Add a sweet look to your Christmas tree with embroidered candy cane holders. Fun and festive, these quick stitching designs have been specially digitized to sew entirely in the hoop. Hang them on your tree, or use as a tasty gift tag.
Supplies
- Two 4" x 4" pieces of craft felt
- Tear-away stabilizer
-Medium-weight (2.5 - 3 oz) cutaway stabilizer
Tools
- Craft knife and pad
- Masking tape
- Temporary Spray Adhesive (like Gunold KK100)
Designs Used
Craft felt is an excellent choice, but you can use any good-quality fabric with a tight weave.
Denim, twill, linen, chamois, flannel, Ultra suede, and Kona cotton are good choices. Avoid low-grade or loose-weave fabrics, such as cheap quilter's cotton. That type of fabric will fray, and you may see separation and gaps between the border and the fabric.
Use a size 11 or 75/11 sharp sewing needle, not an embroidery needle. A sharp sewing needle has a finer point than an embroidery needle, and it will make cleaner, smaller perforations in the tear-away stabilizer
When you download a candy cane holder you'll find three files. Two are dielines, and those are marked with the letters DL. Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the right shape and size before embroidering.
Spray a piece of cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive and smooth the felt on top
Spray the front dieline printout with temporary adhesive and smooth that on top of the felt. Cut out the shape. Repeat this for the back dieline, too.
After the fabric and stabilizer pieces are cut to the right shape, it's time to embroider the design. Hoop a piece of tear-away stabilizer.
Attach the hoop to the machine. Load the full embroidery file (not the DL files) to the machine. Embroider the design. Use a size 11 or 75/11 sharp sewing needle, not an embroidery needle. The first thing to sew is a placement stitch for the front fabric piece.
Spray the back of the front fabric and stabilizer piece with a small amount of temporary adhesive. Place that piece inside the sewn outline.
Continue embroidering the design. The color change sheet for the design is an excellent guide, and will show you the order that the design stitches. A tack down stitch will sew, binding the fabric to the stabilizer.
Other elements of the design will sew. Follow along on the color change sheet.
When you get to the section on the color change sheet that says "back piece tack down," stop the machine and remove the hoop. Do not remove the stabilizer from the hoop.
Cut a length of ribbon. Form a loop, and tape it in place on the back fabric and stabilizer piece as shown.
Turn the hoop over and spray the backside of the back piece with temporary adhesive. Place the back piece within the shape on the back of the embroidery. Tape the ribbon loop on the end of the hoop to keep it out of the way when embroidering.
Since both sides of the candy cane holder will be visible when complete, wind a bobbin with the same thread you are using in the needle.
Attach the hoop to the machine and continue embroidering the design. A tack down stitch will sew, binding the front and back fabric pieces together. A satin stitch border is a nice, smooth finish.
The last thing to stitch will be two buttonholes. These will be the openings for inserting the candy cane. Because we used white felt, we chose white thread for the buttonholes. The buttonholes are seen from both sides, so use the same thread in the bobbin as in the needle.
After the design is completed, unhoop the stabilizer and gently tear it away.
Lay the holder on a self-healing pad. Use a craft knife to cut the buttonholes open.
Slide a candy cane through the buttonholes.
One of the candy cane holders, X5737, Snowman, uses a fabric applique piece for the snowman's body. When you download that design, you'll find a fourth file: a dieline or DL file for the body. Print the DL file, then use it to cut a fabric piece for the body. As you embroider the design, you'll find that an outline stitch for the body sews in CC5.
Spray the back of the fabric with temporary adhesive, and place it in the stitched outline.
A tack down stitch will bind the fabric to the stabilizer. All the other steps are the same.
Simply slide a candy cane through the buttonholes of the holder and hang this adorable design on your tree this Christmas!
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care -- and embroidered candy canes were seen everywhere! Use the in-thehoop designs as a stunning stocking stuffer, too.
Or, use the ribbon to tie them on holiday presents! They're a fun way to bring the sweetness of the season to your gift-giving.
