How to Sew Squares for a Quilted Christmas Stocking
The fundamentals of quilting are the same whether you're making a large quilt or a small item such as the child's quilted Christmas stocking. The choice of fabrics, arrangement of pieces and stitching design are factors that determine the character of the finished piece. Once you learn the basic quilting technique, you'll be able to adapt it to many different quilting designs.
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Things You'll Need
- Fabric for stocking template
- Assorted fabrics
- Scissors
- Spray adhesive
- Quilting thread
- Thimble
Instructions
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Join the pieces of fabric together. The traditional way involves seaming them together with a ΒΌ-inch seam. The quicker method used on the child's Christmas stocking is to fold under the seam allowances on the small squares and place them on top of a fabric template, which is the shape of your stocking plus the seam allowance. They can overlap and hang over the sides because when you finish quilting and sewing the stocking together, the edges will all be secured in the seam.
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2
Select a good quilting thread for its strength and durability. If you're making a project with cotton fabric, you should also use a cotton thread for quilting. You may choose to use a matching color or decide on a contrasting color of thread for a greater affect.
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3
Choose a thin, short needle when quilting. Quilters select a "sharp" because of its smaller size and ability to maneuver several small stitches as it weaves in and out of the fabric. You may want to experiment with different types of needles to find one best suited to your needs.
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Start quilting your piece after you've arranged all of the squares. Begin in the corner of one of the squares, work around it with small quilting stitches and then proceed to the adjoining square. The goal is to make sure you securely attach each piece to the fabric template underneath, so quilt as close to the edge of each square as possible.
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Finish all of your quilting before you finish assembling your Christmas stocking.
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Tips & Warnings
You may want to hold the squares in place by spraying fabric adhesive onto the template before arranging them.
A thimble on placed on your middle finger offers protection from sticks and helps you guide the needle through the layers of fabric.
