~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
Every Thursday, here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
{pretty}
I love the Christmas stockings I finally (finally! after 30 years!) made for my family. I love that I was able to use some outrageous Scottish wool skirts and suits that a friend gave me to “figure out what to do with.” It made me {happy}!
But… the ribbon was a quick fix. I didn't have a vision of how I could finish off the tops.
{funny}
I do laugh at myself for this mayhem, when I should be calmly crafting presents or baking Christmas cookies. Or maybe humming Advent hymns while I prepare baby Jesus' bed in my heart.
{real}
This photo was supposed to be for when I got around to showing you how I used the stair paint, on a whim, to perk up the trim in my pantry.
But never mind that right now, although it is super interesting and pretty.
If you look there, below the window… see? on that little cute bin? See? It's summer, right? Out that window?
And I had put the stockings there, under my nose, directly after last Christmas, so that I would avoid just this — the mad, week-before-Christmas stocking re-do.
Jen says
I'm FINALLY participating! Yay! I always enjoy checking out {pretty, happy, funny, real}.
(P.S. My post won't be active until 12:01a.m. MTN.)
Jen says
I love the stockings! They are on my to-do list for this year as well. 🙂
EML says
Great job on the stockings! I have been wanting to do that, but never seem to get around to it…maybe next year!
Michelle Reitemeyer says
I have had all the supplies to make two children and 1 adult red velvet Christmas vests since back when I only had 2 little boys. Now I could use that fabric to make them for my 3 boys – my oldest would fit the adult size now. Maybe this year? Time is running out…
The stockings are lovely. I do like the contrasting fabrics for a topper in the picture of them on the floor. A cuff would look good…top stitch the top edge with a patterned stitch to keep it in place and flat. But that can wait for next year.
Megan says
THANK YOU for posting about your beautiful stockings! A friend recently got me my first (vintage!) sewing machine and my husband asked if my first official project could be stockings for the family for next Christmas. I love your pattern and will definitely be using it 🙂 Awesome work, they look great!
Dawn says
The stockings are wonderful! I think they came out great.
Blessings,
Dawn
Michelle Reitemeyer says
I have had all the supplies to make two children and 1 adult red velvet Christmas vests since back when I only had 2 little boys. Now I could use that fabric to make them for my 3 boys – my oldest would fit the adult size now. Maybe this year? Time is running out…
cfca says
Hello! I'm Shanxi from the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) blog, and one of my colleagues recommended your blog. We loved the idea so much that we decided to create a {phfr} blog post here: http://blog.cfcausa.org/2011/12/15/pretty-happy-f…
Thanks so much! Keep up the wonderful work. (As a homeschooled graduate, I especially appreciate the labor of love that goes into learning at home!)
~Shanxi, CFCA web editor/writer
_Leila says
Shanxi, thanks for joining! I added your post to the links!
cfca says
Thank you, Leila! I really appreciate it. ~Shanxi
Melanie says
I totally relate to your funny comment! I had the same experience over the busy weekend with our Christmas preparations.
Mary Jo says
I just adore the stockings. How lovely! Merry Christmas.
monica says
Love this:
“…..while I prepare Baby Jesus' place in my heart”
And:
My mother-in-law made darling stockings for all the grandkids, including my two oldest children. Alas, she ran out of
steam by the time my youngest came along. I regret that for sixteen years now the supplies for his stocking have gathered dust waiting ever so patiently for me to make this poor child his special stocking. This was to be the year. Maybe I can pull it off still?
_Leila says
Monica — yes! Just do it! It actually does not take that long to do something like this. It's just the sad inevitability of it all!!!
And then, it's done! And it wasn't so bad 😉
Tracy C. says
Oh I love your stockings too! I have the worst habit of beginning big projects at, ahem, less than appropriate times. However, in the spirit of looking at things positively, the bad timing seems to motivate me to do my best work and things always turn out in the end. This principle holds true for you too because the stockings and the trim are both darling!
Anne says
I love your stockings! I also relate to the “should be doing _____” during the week leading up to Christmas. I got waylaid by about 2 days this week with a cold…sinus cold…so my head feels like a brick is wedged between my eyes.
Lisa G. says
I really like your stockings, Leila! I saw some woolen ones in a book last year – the look appealed to me – so I made one just to hang on the door. There's something cozy about making them from wool.
PNG says
I love the stockings! I should do that, but what would I do with the ones they already have? Store-bought, but still…maybe I should just forego this idea. Hmm?
CarlynB says
Stockings have been on my “to-do” list for YEARS and I only have to make THREE. I love yours. I've been wanting to make ours out of felt, because an aunt made some for all of us way back in the day out of felt, with these charming little appliques on them – every one was unique. I have been wanting to use my stocking as a pattern and make new ones for my little family. *sigh*
Ginger says
Stockings hung by the chimney, with obvious care….Just lovely. I got two names sequined on my children's stockings this year. I did one letter a day for a month….Slow and Easy, not my forte, I tend to be more like a whirlwind, and then burned out. I love that you used scottish kilt material. The inserts of my stockings have hand chosen material to match my children.
You would laugh if you knew how opposite of myself I was in my Stocking construction and sewing and crafting. It was fun.
Maria says
I am so glad to read you are making stockings 30 years later….that encourages me that I will do as I have been meaning to as well!….only I'm hanging about 20 years later….but not this year : )
Merry Christmas!
Anitra says
We have 4 people in our immediate family, and each one has a _completely_ different stocking. Mine was knitted by my mom for my very first Christmas. Hubby's is store-bought, I think – given to him by one of my relatives as a stop-gap when we were first married. Three-year-old's is an exquisite cross-stitch, again by my mom, and baby boy's is… um… I grabbed an “extra” out of our Christmas box. Hoping my mom has a new one for him!
Maybe someday we'll have ones that match. But for now, I'm just happy that we all have stockings, and they are roughly the same size.
Now I just have to fix a few of our decorations that got broken as we were putting them away last year… and find some new Hanukkah candles, since ours melted in the attic! (Ooops…live and learn, just like I heard about with the Advent candles two weeks ago…) Oh, and get a star or angel for the top of the tree, and I keep thinking about getting a Nativity scene to display – probably not a great idea with a mobile not-quite-1-year-old who puts everything in his mouth, though!
Lindsey says
Lovely material! I made a red flannel stocking for our daughter last year, I think I finished it at about 10 pm Christmas Eve! It was an accomplishment for me since I don't really know how to sew, and did it all freestyle/by hand. But I think handmade stockngs are the best 🙂
Hollace says
I have been making stockings this week, too, for my 3 new grandbabies. So much fun!
sarah says
That sounds like something I would do! 🙂
Julia says
I always feel some anxiety that I am not making my kids things like Christmas stockings or what ever else right now while they are little. I love the fact that you are only now doing it after thirty years. Hahahaha! I am laughing in relief.