Dec. Creative Challenge-It's A Wrap

The time is here again for us to share our Monthly DT Creative Challenge. This month we are focusing on holiday gift giving and making the packages oh-so-pretty!

In 2011, MFT is working harder than ever to inspire you, and we have come up with something we think you'll really enjoy. Our Design Team Creative Challenge is a new monthly feature, where we challenge our design team to explore their creative side using a specific theme, product or technique. This month, "It's a Wrap" Be sure to check the MFT Blog for a list of all the designers who have creative gift solutions for you today! 

I did up a sweet little gift card holder.  I've done mitten shapes in the past BUT this time I was inspired by the darling, new PI-Stocking Girl. So for today's challenge I made a stocking.  Not only are these great gift card holders, they also serve double duty and can  be re-purposed as an ornament.  I always add a large loop of twine to the corner.

These are really easy to make, I'll show you how.

1. draw and cut a template on copy paper.
   
2. Make sure you are making the template wide enough to hold your gift card. I just placed mine on top to give me an idea of how wide it needed to be.
   
3. double up two pieces of felt (I used the beautifu MFT felt-a cherry on top) and lay the template on top. Hold (you can pin it if you need to) in place while you cut around the edge.  I cut just a bit larger than the template, to ensure extra room for the gift card after sewing.
   
4. stitch around the edge of the stocking with a sewing machine, about a 1/4 of an inch from the edge.
   
5. Using a blanket stitch in a contrasting color of crochet thread, stitch around the edge of the sewn stocking, using the machine stitched as a guide.
   
   Here's the completed, stitched stocking.
   

6.Cut two strips of the Wonky Scallop border die in white felt. Attach to top of stocking with scor-tape. Trim to fit the edges.  

7.Embellish the finished felt stocking any way you'd like. I love adding ribbon and a tag.

I used the Clearly Sentiment Label for the base of my tag. I added some Echo Park, Season's Greeting holiday paper to the background and stitched on the tiny scallops.  I made those with the scallop ribbon die-namic.  I only had to cut one piece of that, and cut it in half to fit the top and bottom of my tag. I stamped the sentiment up the side and added some  Tim Holtz Holiday distress ink (evergreen bough) along the edges.

The sweet PI-stocking Girl was stamped on x-press blending cs, colored with copics and her pj's were paper pieced. A bit of stickles glitter was added to jazz up the stocking.

The whole tag is finished off with  a Let it Snow die-namic, some jingle bells, candy cane striped ribbon and  twine. 

To give it stability and allow the whole project to be used as an ornament,  go ahead and stitch on the tag to the top of the stocking.  Just keep the knots on the inside, they'll never be seen.

Kim's Blog has the line up for this month's challenge. Go over there and Check it out.

did you know.....

click the photos to find the die-namics in the boutique