slow stitching on some christmas stockings

the new autumn season is definitely upon us. we've had some close calls with frost and next week's forecast indicates we'll not be missed again. the tomatoes have their cold frame back up around them and although they weren't very productive we'll protect the last of what has grown.

i've been stitching on many different things over the last couple of weeks but am making progress with several christmas stockings. my wonderful daughter's stocking is getting the last of it's decorative stitching and i won't show it again until it's sewn up into something that looks like it will hold a few christmas surprises.
i am also working on some christmas stockings that will be for local fundraisers.

these two stockings have been cut from some over sized vintage pieced star blocks. the blocks were apparently done by an inexperienced hand and did not lay flat (not even a little). i can cut carefully and make a few tucks here and there to make them work out well for stockings.

 

once they were cut out and fixed up i layered them with some thin batting and did some quick utility stitch hand quilting on them. 

 

this one is being 'interviewed' with a bit of vintage linen as a cuff. the lacy bit was quite shredded in one place but i decided to try my hand at some (slow stitch sunday) lace repair which i've never done before. it's certainly not professional looking but does look nicer than it did and will hold up much better.
i'll also add some embroidery to them.
consider joining the slow stitch sunday link up and/or just checking out what it is that others are putting their hand stitches into over at Kathy's Quilts.


recent gifts include:

• the mountain just beginning to show it's dramatic fall colors
• oven roasted cherry tomato 'jam'
• the satisfying feeling of late summer/early fall garden clean-up
• an old black cat happily purring and joining me for my afternoon naps