Hello makers. It’s Lauren Wright here from Molly and Mama and today I’m sharing one of my favourite projects made with fabric from one of my favourite designers! Introducing the Night Before Christmas Stocking, sewn with beautiful prints from Minki Kim’s latest collection: ‘In The Afterglow‘.
I love working with fabrics designed by Minki. She has such a clever way of combining warm and cool tones, brights, pastels and neutrals, and florals and geometrics. Minki’s colour palette inspiration for this collection was based on capturing the light and radiance found in the setting sun.
If you’re familiar with my work, you’ll know I love florals and pastels. So you won’t be surprised to see the prints that I chose to work with. I chose the apricots, dusty rose, pale pinks, blues and creams. But I also surprised myself by selecting the main print in the deeper shades of forest and orchid. I love the riot of flowers, leaves and strawberries in those prints!
I decided to sew a new version of my Night Before Christmas Stocking because we love celebrating Christmas in July in Australia. We’re in the thick of Winter right now, so it’s a lovely way to celebrate everything festive, without the searing summer heat of our traditional Christmases. Plus it’s a great way to get a jump on my holiday sewing, so I’m not leaving it to the last minute like I usually do!
The Night Before Christmas Stocking features an English paper pieced hexagon front, a patchwork back, a little front pocket, a full lining and a bound top. I even show you how to make the little sugar mouse that sits in the front pocket too. Grab your copy of the pattern HERE.
The first stage in the stocking construction is to piece the front hexagon panel. (If you’re new to English paper piecing, feel free to visit my Beginner’s Tutorial for more information.) Glue basting the hexagons is one of my favourite things to do. How lovely is this little pile of hexies? It’s a great way to really show off some of the gorgeous motifs in the fabric collection.
The hardest part of sewing the English paper pieced front panel is deciding where all the hexagons should go. The different prints, patterns and colours in this collection made that part easy!
After quilting the hexie panel, the rest of the stocking came together quickly and easily. I used a Confetti Cottons basic for the pocket, binding and hanging loop. It’s called Ballerina.
I love the simple pieced back. It really helps to showcase those dainty florals beautifully.
I wasn’t sure how the bolder prints would go amongst the pastels, but the forest green print was perfect for the lining. It adds a nice contrast and is a bit of a surprise when you open the stocking to tuck Christmas treats inside. I especially love the little strawberries.
You can make this project in traditional Christmas prints, but I love that it also looks just as sweet and festive in fabrics that aren’t holiday themed.
I’m hosting a stocking club in August 2023, where we sew along together to make this project over four weeks. If you’d like to join us, sign up the newsletter so you don’t miss a thing!
Thanks for reading along today. I hope I’ve inspired you to start your holiday sewing early. If you do decide to make one, I’d love to see. Tag me #mollyandmama on Instagram!
And before I go, I wanted to share a photo of the entire collection. It’s amazing how different your projects can look, depending on the colours and prints chosen. This range gives you lots of scope. Ask for it at your favourite retailer now.
Happy stitching, Lauren.
