It was a cold and snowy day yesterday in Colorado, which made the perfect setting for a "sew day!" The day before I'd bought some tweedy, woolly fabrics to make a couple of Christmas stockings for the hubs and me. I was inspired by the article in Homespun magazine that featured some wool stockings...
We have a number of Christmas trees in our home -- each with a bit of a theme. The one in our family room is more rustic than the others probably due to Dear Gus. He's a year-round fixture in our family room...
Handsome devil, isn't he?
Anyway, we do live in Colorado, which definitely has a rustic, mountainous, forest-like vibe, so Gus feels right at home. This week I was in the mood to make a couple of new stockings that had the same lodge feel.
This is the one I made for my hubs...
And here's mine...
Mine has a little more glam with the homespun blossom, but I like the rustic buttons too.
These were both made from a wool blend. The fabrics were bought at Hancock Fabrics, as was the beautiful dark chocolate colored faux fur. {Faux fur is pain to sew with, but definitely worth the trouble for a project like this.}
Here's a very basic tutorial for this type of stocking... Cut out your fabric using the stocking pattern above. Sew the side seams of the stocking front and back together, trim seam and turn right side out. Press. Then sew the lining front and back together, trim seam, leave wrong side out. Fit the lining inside the stocking -- wrong sides together and baste the top lining to the top of the stocking. Make a tab to hang the stocking and attach it to the inside lining at the side seam on the top on the "heel" side.
Cut a rectangular piece 16 1/2" x 7" for the fur cuff. Sew the short ends together, then fold it in half lengthwise, aligning the unfinished edges. Baste. Slip the cuff into the stocking {right side of cuff to right side of lining}, and sew the top of the cuff to the top of the stocking. Zig-zag edge of seam to finish off. Fold the cuff over the top of the stocking. Tack fabric flower, buttons, or other embellishment to the cuff.
I love the proportions of these stockings. They are definitely big enough to fit a toothbrush, white underwear, and socks if the owner has been naughty -- or fun stocking stuffers, chocolate candies, and cinnamon bears, if he/she has been a good boy/girl. {My preference, chocolate covered cinnamon bears -- soooo good!}
