Hi Ladies!

Fall is here and already the stores are starting to fill up with Holiday decorations. That can mean one thing - Christmas is just around the corner. I thought we would get a head start on this years SSSS so that everyone has plenty of time to make and buy their SSSS gifts and have them mailed on time.

Be sure to copy/print out your SSSS's Wish List:

Wish List for 2012 SSSS:
http://boards.hgtv.com/eve/for...4011632/m/2423978367


GUIDELINES:

*Your stocking MUST be handmade (no store bought stockings)and filled up with little gifts. This is a Santa Stocking swap so it MUST be a stocking - no pretty little boxes or other containers. Stocking can be made into any shape.

*Your stocking can be made anyway you want to – it does not have to be Crazy Quilted but I would like to see them embellished in some way...maybe a pretty bow, some beads or lace?

* The gifts can be made or store bought and do not have to pertain to sewing/quilting

* Each stocking MUST be at least 12” but NO MORE than 16" in height, width can be whatever you want as long as the dimensions are in a Christmas stocking shape.

* The dollar amount of gifts should be NO MORE THAN $25 and NO LESS THAN $20. (Please do not consider the cost of making your stocking into your gifts) To make it more fun, if you have more than one gift in your stocking, please wrap each gift.

*PLEASE ladies, out of courtesy to your fellow SSSSers, NO smoking or eating around your stockings as some of us have allergies to cigarette ordor and we wouldn't want anyone to drop chocolate all over their stocking.

* Enclose a Card with your board name on it so your partner will know who sent her gift


If anyone has a picture of stockings they have made or received in the past, please feel free to post some pictures for inspiration.

Mail by Date will be: Monday, DECEMBER 17th with confirmation. By mailing the packages out by the 15th it will give everyones package a week to get to its destination. I would like for EVERYONE to be in receipt of their stocking by Saturday the 22nd so we can all have our Annual Party to open our gifts together on Sunday night December 23rd.

Participants:

= STOCKINGS RECEIVED

1. Nicki Lee
2. Sister Sue
3. McPatches
4. FishingWidow
5. Muggo Muggo
6. KC1930
7. Timecard24
8. Quilter Chris
0. Angelinamor
10 SueB
11 TeaSea
12 Aunt Jo
13 Patty J
14 Shogun
15 CQWannabe
16 FayeJean
17 LindaJ52
18 Fleur55
19 Ely
20 Margie
21 Wiley
22 AppleBetty
23 STinMT
24 KMouse
25 Kentucky Sunshine
26 LongJohn
27 KBlue
28 cksvett
29 Heartmania
30 Ekbuckeye
31 ToryAM
32 PurpleButterfly
33 Quiltaholic
34 Crazy'boutquilts
35 Joyfulsewer
36 Thimblelady
37 SDgranny
38 Mo.Star
39 luvthosequilts
40 LadyJ66
41 LisaTX
42 Gemsq
43 llcp48
44 DJillM
45 JLu
46 Aliquilt


Angels - Thank you!

Wiley
KMouse

SPONSORED - to receive a stocking by a Secret Admirer

lilmommie

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nickilee,

Nickilee- Thanks for posting information for the exchange Christmas sock. Count me in. I sent you a PM. Sue

Sending my info!

Nickileee,

Sign me up, sending you my info.

Mary

I think I'm up to it this time around. Sign me up!

me too...I will send you my info...

Nicki, I am in.
I will e-mail my info later.

Nicki, I am in too. I had such fun last year. I need to improve on my stocking for this year though. I will e-mail my info to you Quilter Chris

Yay! So glad you hosted this another year. It is one of my favorite board activities.

Sending you a PM

Sent you a pm with my info.
thanks

here one I did

here one I got
so I want in

Count me in!! I sent you a pm

Thanks Nicki

Sign me up. I'll send out a pm soon. This is a very fun exchange. Join in with us. Maybe I'll get Sister Sue, then I would know for sure what to get her. COAL!!!LOL

I would like to sign up!!!

I have the instructions with the video (that I learned from this board) so I am going to practice and then make a great stocking!!!

Sign me up! This is my favorite swap. I just sent you a PM with my info.

Thank you

Count me in!! I love this project. Thank you for doing this for us.

I'm in again. PM on its way to you in a few minutes. I have the pattern, of course, but I'm going to have to give the stocking material some thought. Hmmmm.

LindaJ52

Count me in, PM already sent.

HI NICKI
I WILL LOVE TO DO THIS ONE AGAIN
WILL SENT INFO.
LOVE ELY

I think I can do this. Sending information. Never did this one, always the 12 days of Chri$tmas swap. steping out of my comfort zone!!!

I enjoyed last year's, so will do again. PM on way.

WOW WEEEEEEEEE! In a matter of a couple days we already have 23 SS's! I'm guessing that we will have quite a few more once the girls come back from the COF Retreat. I just checked my records and the largest participation was 64 and that was a couple years ago. Think we can break that record?

If anyone who has not been a part of this swap is on the fence about signing up - just ask around and you will find it is the Biggest and Best Swap each year.

Also, as in past years, I would like to ask for a couple of volunteers to be Angels should someone not be able to meet their commitment. I already have one sweet Angel standing in the wings should we need her.

I'm in and I will volunteer as an angel also
Probably the only time I will have that title
hahahaha ; )

ohhhhhh yes please!

You can put me down to be an angel as well.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: wiley,

I loved participating last year, and had a great time trying a new method for making the stocking. The cool weather hit last week and I'm already thinking about Christmas gifts. Everything will be home made this year. Hoping to get to the family cabin in the Adirondacks soon to just sit and sew by the fire. Of course there's some wine and crackers involved also- AFTER any rotary cutting is done. I just load a tote of projects into the car, and another tote of "extras" in case I change my mind on some fabrics. I always have way too much stuff, but it's about an hour to a fabric store if I forget something! Sending PM now.

This will be my first year in this swap. I am excited!!!!

I haven't participated in anything in a while. I'm feeling a little voice nudging me back. This sounds like a fun swap. Sign me up, I will pm you my infor

Just sent you a PM, so sign me up... Chris

Just a heads up ladies...

Starting thinking about some things you would like on your WISH LIST. Once I have the final list of all those who are going to be participating in this years SSSS, I will make a separate Post for our 2012 Wish List.

In order to be sure that EVERYONE responds to the Wish List, I will NOT draw names to be match up until EVERYONE has complied. Once names have been matched you should take it upon yourself to go through the Wish List and copy/print out your SSSS's Wish List.

These would be ideas for your SSSS to either buy or make. Think - your favorite color, your style, favorite fabrics, flavors, smells... is there something you really like to have - mug rug? table runner? tote bag?

Please note: Your gift(s) should not be any more or less than $25. You can either buy/make a couple items amounting to $25 or buy just one special item. Magazine subscription, book? Quilting tool?

Get those thinkin caps on.

I sent you a PM. Please sign me up. This swap is so much fun.

TTT

I am thinking about this one. I stepped out last year because of No time to do it. We'll see how my time goes this year. It is a very fun swap.

Photo of stocking I made last year. Starting to look at fabrics/fibers for 2012 stocking.

Jody, Love that stocking ! I'm lucky enough to have been a recipient of one of your stockigns a couple years ago.

Ladies, A question for you.... I have just been asked :

"If I make the gifts that go inside the stocking how do I value them so I reach between 20-25 dollars?"

Anyone care to give your thoughts?

mm..interesting question Nicki...

to me...anything homemade is priceless and no dollar value can be really placed on it...just think if you would be happy receiving the gift yourself....there is no price on our time and energy that goes into something homemade...but I think we should all know what would be considered "acceptable" in the dollar range that you listed...

I want to swap again this year, it's my favorite swap. I'll PM my info to you in a few minutes.

As far as value for homemade items, I agree with QN2 that dollar value is iffy. If I go to J's or H and buy a tomato pin cushion for $5, would I value a homemade one to fit my swapper's wishlist as $10 or $15? I usually get close with the cost of purchased items and homemade things (and candy!) are extras.

Please sign me up. I don't swap much. I am a lurker on here. I will pm you my info.

I loved playing last year and have a lovely stocking from Lori. Not sure that I will play this year--need to evaluate my schedule to see if time allows.

Wanted to share a stocking assembly tutorial that was put together by a few ladies in our guild. It uses two pieces for lining, two pieces for the outside of the stocking, a cuff piece and a piece for the stocking hanger. You could use this assembly technique with any stocking pattern that you desire. The outside pieces of the stocking could be pieced, CQed, etc. Just cut your pieces according to your pattern or desired shape and the video shows you how to put it together with a nice lining and no exposed seams.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsXB15TDtS4

I have written instructions that go along with it if anyone is interested.

Thanks Lisa - that's a pretty interesting way to put a stocking together - think I'll have to try that out.

It seems a bit funny the first time, but it works out great. We made over 400 last year for the guild, so we got pretty good at assembly line sewing!

That's pretty slick, Lisa. Thanks for sharing!

I used this tute from Cluck Cluck Sew last year. http://www.cluckclucksew.com/2...cking-with-cuff.html
It is another easy method to avoid exposed seams. Tried to attach photo- will have to reduce it.

This is the beautiful stocking that I received one year... chris

2011 Stocking

I am almost ready to commit to this swap. Do you make the stocking according to the colors the receiver likes? If you make it in traditional colors or fabric you already own do you start the stocking ahead of time?

A reminder for those using tutorials that if you embellish heavily the stocking will reduce in size a little bit.

pb

Mine was made for the favorite colors of my recipient, but it seemed folks did it either way.

I'm going to jump in and play with you ladies! Sending a PM, hippie!

LongJohn,Wish I could join you in the cabin. Sounds like so much fun. I will have to wait until Mothers doctor appointment is next week to see if I will be able to join in. If she needs anymore surgery or care than she is getting now, then I will have to forget about all the fun sewing.