Christmas not crackers

Another little thing I did before Christmas (after I drowned in stockings) was make some decorations for the Christmas tree. When we’d been shopping for a tree the year before last (last year didn’t count – we were decidedly un-Christmassy and only got a tree on the 22nd. Dont ask.) I’d seen some nice gingham-style decorations and this year, that was what I went shopping for. Of course, as these things always go, I couldn’t find any red gingham, only pink. Pink does not say Christmas to me (being red-headed, I really am not a pink person!) but thankfully I then found the material mentioned in my previous post et voila.

I wanted to keep it simple with just a few designs, so went for three. Did I ever explain that I have a thing about three? Maybe not. Three is good, trust me. It’s just good. So I went for a stocking (really, after the 24 I made for work you’d have thought I’d be done with them), a dove and a star. I roughly sketched the three designs straight onto the reverse of the fabric (I was feeling brave. The glass of wine I had at the time may have had something to do with that.

This is kind of where the wheels came off the wagon a little. I wanted to sew them with some cross stitch thread that I have, it’s a pearlised (ie metallic) one, I have a couple of colours, but I just don’t like working with them. I find they snag on the canvas, they’re no good for using on cards as they’re too stiff to tie in a bow, so I thought I could at least sew the fabric, with a silvery-white thread that would sparkle under the tree lights. I plan, practicality laughs in my face. I tried it with all 6 strands (not least because it’s a nightmare to separate), it was too thick for the thin cotton. I tried 3 (because three is good – see above) but they separated out too much in the stitch. I tried 1, but it was too thin and didn’t sparkle. Thoroughly hacked off, running out of time and feeling decidedly unfestive with no goodwill to anything, I whacked a running stitch in plain cotton white thread through them all, turned them right-side out again, stuffed them with cushion stuffing that Toby had helpfully prepared for me (by pulling it out of his cushion), and sewed up the last corner, with a short length of cream ribbon for a hanging tag.

They’re fine. Sweet, even. But in a fit of organisation and pre-planning ( I’m trying , honest) I think when I take the tree down on Sunday, that I’ll take some time to overstitch with a couple of strands of the sparkly thread, all ready for next year. If it only has to be decorative rather than actually working as a seam then I think the 3 strands may work. Maybe…
Now if I could only get that organised with cards and presents for next year, I’ll be laughing!

What was in your stocking?

Catch Up Post 1!

One of the things that has been keeping me too busy to post, has been a Christmas project for work. Usually, our department has a Secret Santa type thing. I’m never keen on it; I find these things can be a bit hit or miss, with some people taking the time to buy something appropriate for their recipient and some just grabbing something at the last minute. Plus there’s the whole commercial “just buying because you have to” side of things that I hate at any time of the year, but even more so at Christmas. Our department has had a pretty hard year one way and another and dealt with a lot of changes, so I decided it was time to make a change myself.
I remember as a kid (trying) to wait patiently for the days it was my turn to open the door on the advent calendar I shared with my siblings – and that was just for the picture behind the door, before the days of chocolates in calendars! I wanted to recreate that sense of anticipation and just have some fun, so decided some kind of giant advent calendar was the way to go.
I’m really liking the whole Nordic red and white Christmas themes that seem to be in this year, so I picked up a couple of metres of two different types, with no real idea what I wanted to do, except maybe keep some for our own tree, to make little decorations, like stars and doves and…..stockings! It was a lightbulb moment. One quick paper template later, and then more nights than I care to remember of urging myself to “just get a couple done” and I had this.

I decided to make the back with felt (honestly? I can’t remember why, it just seemed like a good idea at the time, not so much later – especially at nine pounds a metre! Thankfully I found some stiffer craft felt at a third of that.) I was glad I did though, as it helped give them more shape when they were hanging, the cotton wouldn’t have held the shape so well on it’s own. My baby Singer whipped them together in considerably less time than it took me to cut all 48 pieces thankfully. I’d found some sparkly self adhesive tape which trimmed them off at the top surprisingly nicely, then added a gift tag with a number on it.

Of course, in my haste to get them all hung up before everyone came in I didnt grab a picture until a few days down the line (and had to do it on my phone, so they quality is not great) by which time several stockings had been “opened” and people wanted not only the treat inside (which ranged from light-up yoyos, coloured slinkies and handwarmers to mini christmas trees and dancing snowmen) but they also wanted to keep the stocking too, which was unexpected but lovely.

It really did add a sparkle to the office and helped make a Christmassy feel and made people smile and at the end of the day, what’s better than making people happy?