Don't look at me!
You're the one who said "yes"!
Think of a Christmas project within about three weeks... sure! No problemo!
Rosie's laughing at me. She knew I would go into a panic trying to think of something to make for my Christmas project. She knows that I don't do anything until the last minute. And she knows that I obsess about this kind of thing. I worry about whether my idea will be big enough... elaborate enough... fancy enough!
And then there's trying to follow in the extraordinarily creative footsteps of Gudrun, Sandy, Pat, Terry, Pam, Terri, Sherri, Kari, Heather, Linda and Roseann.
My head hurts.
But I love making what we're going to make today and I hope you do too... but more on that in a moment.
Let me get today's topic done first and then we'll get back to the project. Today's the day that Gudrun asked us to share a favorite gift from a child.
Never got one.
Okay... that's done.
Alright. That isn't exactly true. Like all of you, I've received quite a few gifts from children and they're all wonderful. My favorite was last year. My friend, Marsha, has a terrific grandson, Brennan. Actually, Marsha is an over-achiever when it comes to grandchildren, she's got nine of them! Brennan is her son Jacob's, son. At eight, he's already well on his way to being a sweetheart and heartbreaker.
Last year, while out shopping with his grandmother, he announced to her that he wanted to get me a rose. Awwww... I know, that was what I thought when I heard it. When his Gran commented that it was just a few more dollars for a whole bouquet, that's what he got me. A dozen roses! Just because it was Christmas! No prompting from Grandma! How cool is that? When that boy's "legal", I'm going to marry him! He'll be perfect too ~ he's going to be quite tall! (His Dad is 6' 6"!)
Now for "The Project"... When Gudrun asked me to come up with a free project for the Cross Country Christmas Quilt Designer Blog Hop, I started thinking about all the things that I've made over the years. Decorations, accessories, decor, quilts, gifts, and so on. Big and small, good and bad, easy and hard... I went down a really long list and tried to come up with something that fit my requirements:
- No specialized skills or experience required.
- No specialized items or tools are required for completion.
- Project does not require the purchase of 12,000 yards of fabric
- Project does not require 26,038 hours of time to complete.
Hmmm... that kind of narrows things down, doesn't it?
My thoughts kept coming back to one of my favorite Christmas decorations. I first made these several years ago but the version I made was somewhat larger. They were terrific and I really liked them but they weren't "perfect". My friend Ginger changed all that by making them smaller. She also aged them.
So what are we making today?
Candy Canes! What really makes them perfect is that they are fat free, sugar free and they'll last for years and years.
They have multiple uses too! In addition to looking awesome in a bucket or container, they can be used as a tie-on for gifts, as a garland, or for tree ornaments. They are virtually indestructible, and seriously, they're very easy to make.
Before I continue, I want you to know that I learned how to make these from Ginger Sanchez of Ginger Sanchez Designs. These candy canes were one of the projects in a Christmas Workshop class that Ginger taught at the Liberty Gathering in Liberty, Missouri several years ago. While others have made candy canes, the size and look of Ginger's are the best. So I asked her if I could borrow her template and then create the step-by-step instructions you would need to make them for yourself. I have her permission to use her template and so do you. The template and instructions provided are for your personal use.
I hope you like them as much as I do. The only other thing I'll tell you at the start is that the first couple are the hardest to make. You'll figure out the best way to stuff them ~ I recommend "slowly" ~ and you'll question how much stiffener to use to get them "just right". You'll also worry about what "just right" is. It's what you want it to be. There isn't any perfect degree of stiffness, it's what you want it to be for the "look" that you like. The same goes with the amount of dye in the stiffener. And don't worry, this will all make sense once you've made a few candy canes.
Here's what you'll need:
- 1 fat quarter or 1/4 yard of fabric. Stripes are good but not absolutely required.
- 6" x 10" piece of template plastic
- permanent marker ~ a fine-line Sharpie is my favorite
- scissors
- sewing machine with neutral thread
- stuffing ~ I like the Sweet Dreams Cotton Stuffing
- Fastturn or bodkin to turn candy cane right side out ~ optional
- fat knitting needle for smoothing the curved edges and stuffing the candy cane
- Plaid Stiffy Glue or Elmer's All-Purpose Glue
- Pan/bowl for glue
- RIT Liquid Dye - Tan ~ optional
- plastic hanger
- paint brush and glitter ~ optional
The first thing you're going to need is a pattern ~ a template.
Candy Cane Pattern ~ Template
This is a downloadable PDF file. You can use this exactly as it is, this is what I use to make my candy canes.
Step 1. Print out the pattern sheet. Get a piece of template plastic and a permanent marking pen.
Step 2. Trace the candy cane onto a piece of template plastic.
Step 3. Cut out the template.
Step 4. Prepare a piece of fabric measuring 9" x 21". Press the fabric.
- Print or Straight Stripe Fabric. Fold the fabric in half to measure 9" x 10" and press it with right sides together.
- Diagonal Stripe Fabric. Cut the fabric in half to yield two pieces measuring 9" x 10". Press both pieces.
Note: I hadn't cut the piece of stripe fabric in half yet when I took this picture.
Step 5 ~ Print or Straight Stripe Fabric. Trace the template onto the wrong side of the fabric as many times as will fit keeping at least 1/2" between the candy canes.
Note: For a straight stripe fabric, make sure that the lines are matching each other when the two layers of fabric are "stacked". This will allow the lines to match when the two sides are stitched together.
Step 5 ~ Diagonal Stripe Fabric. Lay one piece of stripe fabric on the table with right side up. With the right side down, lay the second piece on top giving it a quarter-turn so that the lines are lined up with the bottom piece of fabric.
Note: The piece in the picture was purposely cut a little smaller so that you could see what I meant by matching the lines of the two pieces.
Trace the template on the wrong side as shown.
Step 6. Using a neutral thread and a relatively small stitch, start stitching at the bottom of the candy cane. Do not stitch across the bottom. Stitch on the drawn line. Continue stitching all the way around the candy cane until you are at the bottom ~ and again, do not stitch across the bottom of the candy cane.
Step 7. Using a pair of scissors, trim the candy cane to a 1/4" seam allowance. Do not clip the seam on the curves!
This is what the candy canes should look like when they have been stitched and trimmed.
Step 8. Using a sharp pair of small scissors, make little "scoops" in the seam allowance to create an inside-sort-of-scallop as shown. This does the same thing as clipping the curve but it keeps it from "bumping" in places. It's a doll-makers trick that I learned from Ginger.
Note: I really do recommend a small pair of sewing-type scissors. Big dressmaking shears don't give you the control you need. Neither do small embroidery scissors. You need scissors that cut two layers of fabric easily and give you flexibility and control so that you don't cut into the seam itself.
Press the bottom edge up ~ it will make it a little easier to sew the bottom closed when you're finished stuffing the candy cane.
Step 9. Turn the candy cane inside out. There are several tools on the market for turning this kind of piece right side out. They are usually called loop turners or bodkins. The tools work well but you can also use a thick knitting needle. If you have a Fasturn, you can use it for this, it will work really well.
Stuffing ~ Cotton stuffing isn't required but it is my favorite. This is the brand I like. It can usually be found anyplace that carries Quilter's Dream Batting as they are made by the same company.
Have you turned the candy canes right side out?
Step 10. Stuff the candy canes. They can be as firm as you like. Since they will be stiffened once they are finished, they don't need to be really firm. You'll need a tool to push the stuffing down to the tip of the candy cane, I like using a Size 10 US knitting needle in a shorter length. It's short enough to maneuver and fat enough to do a good job "pushing" the stuffing down the tube of the candy cane.
Note: Make sure you stuff the tip of the candy cane ~ on the hook part ~ as firm as you want it before you start working your way through the curve. Once you start getting the stuffing in the curve, it can be hard to push it into the tip.
When you've stuffed it to your desired firmness, turn the bottom edges to the inside and stitch the bottom closed. While neatness counts, if you're going to have these in a container, don't worry too much about it because it won't be seen by anyone.
One more thing... If you don't want to stuff the candy cane too tightly but you still want it to stand, you can thread a piece of floral wire into the straight part of the cane. Loosely stuff the candy cane and thread the wire into the candy cane, trying to keep it in the middle of the tube. Stuff the candy cane a little bit more until you're satisfied. Stitch the end closed.
Step 11. Almost done... Here's what you need to know about the next couple of steps:
- Stiffy Fabric Stiffener. This is used "straight". You do not need to dilute this, just use it straight out of the bottle. (Available at JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby & Michaels.)
- If you don't have the Fabric Stiffener, you can use regular Elmer's Glue. You can use it straight out of the bottle and paint it onto the candy cane using a brush or you can dilute it with water ~ about 2 parts glue to 1 part water ~ and follow the steps for the Stiffy solution.
- RIT Tan Liquid Dye. This is used to give the candy canes an aged or "vintage" look.
- Glitter! This is Martha Stewart Tinsel Glitter in Mica. (Available at Michaels.)
Step 11. Select a pan or bowl big enough to accomodate the candy cane. Pour the fabric stiffener/glue into the pan/bowl.
Note: If you're doing lots of candy canes, use more of the stiffener/glue. Since I only had two candy canes ready at this point, I filled the pan to about 1/2" depth.
Lay the candy cane in the dish and turn it a few times to make sure that it is completely coated. Set aside onto a foil lined baking sheet.
For a vintage or aged candy cane... Pour a little bit of RIT Tan Liquid Dye into the stiffener/glue mixture ~ I use a generous tablespoon of dye for each 1/2 cup of stiffener. Mix it in and stir it up.
Coat the candy cane as shown.
Step 12. Hang the candy canes onto a plastic hanger until dry. It will take a day or so, depending on how saturated they are, how much they were stuffed, etc. After drying, if you would like the candy canes to be a little more stiff ~ or a little more aged ~ you can repeat the process until you reach your desired results.
Note: To speed up the drying process, you can dry them in the oven. Let the candy canes dry a little bit, then put them on a baking sheet - foil-lined or plain. Use a low temperature - 200 F -- and "bake" them until they're dry. Turn them over about every 30 minutes to make sure they dry all the way through.
Repeat to make as many candy canes as desired. Start collecting stripes ~ twills, wovens, printed stripes, they'll all work! And plaids! Don't forget about plaids! And ginghams!
Ginger prefers stripes but I really do like everything else ~ prints and plaids too. And solids! I like the mix of colors and patterns... though there is something to be said for a big collection of stripes.
If you've been careful about matching up the stripes, this is what the candy canes should look like from the top.
Options...
- When the candy cane is dry, you can paint it with glue and sprinkle it with glitter or mica for a "frosty" look.
- The candy canes can be made longer or shorter by lengthening/shortening the shaft of the candy cane on the pattern/template.
- The candy canes can be made larger or smaller by enlarging/reducing the pattern/template using your copier/printer.
Other uses for the candy canes...
- These make great tie-ons for gifts. By itself with plain ribbon or string or with a little sprig of evergreen or boxwood, it's a very nice addition to a gift.
- Christmas tree decorations. As with real candy canes, just hook the fabric candy cane over a branch for a wonderful home-made "ornament".
- Tie a nametag to a candy cane and use it as a placecard at the dinner table... though you will run the risk that your guests might think they get to keep the candy cane.
And there you have it ~ one of my favorite hand-made, home-made, custom-made Christmas decorations. And it's the only one that won't take you a month or more to make.
Now about that contest... Leave a comment here by 12:00 am, Midnight, November 18th, Mountain Time and you will be entered in a drawing to win... ?
Here's what you're going to win:
- Enough stripe fabric to make at least 12 candy canes.
- Stuffing, Stiffy Fabric Stiffener, and a package of greenery.
- A Madeline quilt kit including 2 charm packs, border yardage, and a pattern.
- Assorted Christmas-related goodies that shall remain a secret and a surprise!
I'm off... the construction/renovation work on my sewing room started yesterday. The sliding door is gone and a new window is in its place. The painting starts on Friday so I'm going to get to spend the next two days scraping popcorn off the ceiling. Ugh... the ladder. I knew I wasn't done with it just yet.
Wish me luck.
