A little surprise Christmas sewing

Our church received a request over the weekend for Christmas help for a family with young children. Several of us coordinated getting various things to “make Christmas”. I went looking for stockings and was appalled at the selection available in the big box store. Most of the stockings available were cheaply made of such grotesque fabric that I was depressed that anyone would use those as part of their family traditions. So despite the deadline projects hanging over my head I went home and started pulling out the ingredients to make some personalized stockings.

handmade Christmas stockings

I cut the main body of all three stockings out of a thick red textured fleece and then pulled together a few wintry prints to make the contrasting heels, toes and cuffs. The boy helped me with the sewing. I was planning on using a white dimensional paint to write the names on the stockings but I did not read the directions until about 10pm. Since I didn’t have 24 hours for the paint to dry flat I had to come up with another plan! After fooling around a bit I pulled out the last piece of matte shrink plastic and the permanent markers. I picked out some (hopefully) appropriate typefaces to set their names in on the computer and then printed out a template to trace. A few seconds in the oven and a quick rubdown with the sandpaper, and I had some nice thick white ovals that I stitched onto the stocking cuffs with black upholstery thread. Although putting the names on shrink plastic tags was a last ditch idea, I like how well it turned out so I will probably find some way to use it again.

Christmas stocking with shrink plastic name tag

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4 comments

  1. Snippety Gibbet’s avatar

    Those are the sweetest stockings. They’re going to make those children feel really special. You did a wonderful job, Cindy. Merry Christmas, Friend. jan

  2. livnletlrn’s avatar

    Shrinky dinks? Seriously?! So elegant! The perfect finishing touch.

  3. Janet  Dulin’s avatar

    The stockings turned out wonderful and the pleasure these children will have from them is beyond measure. How blessed you are to be able to share in their joy by providing them something so special. Jesus said whatever you do for the least of these you do for ME. Have a very blessed Christmas. Janet

  4. Nikki LaCrosse’s avatar

    You are amazing!!!

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