Christmas Happenings

I decided to get crafty and make Carter's stocking. I had trouble finding one in stores that wasn't obviously baby-ish. I want him to be able to use the same one every year for a while. It came out a little not-round on the bottom because instead of just sewing I used fabric glue too because I wanted to make sure it was strong enough to hold all of his heavy stocking presents! (my sewing skills are not the best and I knew relying on them would not be a good idea). I think I'm kind of liking the not-roundness though. It's masculine. ; )

Here's a quick step-by-step of how I made it:

Supplies: fleece, felt (1 square piece from a craft store is enough), yarn, ribbon, scissors and sewing supplies and/or fabric glue

1. Cut out desired shape from a folded over piece of fleece (use the folded end as the back of the stocking so you don't have to glue/sew this side)

2. Sew or use fabric glue to finish the edges. Let dry (if glued).

3. Cut a piece of felt (I used white) to desired size and glue/sew along the top of the stocking and around the back. 

4. Cut a strip of fleece about 5 inches long and 1-2 inches wide to use for the loop (for hanging the stocking)

5. Sew the loop, taking care to make several stitches in order to make it strong enough to hold all the goods!

6. Use yarn and hot glue to write the name on the felt

7. Add a piece of ribbon (lace would be cute for a girl's stocking) to the edge of the felt to give it a more finished look

Good luck! Happy Sewing (or in my case, gluing!)

Tom dressed up like Santa because it was more fun than going to the old man in the mall. I got the Santa suit on a whim at JoAnn. It ended up being like $4 because it was 70% off--good buy!

Here's a little look at our Christmas fun!