Hello all, Mary Ellen here again.

Since I was a little girl Thanksgiving has signalled the beginning of holiday crafting season. Many of the crafting projects we did in our house were to be used as gifts-for family, for neighbors, for teachers, for tradesmen, …  That tradition is so deeply ingrained that I still start picking up crafty speed as November winds down.

Today in the paper I saw many ideas for the holidays and thought to myself (as many of us do, I’ll bet)–I could make that! One easily crafted item that is very versatile in usage is the lowly Christmas stocking. It’s also a great first project for young stitchers or beginner stitchers. Here’s a link to an assortment of free stocking patterns, ( click here ), not that a pattern is needed. You can draw or trace your own outline of course. But keep reading!

If you are not a particular fan of hand stitching (me included), finishing off a lined stocking might not be a chore you are wanting to do. I have taught many a crafter my technique for constructing and finishing a stocking with nary a handstitch anywhere. Here’s a link to my directions for how to do that. lining a stocking 2

Are you thinking that all of the family members already have stockings, so you don’t need to make any more? Not true. A few years ago at a quilt shop nearby, we brainstormed a list of ways to use stockings other than as the traditional receptacle for gifts from Santa. Here’s the list. uses of christmas stockings

So get going, Quilters! Plenty of time remains to make a few new stockings for 2018. So many pretty holiday fabrics are out there. This gives you an excuse to buy a few!

Please leave a comment if you have any ideas to add.