The problem with being a child-bride who spent all her time reading rather than doing is that I'm so, so, so very behind. As I told you, I'm only now getting my own Christmas stockings together, decorating my kids' rooms, and putting the finishing touches on/finally starting our family traditions. (As you prepare your Epiphany celebrations, have a few brain cells to spare for Candlemas, which is soon.)
I have a vague idea that Nick and Natasha do have Christmas stockings (correct me if I'm wrong), and I know that Annie made her brother the Lt. and Rosie (and then Pippo) theirs -- that girl is a crafting whiz, let me tell you. While I'm dithering over ancient projects, she's whipping up wedding quilts left and right, and doesn't let the excuse that she just had her 3rd baby stop her! (This is by way of announcing a new outlaw, Christopher Edward! And he's a darling!)
So I really thought that I had better put in a good showing this Christmas with stockings for the engaged ones.
Here's my thought process, in case you were wondering, and what took me so long in the first place.
I can't quilt or embroider or needlepoint or knit or otherwise implement any intensive crafting process to make stockings, because it is Christmas, when you have so many demands on your time, and besides, you just know that you will end up needing ten of them, and who has that kind of time for needlepoint? The thought is just too overwhelming.
I was also a little paralyzed by the worry that today's cute craft will be tomorrow's embarrassing relic.
But cutting fabric and embellishing it a little -- that I can do. The key to longevity, I believe, is to use real fabric -- wool, cotton, linen -- and the key to do-ability is to aim for overall effect, not fussy details. I mean, if you want to embroider the Christmas stockings, go for it. I just know I don't have it in me.
And I worry about imposing my thoughts about what the tradition should look like on someone else. But, I bit the bullet and here is what Deirdre and Sukie got for Christmas this year:
As I looked around to see what I could make the stockings from that would be textured, more or less neutral, and seasonal, I remembered this toweling I bought at a yard sale a couple of years ago:
But the natural color, the green -- they called to me. It's easy to make a template of a nice-sized Christmas stocking with a piece of paper, quickly cut out (cotton muslin) lining and stocking, sew them together (a matter of minutes), and finish off with red rick-rack (joy! -- except, I'll be honest, my machine did not like sewing that rick-rack on, no matter what I did to coax it) and a jingle bell.
The finishing touch is to press them well -- the lovely thing about linen, especially old linen, is the way it takes a pressing.
Later we can think about how to label them. Maybe the girls themselves would like to indulge in a bit of embroidery?
Still plenty of time to join in on {phfr}! We'd love to see you!
