Craft-Along Hoops...2 out of 3

Two down....one more to go!  

I can't leave anything alone, either - I needed snow for my snowman and Cute Verlynne suggested jingle bells and I {gasped} because, YES, these needed jingle bells.  Naturally.  I love putting 3-dimensional elements onto stitchery, so this is exciting for me.

Below is an illustration of the stitches I used.  Everything is mostly done in a backstitch, using 3 strands of DMC floss in a dark charcoal gray.  (#3799)

If you need a stitch guide, I made one a while back with the birth of my beloved advent tree!

Um...so that snowdrift...looks like a blind, drunk person did that in the dark, but the reality is that it WAS done in the dark, though I'm not very blind and I don't drink.  :/   However, I kind of like that it looks imperfect, so I'm going to leave it alone.  Sometimes imperfection is perfect!  :)

I also don't LOVE my snowman nose...I got a little artsy with turning it into a carrot and it doesn't look like I want it to...but I'm leaving it alone, as well.  

Christmas Craft-Along - Hoops

Okay, so since we're all crafting along together, here is what you have to do to start the hoops:

1.)  Measure your linen fabric & cut it to size, giving yourself plenty of space around the hoop.  My hoops are 8" around and I did the whole eyeball measure, snip, and tear technique.

If you're going to make a set of these, you might as well make two sets and give one away!  :)

2.)  Gather bits, pieces, and scraps of fabrics that you want to use.  I found all of mine at Wal-Mart, so my options were limited, but I ended up with colors that will work.

3.)  Iron-on Heat & Bond - DOUBLE SIDED.  You're going to want a paper lining on one side so you can iron one part onto your colored fabric and be able to iron the pieces onto your linen to secure them before stitching.

 4.)  Making my pattern pieces.  (Links to downloadable PDFs below)

If you don't like my pattern pieces, feel free to freehand your own - it's super easy.  Trace your hoop to get your dimensions and draw away, leaving yourself 2-3 inches on the edges to secure underneath the hoop when you're done.

 Now I'm going to trace my pieces onto the paper side of my Heat & Bond, cut them out, and iron them onto my linen.  Then I'll be ready to stitch them down and they'll be pretty much done!  

Make sure to print these on cardstock so they're easy to cut out and trace with.  

Hoops Pattern Page 1
Hoops Pattern Page 2

Make sure to trace your patterns IN REVERSE (right sides together).  If not, no worries, your images will just be mirrored to what mine are, which is totally fine.

When you're done tracing and cutting, make sure to remove the paper backing before you place them onto the linen.

So this is how I configured my pieces onto the fabric.  I set the ring down in the center and built inside of it, ensuring I have enough on the outer edges like I need.

Once I got the pieces exactly where I needed them to be, I moved the hoop and pressed everything down.  

Here is how the cutout images should be positioned: {sorry--didn't have time to edit these pics}

Notice that there is enough extra applique fabric beyond the borders of the hoop.

Have a Happy Day!!  And Happy Crafting! 

Let me know if you have any problems with the PDF patterns!!

-Abby