Rejiquar: xmas stockings

Xmas Stockings

a 4 generation tradition

My great-grandmother made a decorative sequinned stocking, out of felt of a quality not available today (and probably pure wool to boot), starting a tradition that extended down through my great aunt, my mother and me. Not all the stockings—including that oldest one—are shown here, but I hope to add them as I get a chance to photograph them.

However, I think the ones shown will give some idea of the tradition. Originally, the design called for a felt stocking, with pinked edges, a pinked insertion of contrasting color, and a pinked hanging loop and strap finished with bells. The iconography—snowmen, christmas trees, sleighs—tended to be secular, made of cut-out shapes of felt stitched to the background and embroidered with sequins. My great Aunt started putting names on the flap.

Stockings from the 2013 Japan series, in progress.

My mother didn't mess with the formula much, but I've played with it a bit, especially changing the hanging loops to the more durable braids, and changing the shape of the flap and adding beads and thread embroidery to the mix. Another favorite trick is to stack sequins of differing shapes and sizes on top of each other, anchoring them with a central seed bead. I also sometimes incorporated non-felt fabric, and decorative machine embroidery.

Since stockings are only used once a year, they don't have the same demands of durability that ordinary jewelry or clothing do; thus, while not using materials as impermanent as the gift-wrapping I've felt (forgive the pun) freer to use sequins, which are plastic, and plastic beads (which keep the weight down) in these projects. I hope you will enjoy this bit of my family's traditions.

creation? 26nov2005; updates: 5jan08, 09jan09. photo added 23jan2014

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sea stocking takes an age... 24dec2019

mountain & kitty christmas stocking 23dec2019

cichlid (fish) & star wars stocking. 02jan2018

Graphic patterns contrast with an octopus in this stocking 01jan2018

xmas tree stocking cuz it's good to have an extra 19dec2017

water stocking, 3rd in the Japan series. 18dec2017

2 pines xmas stocking. 27jan2014

an old sewing machine models for this stocking 24jan2014

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer stocking 10jan2010

snowman stocking 09jan2014

xmas stocking with shell theme. Part of the sail series. 08jan2014

Aya's polar bear stocking 07jan2014

the `I saw three ships' stocking 06jan2014

4th in a series featuring classic christmas fairy tale toys. 05jan2014

Gift's stocking was made in 2009. 01jan2014

Children's fairy tales, cont. 03jan2014

Yu's yellow stocking shows a high level of playfulness with scraps and loose threads. 28dec2013

This collection of sea themed stockings, mostly created in '06, was posted 27dec08, 31dec08, and 02jan09 respectively. This post created 08jan09. 08jan2009

Stocking based on a fairy tale . File originally created 06jan09. 29dec2013

A coyote/wolf serves as a lion analog in my tribute to the Noel xmas carol. Originally posted 06jan09. 06jan2009

Third in a series of sea-themed stockings. Originally posted 02jan09. 02jan2009

This xmas stocking in red and green, featuring holly returns to a favorite theme. Originally posted 7jan08. 07jan2008

This member from a `choir of heav'nly angels' holds the distinction of being on the `longest to complete' stocking . Originally posted 6jan08. 06jan2008