Tuesday, December 25, 2018

The Newest Christmas Stocking

Merry Christmas, y'all!

The year began with the intention of finishing a Christmas stocking for G3 {the newest grandchild} by summer. That plan quickly dropped by the wayside. I finally finished it mid-December, working almost to the wire. It's the cutest one yet - if you like gaudy and loud.

The white rectangle covers the recipient's name for privacy but it's written in green sequins for extra bling. 'Cause Texans can never have enough!

G3 Christmas stocking

All the stockings I've made have a Christmas tree


Christmas tree and mitten on velveteen stocking

and an event from space that occurred in their birth year. This one is the Juno satellite circumnavigating Jupiter's poles. Juno is still actively exploring Jupiter. In fact, NASA posts photos regularly on its feed and social media. 



Juno satellite circumnavigating Jupiter,
beaded Christmas stocking

Then it's open season on ornaments. My mother's stocking had pink bells which reprised on her namesake's. That was fun.

Beaded Christmas bells on a stocking

DH suggested holly when I ran out of ideas. Well, I didn't run out of ideas but many don't work out given my limited artistic ability and use of sequins. A tiny manger was one charming idea that was never realized {Who'd believe sequins and mangers don't go together?} although there is hope I might fashion a sheep one day...

Holly and berries beaded on a Christmas stocking

Most stockings have six or seven felt-and-sequin ornaments. Any remaining space is filled with shiny snowflakes, stars, and random buttons and beads. The deer and bird buttons were special finds at a quilt show. They are plastic with a shank on the back. Very easy to add and non-toxic. The bird fit perfectly on the Christmas tree. How lucky is that?

The felt ornaments crowded the bottom this time leaving a bare spot at the top. {Someone didn't arrange them properly.} Hmm. Searching the internet, I found special glass beads that filled it perfectly. Success and a new idea. 

I'll be upgrading all the stockings as I see them. Each branch of the family tree will get the same bead. G3 and her parents have penguins. Daddy dibs-ed them first. {Is that even a word? We said it in the past tense but there's no way to write it.} There are enough beads for a few future siblings, too. Sounds like a fun task to me but hey, we all know I'm uniquely wired.

While the stockings aren't washable and dry cleaning will take the color off the sequins, they can be gently brushed or vacuumed and carefully stored in bins. There are other ways to make them last. For instance: Each seam is sewed twice and zigzagged around the edges. The lining doesn't extend to the toes. It only goes to the ankle so gifts won't put pressure on that angle when an orange nestles at the bottom.

Sewing the stocking after all beading is attached

This stocking is hung by the chimney with care. G3 loves the way it jingles and I love sharing this heritage with another generation.

Previous stockings with construction pointers:
  1. Mine and my offspring's
  2. G1 and G2 stockings in progress
  3. More progress
  4. G1 and G2 stockings completed

Mel Beach emailed me last week that she pulled my name for a set of Lyric Kinard's Start Your Art cards. Then Lyric mailed not one, but two, sets.

Lyric Kinard's Start Your Art cards

They include warm up exercises to help you start making art whenever you feel blocked. I shared one set with my small group. Thank you Lyric and Mel for opening my eyes.

Enjoy the day, Ann

14 comments:

Pamela said...

What a nice tradition the handmade stockings are!

Julierose said...

Just such fun filled stockings--they really look like fun to make...if very labor intensive. Lovely works all of them Merry Christmas! hugs, julierose

Robin said...

That is quite a stocking!!! You sure put a lot of love in that. Aren't grandchildren the best?

Ann said...

How kind of you, Pamela. They aren't quick although they aren't difficult either. But each person only needs one. We all enjoy deciding how to personalize each of them.

Ann said...

Thanks for writing, Julie Rose. We all enjoy deciding what to put on each one. And after all, everyone only needs one. Happy New Year.

Ann said...

For me it's a lovely connection back to my grandparents. My siblings and I had such fun checking our stockings every year. Then I watched my children enjoy the tradition. And now the third generation has started. As you wrote, they are the best!

Janie said...

I enjoyed your Christmas stockings story and ideas. Beautiful work with beads and sequins too.
The holly and pink bells are gorgeous.
I hope you had a Merry Christmas Ann and Happy New Year to you and your family!

Mel Beach said...

You put so much love into creating the stockings, which will be such cherished family heirlooms!! I still have the stocking my grandmother made for me and love having a piece of her with me on the holidays! So glad you are enjoying the Start Your Art cards!!

Nifty Quilts said...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the fact that you are still making these blingy stockings! I have one that my grandmother made and hubby has one made by his mother, both done sometime in the 1950's. They've held up pretty well, considering, but your construction ideas are going to make these last more than one generation. I'm going to look at your other posts about these right now!

Mary Marcotte said...

Oh my goodness, you've solved the distorted stocking problem. We don't use our stockings because I got tired of replacing them after they hung with stuff weighing them down. It doesn't take very long for the distortion to start. That said, ours will probably still just be used as decorations as I don't see me adding inserts on all 15 or so stockings. Great job on the bling! Your stocking are all so personal. Merry Christmas!

Ann said...

It's a treat to make gifts for another generation and fun to pass family stories along. Happy New Year to you too, Janie.

Ann said...

You are fortunate to have an heirloom made your grandmother. So much love and happy memories.
Thanks again for the cards. They will be useful through the year.

Ann said...

Aren't you and your husband fortunate to have stockings made when you were young. Every year they reignite happy memories, don't they?

Ann said...

I didn't want to line them either but they needed it with all the stitching and mine was lined. It's certainly helped them last. It could be a summer project when the grandkids visit. Happy memory for them.