Booyah! Homemade stockings hung by the fireplace? Check! I am so thrilled to have completed these! You have no idea! Let me preface this by stating I am not a 'sewer', hmmm I think that is sewer like where your toilet water goes, and I mean sewer as in 'one who sews'. Ok, you get the idea.
I did sew for 4-H growing up, but otherwise I really just bust it out only when circumstances call for it, such as these stockings. So now that we have covered the fact that I am admittedly not going to call myself a seamstress, that's a better word, here's how I made these babies!
I have a general sense of what sewing is. I do not do the whole, buy a pattern and pin it together and mark where to tuck and etc etc. No, I'm to impatient for all of that. I am more of a trial and error kind of gal. And I have to say there was very little error on these stockings. In fact my first one turned out the best. Probably because I took my time and was careful. Also plaid is my new favorite material because it has built in straight lines. But more on that later.
I laid the fabric I bought all face down and traced around a stocking I already owned. Yes they have fancy things to do this, but I just used a regular old number two pencil, you know like the kind we had to bring to tests at school. I digress.
I traced the stocking first facing one way and then the other so i had two pieces of fabric for each stocking and then cut them out just a little wider than my traced on lines. You'll see why later.
I knew I wanted a wide cuff on the stocking so I eyeballed the length and width of a rectangle I thought would work well. Here's where I began singing the praises of plaid. I just followed the plaid lines for straight edges and then used the first rectangle as my template for the other rectangles. Again, I just traced the shape on the back side of the fabric and cut them out.
Here things got a little tricky, well not so much tricky as 'time to sit down and stare at all the pieces for a little while till I came up with a way to sew them together and get a finished product'. But after a cup of coffee and some more staring, I had it. I folded my rectangles in half and then sewed them onto each side of the stocking.
I then turned the stocking so the fabric was pretty side in, see I told you I really don't know much about sewing... I'm pretty sure there are technical words for one side of fabric versus the other. For the purposes of this though, I'll just say I put the pretty sides together. Then since I had cut the stocking a little bigger than my lines, I used my pencils lines as my guide to follow with the sewing machine.
The sewing machine was a gift from my parents for my college graduation, and although I don't use it on a regular basis, I still LOVE it. Thanks Mom and Dad!
The only thing I needed after the two sides of the stockings were sewn together was a loop to hang it from. So I sewed together some scrap fabric and sewed it into the inside seam of the stocking.
Bada boom! Stocking! Woot woot. I told you I was excited.
I know this isn't exactly a technical lesson in making a stocking, but the thing is, I don't follow instructions well on stuff like this, and I'm willing to bet I'm not alone. So for those of you who are looking for a jumping off point on how to do it, there it is.
The first stocking really did turn out the best, just because the plaid gave me great lines to follow. Lucky for me I'm not a perfectionist. For me the heart and love that went into those stockings is all that matters. And if in twenty some years I can still hang these stockings and my girls can smile and say they remember those from when they were young, that is all that matters.
My Mom made an ornament for myself and my siblings every year that we lived at home, and when I moved into my own home, she gave me those eighteen Christmas ornaments to decorate my own tree. It's that feeling of knowing you are deeply loved by someone that took the time to make something special for you, that's what I want to give my girls.
I am beginning to feel the crunch of Christmas presents to still be bought and wrapped and Christmas treats to be made. But I want to take time to enjoy this beautiful time of year. You may not hear from me for a little while, but I'll be back as soon as I can. Until then, have a very Merry Christmas and a beautiful Happy New Year.
I did sew for 4-H growing up, but otherwise I really just bust it out only when circumstances call for it, such as these stockings. So now that we have covered the fact that I am admittedly not going to call myself a seamstress, that's a better word, here's how I made these babies!
I have a general sense of what sewing is. I do not do the whole, buy a pattern and pin it together and mark where to tuck and etc etc. No, I'm to impatient for all of that. I am more of a trial and error kind of gal. And I have to say there was very little error on these stockings. In fact my first one turned out the best. Probably because I took my time and was careful. Also plaid is my new favorite material because it has built in straight lines. But more on that later.
I laid the fabric I bought all face down and traced around a stocking I already owned. Yes they have fancy things to do this, but I just used a regular old number two pencil, you know like the kind we had to bring to tests at school. I digress.
I knew I wanted a wide cuff on the stocking so I eyeballed the length and width of a rectangle I thought would work well. Here's where I began singing the praises of plaid. I just followed the plaid lines for straight edges and then used the first rectangle as my template for the other rectangles. Again, I just traced the shape on the back side of the fabric and cut them out.
Here things got a little tricky, well not so much tricky as 'time to sit down and stare at all the pieces for a little while till I came up with a way to sew them together and get a finished product'. But after a cup of coffee and some more staring, I had it. I folded my rectangles in half and then sewed them onto each side of the stocking.
I then turned the stocking so the fabric was pretty side in, see I told you I really don't know much about sewing... I'm pretty sure there are technical words for one side of fabric versus the other. For the purposes of this though, I'll just say I put the pretty sides together. Then since I had cut the stocking a little bigger than my lines, I used my pencils lines as my guide to follow with the sewing machine.
The only thing I needed after the two sides of the stockings were sewn together was a loop to hang it from. So I sewed together some scrap fabric and sewed it into the inside seam of the stocking.
Bada boom! Stocking! Woot woot. I told you I was excited.
The first stocking really did turn out the best, just because the plaid gave me great lines to follow. Lucky for me I'm not a perfectionist. For me the heart and love that went into those stockings is all that matters. And if in twenty some years I can still hang these stockings and my girls can smile and say they remember those from when they were young, that is all that matters.
My Mom made an ornament for myself and my siblings every year that we lived at home, and when I moved into my own home, she gave me those eighteen Christmas ornaments to decorate my own tree. It's that feeling of knowing you are deeply loved by someone that took the time to make something special for you, that's what I want to give my girls.
I am beginning to feel the crunch of Christmas presents to still be bought and wrapped and Christmas treats to be made. But I want to take time to enjoy this beautiful time of year. You may not hear from me for a little while, but I'll be back as soon as I can. Until then, have a very Merry Christmas and a beautiful Happy New Year.
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Those are adorable. I'm totally digging the antlers on your mantle...very woodsy, Christmas feel. I'm gonna have to remember that one....
ReplyDeleteThanks! I have a whole box of deer antlers that the hub's has found around the ranch. I need to use them more often!
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