Appleton Dance

Alisa's shopping tote Here are the rest of my handmade holiday gifts for 2014. I started out with the aprons featured in my Dec. 2 post  "Handmade holiday presents 2014: Hot Cider apron panel"  . For one of my favorite gifts, I used that same apron panel to make a shopping tote for Alisa using the  Metro Shopping Bag pattern from Bags: the Modern Classics by Sue Kim (Stash Books, 2011) p. 81. I used a coordinating fabric from Wilmington Fabrics  "Hot Cider" line, and for a touch that I really love,  I added piping to the seams of the front and back panels. If you add piping to your project, don't forget to strip the cording out of the last one inch of both ends of the piping to make the top seams easier to stitch. The tote handles are made of webbed belting available at JoAnne Fabrics. Tote in cotton twill by Project by Cotton, made in Japan I also made this tote in a c otton twill with a multi-colored, stylized cat design by  Project b...

I made a Christmas stocking for Jake from a printed panel I bought last year at Jennifer's Quilt Shop in Pinckney. The panel is called "Jolly Old St. Nick" by Susan Winget for Benartex. It's really pretty with St. Nicholas in his sleigh pulled by eight reindeer. I used waste canvas to cross stitch Jake's initials to the top of the panel, and added a few beads to highlight the design. Then I quilted the front panel, outlining the design in places with a running stitch. I made pretty, fat cording for the seam and lined the stocking. I think it turned out pretty cute. It's a good size -- 14x27-inches -- and is nice and wide with lots of room for gifts inside. Here's Jake, the boy, with his Aunt Alisa at Thanksgiving.