SOS - Save our Stockings!

This year - since we'll be staying home rather than traveling all over the globe to visit our far-flung family - we got to pull out the entire Christmas Decor Stash from the storage corner on the back porch. We got to rifle through all the ornaments and ribbons to see which ones to use for our ginormous tree and christmasify our whole house, inside and out with the added whimsy of school and cub scout craft projects. The only casualties we suffered: our stockings. I guess squirrels need to get the stuffing for their nests from -somewhere- and they can hardly shop at one of those big boxy convenience stores, right?

Oh well ... while I didn't find enough time to whip up handmade presents this year (I know, shame on me *hangs head*) I MADE some time yesterday for this little last-minute project:

Make your $1 Stockings look like a Million bucks

(... well, alright, maybe $10)

I grabbed these classic stockings from one of those Dollar Stores. I like the color scheme (despite my classy monochromatic Christmas tree upbringings, I'm a big fan of the whole red and green and homemade variety) and the price can't be beat. It just looks a tad unfinished. It needs a cuff! ... so go and check your fabric stash. I wanted to keep it simple and went with some left over canvas I had kicking around ...

Cut a piece of fabric long enough to wrap around your stocking plus an inch extra seam allowance and as wide as you prefer your cuff. Snip off the little hanger on the inside of your stocking and set it aside for later.

Turn the stocking inside out, pin your cuff into place (or not, pinning is optional. I usually skip this part on most projects) and sew into place. I used a simple running stitch because it's not like it will get worn. Hem the cuff by simply folding it over twice to enclose the raw edge.

Turn your stocking right side out and fold the cuff down. Take the little hanger that you snipped off earlier and pin it to the back of the stocking on the inside, then catch it in a running stitch along the entire upper edge of the stocking.

This gives the upper edge of your stocking a much crisper look and keeps the cuff from rolling up too.

I left hubby's stocking like that but needed a girly extra for mine so we can keep them apart. I chopped off a band of drop cloth and wrangled it into a flower shape securing the folds with hot glue throughout the process. A dap of hotglue to the back of the flower to stick it to the stocking and voila! All done!

Now we're set for Santa! God knows where he puts stuff when there're no stockings *shudders*