

Time goes by much too fast.
Giving feels so good today.
It’s nice to know that my hard work and the items I put in that stocking were appreciated.
How good it feels to receive a nicely worded thank you note. Thanks, Jean, for a lovely note and making my day sweet.
I need to be more specific and put more thought into writing my thank you messages. Thanks for the lesson, Jean!

Question: Do you write Thank You notes? I am guilty of not writing thank you notes like I should. I often pick up the phone to say thanks or send a short email as a quick way to say thanks. Receiving Jean’s emailed thank you note was special; it shows that she put a lot of time and thought into writing it.

Thanks for stopping by and do come again.

Karen, Tu-Na Quilts

Linking to:

Wait Loss Wednesday at The Inquiring Quilter

Yes, he gave me a red rose which he picked from the flower bed.

Welcome to the fourth day of the 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop.

You will find links to all the participating blogs at the very end of my post after the question. Thank you, Sarah, for coordinating this event. You might like to visit her blog, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, each day for her Christmas Quilt Along as well as enter daily to win prizes. Yes, there’s a giveaway going on with 12 daily and one grand prize. To enter, you must comment on each participating blog on their 12 Days of Christmas in July post AND also on Sarah’s blog. You have through July 26th to get all your reading and commenting finished. The list of participating blogs is at the end of my post.

Every year, Christmas sneaks up on me so I thought I’d get an early start this year. I have several ideas to share with you today. First, I’ll show you how I sewed this stocking which can be a fun gift for someone on your list or for a favor at your quilting guild.

The stocking is now filled with some fun but useful surprises which every sewist would like to have. Check back on Wednesday the 19th, Friday the 21st, Sunday the 23rd, and Tuesday the 25th as I reveal a new stocking stuffer and show you how to make them, too. To make sure you don’t miss out on any of that fun or any of the other things happening in my little quilting corner of the world, just follow my blog (check my sidebar to find buttons to follow by email, WordPress, or Bloglovin).

Next, I will also share with you this fun Christmas wreath project that I enlisted the help of some of my grandchildren while we were at the lake over the 4th of July.

Finally, I’m also including some helpful hints when working with children.

Part One: Let’s Make an Easy Mini Quilted Christmas Stocking

What you will need:

one fat quarter of fabric (after cutting out your stocking using the pattern, cut out a 4″ square for the heel, a 2.5″ x 4″ strip for the toe, and a 6″ x 10″ strip for the cuff) These can all be the same fabrics or other fabrics if you want the scrappy look.
fabric strips in a variety of widths 1″- 2″ wide and at least 7 inches long that have straight edges. You will need one 3″ x 5.5″ strip that goes from the heel piece to the right edge. You will need one 2.5″ x 6″ strip for the loop.
one 10″ x 12″ piece of batting
fabric basting spray or fabric glue or pins
trim for the cuff, optional (pom poms, ric rac, etc.)
free stocking pattern that I drew and can be downloaded as a pdf and printed from here stocking pattern

Directions:

Cut out the paper pattern pieces matching the As and the Bs. For pattern accuracy, cut along the inside of the black line. Tape the top of the stocking onto the bottom piece.

Take note of where the black dots are for heel placement.

Placing the right side of the pattern onto the wrong side of the fabric, cut out the stocking. This will be the backing for the top and also becomes the inside of the stocking. Cut out another one for the back of the stocking. You need both to be facing that same direction and cut from the wrong side of the fabric.

You will need to do this two times each this same way.

Placing the right side of the pattern onto the batting fabric, cut out the stocking shape.

Spray baste the batting onto the wrong side of the backing. You could use fabric glue in a couple of places around each edge if you’d rather. Another alternative is to pin baste the pieces together, taking care to remove the pins BEFORE you sew the strips over them.

Place the 4″ heel square of fabric right side up on the batting matching the dots. Either spray, glue, or pin in place.

With right sides together, position a 3″ strip of fabric on the right side of the heel fabric at an angle. This will cover the stocking area from the heel to the right side of the stocking.

Sew 1/4″. Trim if needed, Flip and press lightly but don’t press the batting directly as I found mine would shrink a lot.

I’ve sized the pieces large so you will have some trimming to do.

Start adding strips beneath the heel piece. Sew 1/4″. Trim if needed. Flip and press.

When laying the first strip down, put it at the angle you want it to be making sure you catch all the fabric below it in the seam allowance.

Keep doing this until you get about 1.5-2″ from the edge of toe.

Add the toe piece.

Continue adding rows above the heel all the way to the top. Adjust the angles of the strips if needed. The top strip doesn’t have to align with the fabric on its underside. Just make sure you are catching the lower fabric in the seam allowance. Trim seam, press, flip, and continue all the way to the top.

You can change the angle.

Continue all the way to the top

Turn over stocking and use the backing as a guide to trim the front pieces.

Turn it over and follow the backing as a guide

Now it looks like a stocking

With right sides together, pin back onto quilted front.

Sew 1/2″ all along the sides and bottom but NOT the top edge. Zig zag raw edges or use a serger to join the pieces. Clip the two inner curves.

Clip the two inner curves as noted on the pattern. Clip close to the seam but not too close.

Turn right side out rounding out the heel and toes parts with your hand or blunt object.

There it is all turned right side out. Look how it puffs up just waiting to be filled with goodies!

The Hanging Loop:

Fold the 2.5″ x 6″ piece in half lengthwise and press. Unfold and take each side and fold it to meet the middle crease. Press the outside edges.

Now bring both halves together and press. After pressing, sew close to the edge.

Fold loop in half and stitch across raw ends to secure them in place. This is tricky and they want to stray, just take it slow and it will go.

I find adding this little row of stitching just above those raw edges on the ends really helps keep the loop aligned as I do the next step.

Pin or glue baste the loop in place at the top inside of the stocking next to the left side seam on the back making the raw edges meet. The loop should be pointing down inside the stocking. Secure with a line or two of stitching about 1/4″ from the edge.

Cuff:

Fold the cuff in half with the short edges together and stitch a 1/2″ seam.

Press seam to side and fold in half with wrong sides together to form a circle. Press so cuff seam is in the middle of the back.

Pin cuff inside the stocking matching the top edge. The pressed cuff seams will match with the stocking seams.

Sew a 1/2″ seam and zig zag or serge. Turn cuff right side out.

Add some trim if you like. Pom poms would be nice. I sewed ric rac along the bottom edge. I’ve always liked ric rac. Do you?

Isn’t it cute!

This stocking is 7.5″ wide and 9″ long with a 4.5″ opening.

This stocking is stuffed! Come back on Wednesday, as I begin to reveal the first of many surprises it holds.

Part Two: So the Kids Want to Make Something, too!

Child’s Project: Ring Wreath

Here’s the one I made. Well, I am young at heart. Does that count?

What you will need:

Metal canning jar rings (I used the regular size)

Since these were rusty

my husband spray painted them.

Since my jar rings were rather rusty, my husband spray painted them ahead of time for me. He was being a very helpful Tu-Na helper.
Fabric cut into 3/4″ x 6″ strips (I used 30 for my ring but the kids used less.)
Although I brought my rotary cutter and a small mat along to the lake, I forgot the ruler. It was then impossible for me to cut them into straight strips, so I just eyeballed them and cut them with a scissors.

• One fabric string cut 1/4″ x 16″ for the hanging loop or you could use twine, string, yarn, or jute.

Directions:

Show your little ones how to tie a fabric strip around the ring and pull it tight. Keep adding strips, pushing them tightly against the previously tied one.

Here’s my 8 year old grandson working on his.

After about 1/4 done around the ring, he was ready for a break.

My two year old grandson picked out the reindeer strips and handed them to me to tie.

The little ones also just wrapped the strips around the rings. But that’s ok, they had fun and later their mommies finished the rings for themselves.

Sometimes they were worn as arm bands.

When the ring is filled, push aside a couple of ties so you can tie the 1/4″ x 16″ strip (or string) around the ring for the hanging loop.

Then add a second knot further up creating the loop.

“Ah, mommy, yours is so nice.”

“But I think I like it better as an arm band. Hey, mom, look at my new fit bit.”

Part Three: How You and Your Children Can Enjoy Making Crafts Together:

Make sure your project is appropriate for the age of your child. If it’s too difficult they may become frustrated. If it’s too easy they may lose interest.
Break up the process into small sessions. Young children lose attention quickly. Let them come back to work on the project later.
Don’t expect perfection.
Show how but don’t take over. It may look very different from what you imagined.
If the project is a bit too hard, think of things your child can do to help you.
Be encouraging and offer praise.
Most of all, have fun together.

What I Learned Today:

It doesn’t matter if Christmas comes in December or July, it still catches me by surprise.
Having a summer cold is miserable. I am on week three. Maybe it’s time to visit the doctor.

Question: What gifts do you want to sew this year? I’ve got to sew an apron for sure. My mother-in-law has been asking for one for a couple of years.

Here are the blogs participating in the 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop!

Friday, July 14th, 2017

The 12 Days of Christmas in July Has Arrived—Day One

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

From My Carolina Home

Vrooman’s Quilts

Pampered Pettit

Saturday, July 15th

We Need a Little Christmas—Day Two

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Citymousequilter

Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting

Quilting Fun

Sunday, July 16th

Go Tell It on the Mountain—Day Three

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Swimming in a Sea of Estrogen

Everyone Deserves a Quilt

Cheryl’s Teapots2Quilting

Monday, July 17th

Deck the Halls–It’s Day Four of the 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop

Confessions of a Fabric Addict Sarah gives us another sewing assignment just like the others. She’s found some great looking origami ornaments to show us and we can make them too.

Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats (Thanks for visiting me on the hop.)

Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life Wendy adds a colorful touch to the holidays by showing how to color some holiday cheer with the children. You’ll be running for your box of crayons after reading this.

Crayon Box Quilt Studio Michele made a Christmas quilt. She shows how using charms, half charms, and sashing can make a beautiful quilt for anytime of the year. Look closely at the pics to see some design inspiration in her quilting.

Tuesday, July 18th

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Seams To Be Sew

Stitchin at Home

Domestic Felicity

Wednesday, July 19th

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

The Colorful Fabriholic

Smiles From Kate

Thursday, July 20th

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Cheryl’s Teapots2Quilting