Serger Christmas Stocking

Transcription

1 Serger Christmas Stocking By Pam Mahshie, Director of Education, Baby Lock USA Skill Level: Intermediate Experimenting with your serger can inspire unique projects and gifts for the holidays. When I discovered the decorative effects that can be achieved on a serger, I found a new source of creativity for all my projects. The Serger Christmas Stocking utilizes techniques that are easy to accomplish yet look very detailed. On this stocking, I used serger flatlocking, decorative serger chain, serger fringe, and even attached beads using the serger. Impress your family and friends with these easy and fun techniques. Then use you new skills to turn any plain piece of fabric into a new creation. Supplies: Baby Lock Serger Baby Lock Sewing Machine Serger beading foot Serger blindhem foot 1-1/3 yds of fabric

2 2/3 yds of lightweight fleece 1 yd - 2" wide insertion lace 2 yds - 2mm strung pearls 1-2" x 36" piece of contrasting color fabric 12" piece of 1/4" wide ribbon Sulky Tear-Easy Stabilizer - 1 pkg. 6 cones YLI Pearl Crown Rayon 4 cones all-purpose serger thread to match fabric 1 spool all-purpose thread to match fabric Directions: Cutting Instructions: From the main fabric: Cut 2 - fleece pieces Cut 2 - lining pieces Cut 1 - header piece 5" wide x the distance around the top of the stocking +1" On the remaining piece of fabric, mark vertical lines 1" apart

3 Serger Settings: Stitch: Left needle 2-thread flatlock Stitch Width: 7.5mm Stitch Length: 2.5mm Blindhem foot Lower Looper: YLI Pearl Crown Rayon Thread Left Needle: All-purpose thread Engage subsidiary looper 1. Fold the wrong sides together on the marked lines. Sew along each line, placing the fold of the remaining fabric with marked lines along the guide of the blindhem foot. 2. Gently open the fabric flat when each row is completed. Continue to sew each row until the fabric is striped.

4 Serger Settings: Stitch: Narrow 2-thread flatlock Beading foot Stitch Width: M Stitch Length: 3mm Lower Looper: All-purpose thread Right Needle: All-purpose thread Engage subsidiary looper 3. Working with the Header section of fabric, draw lines the length of the fabric piece, with the first row 3/4" from the top. Draw two additional lines 3/4" from the first line and 3/4" apart. 4. Insert the end of the beads into the guide in the beading foot. Fold the fabric wrong sides together along the drawn lines. Sew the beads on the first two drawn lines. Gently pull fabric open allowing it to lie flat. 5. For the last line of stitching, place the lace and the contrast piece of fabric right side down under the folded fabric with the lace on the bottom (See Diagram A). Position the beads in the beading foot as you did for the previous rows of stitching and stitch, catching the lace and constrast fabric. Open the last row, allowing the fabric to lie flat. Press open the stitching, being careful not to press directly on the beads because they might melt. Serger Fringe

5 Serger Settings: Stitch: Wide 3-thread Stitch Width: 5.5mm Stitch Length: 2mm Upper & Lower Looper: Pearl Crown Rayon thread Left Needle: Matching all-purpose thread 6. Chain off a length of decorative serger chain by gently holding onto the chain as it comes out behind the foot, providing gentle pressure. This helps to ensure that the chain is even and flat. To create the fringe, you need a chain that is at least 35 times the length of the header. (In our case, that would be 35" x 18", or a chain 630" long. 35 x 18 = 630) 7. Cut two strips of the tear-away stabilizer 3-1/2" wide and 18" long. Wrap the decorative thread chain around the width of the stabilizer, placing each row close together until the stabilizer is completely covered. 8. Sew the fringe to the stabilizer using a 1/4" seam. Tear the stabilizer away after sewing. 9. Place the 1/4" seam line of the fringe on the unfinished edge of the contrast fabric and lace and 3/4" from the edge of the header strip (See Diagram B). Stitch on the previous stitching of the fringe. Finish the raw edge of the header near the fringe using the 4-thread stitch on the serger. Turn this edge of the fabric to the wrong side along the stitching line, pressing in place. Serger Settings: Stitch: Balanced 4-thread stitch Needles & Loopers: All-purpose thread 10. Using the stocking pattern, cut 2 stocking body pieces from the striped fabric you created with

6 flatlocking. 11. Layer stocking lining, right side down with fleece between the lining and the main stocking fabric. The striped fabric will be right side up. You will have a set for the front and back of the stocking. Place the stocking front set and the stocking back set, right sides together. Sew the front and back together using the 4-thread stitch on the serger, with a 1/4" seam allowance. 12. Using the sewing machine, seam the header ends together using a 1" seam allowance. Find the center of the header section and the center of the stocking front. Matching the centers, place the right side of the header to the wrong side of the stocking. Fold the piece of 1/4" ribbon in half so that it is now 6" long, placing the raw edges between the header and stocking body at the side of the stocking. Sew the header and stocking body together using the 4-thread stitch on the serger. 13. Turn the stocking right side out, folding the header down to the right side along the first row of pearls.