The stockings were hung ...

I was featured on Craft Gossip!


My first love of crafting has to be counted cross-stitch. I started doing cross-stitch right out of high school. 14 count Aida was the cloth of choice! Using those counts and cloths didn't last long when I came across all the different colors of linens, thread counts and patterns. I subscribed to Better Homes & Gardens Cross-Stitch & Country Crafts Magazine many years ago and when I saw the beautiful counted cross-stitch patterns of different stockings I knew I wanted to do it. I didn't even have children yet when these patterns came out so I saved them. Once I started to have children I set out to make each one of them their very own unique stocking.
There is alot of back stitch in these stockings because of all the details so I would put the stockings aside when I grew tired of doing them. I dug them out of a box a few years ago along with their patterns and went through them line by line to find where I had not finished them. Once they were completed I again put them back in their box until this year. My original intent was to always sew them into a regular stocking and hang them on the fireplace but as the years went by I knew that was not going to be a reality. I finally had a brilliant idea that I would frame the stockings in separate frames where I could display them as long as I wanted. I went to my local Joann's and bought 3 remnant mat boards of the same color and frames that were half off. After stretching them on a board, cutting the mat and putting them in the 16x20 frames they were ready to be hung.

The above stocking was my first for my oldest daughter who was born in 1992. The pattern is called Sugar 'n' Spice from the magazines July/Aug. 1992 issue.


 
This stocking was for my middle daughter born in 1995. The pattern is called The Music Room and the issue was from July/Aug 1991.

The last stocking I made was for my son who was born in 1997. His pattern is called Snips 'n' Snails from Jul/Aug 1993.
 

 
So after 20 years the stockings were hung . . . on the wall!

I'm linking these up over at Quilting Lines where she is having a linking party that has to do with stockings.
 
 
In other news I won a few blog hops. Kate from Katie Mae Quilts sent me this layer cake of Millie's Closet by Lori Holt. Lori blogs over at Bee In My Bonnet. I'm thinking I really need a new pin cushion with a thread catcher and this fabric will be perfect. 

 
Below Alison from Little Bunny Quilts sent me 50 charm squares from her collection. Wow what an assortment of fabric! These will definitely be put to good use.
 

 


May everyone have the Merriest of Christmas's and the Happiest New Year!

 
 

Comments

  1. Judy....those look gorgeous!!! I love the idea. I still have all of my old BH&G cross stitch magaizines. I loved that magazine. You did such a beautiful job on them. I did your son's stocking for one of my grandsons and I know how much work is involved in them. Your kids will someday have a nice stocking to hang on their walls too!!! Thanks for sharing them with us.

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  2. Beautiful cross stitching ... :) Pat

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  3. You did a wonderful job. I hope that the ones I have planned to start in 2013 come out looking a tenth as good. It is looking like I may be doing Christmas all year. LOL Seriously, the stockings are beautiful.

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  4. The stockings are lovely Judy, they look great framed and hung!

    Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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  5. Beautiful stockings and so nice the way you finally came up with to display them. Very effective!

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  6. Beautiful job! They are just lovely! I have tried cross stitch and had to quit when my hands and arms got overuse injuries from my job. I know how much work goes into them.

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  7. What beautiful work! I can see why you wanted them framed and on the wall!

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  8. Gorgeous! I actually have the 1st one about 2/3's done... started it for my daughter when she was a baby. I had totally forgotten about it! Maybe I'll finish it someday for a grandchild instead.

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  9. Such a simple solution, to frame instead of sew them, and yet something I had never even thought of. Now I might actually need to go stitch some stockings! I've always been afraid they'd get ruined somehow. This is just brilliant and they look great :)

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  10. I had already intended to frame the stocking I stitched for my Mom but was thinking I needed to pay a lot of money for a custom 'stocking' shaped mat. Now I know there's another option that may not break the bank. Thanks for posting!!!

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