I know it's a bit early but...

Ok, so we've just come out of the Christmas thing but I've got to explain the Christmas stockings for any of you getting a flyer on for next Christmas!


I'm going to do a really short list:
- Browse the internet for pictures of felt stocking designs (make sure you enter 'felt' and 'Christmas' to ensure you don't get some dodgy pictures!)
- Decide on a design
- Sketch the design on paper and photocopy to alter sizes
- Draw out a life-size stocking on paper, including a 'cuff' (see photo)
- Buy some coloured felt, ensuring you have enough for both sides of the stocking
- Cut out patterns. Pin them on to stocking felt and cut. Pin on to design colours and cut. *make sure you have sharp scissors for this, dressmakers are best, not your kitchen ones!*
- I usually create the design on the stocking first using all purpose glue, although I did also stitch around some of them and embroider them with sparkly thread and beads (for the holly berries).
- Cut out cuffs (white)
- Stick some ribbon on to the front cuff
- Pin and sew top of cuff onto top inside of front stocking and other cuff piece (without ribbon) onto top of back stocking. You want to be able to then fold them down over the stockings so ribbons show on front.
- Pin together the stocking inside out, making sure you go through the cuff material too.
- Sew using tough thread. Keep the stitches close together or use a machine so stockings are sturdy when turned right way round.
- Turn right way round.
- Add a loop of ribbon to the hanging side of the stocking - sew on the inside, close to the join.
- I added some jingly bells too, but I can now appreciate this is difficult when quietly trying to place the stockings a-la-father-christmas!!!!!

I hope this makes sense. Believe me, when you get going you will get the jist and do what suits you.
Photos please!

A crafty Christmas

Although it seems I may have been inspired by last weekend's crafty activities, I have actually already been dabbling with a little Christmas craft over the past few months.

It all started with my usual plunge into festive-ness around October, when the first Christmas magazines appear on the supermarket shelves. Oh, so tempting.... One or two inevitably find themselves at the bottom of the trolley, I'm such a sucker for marketing. Anyhow, these inspired me to get crafty (and thrifty this Dec as the ol' maternity money has disappeared) and make my own cards. I don't know how many hours vaporised as I delved into a world of my own. M looked on with interest and I'm sure he was itching to get gluey fingers too (don't you love the peely fingers you end up with when using that all purpose glue?...oh, the joy!). The result? Well, I have about 30 INDIVIDUAL (yes, I KNOW!) handmade Christmas cards to send out this year!!!! And that was by the beginning of Nov.

The second crafty Christmas task I took on this year was to make Christmas stockings for us all. I found a gorgeous little sewing shop, run by paper-skinned old ladies. A treasure-trove of sewing delights. I bought some felt and various threads, needles etc. I also went to JL haberdashery dept to get some other bits, again a delightful place you could spend a whole afternoon pottering about in (although they'd probably think I was a shoplifter). All in all it actually probably cost me the same as buying the damn stockings, but that is missing the point. Obviously JJ will delight in receiving his stocking, perhaps not this year, but in years to come, and M and I now have somewhere to put all those little pressies you invariably end up buying each other. The first one is made and I have to say I've impressed myself with my craftyness.


I must take a photo of the finished stockings and post them, that's if I get round to actually finishing the others.......

Enjoy some craftyness this December.

Christmas Fun?

A weekend of Christmas fayres..... Luckily JJ seemed to have overcome his whingey baby syndrome on Saturday so the day out at Wimpole Hall Christmas Craft Fayre went very well. The fayre showed off the best of the region's local craftsmen/women, from wooden toy crafts to watercolour paintings, christmas nicknacks and decorations to cakes and snacks, pottery to glassware. It was lovely to see so many independent crafts people under one sodden roof. Obviously being the UK it bucketed it down in the morning, but the lovely people at Wimpole had been expected this and organised for some lovely marquees and even lovelier heating! What fun. The kids were entertained with a puppet show and puppet-making. What a great idea. JJ is too little for this at the moment, but had he been older he would have loved it.

Did we buy anything I hear you ask? Well, no, apart from a pork-pie to fortify the appetite created by looking at all the lovely goodies on offer.

Today we stayed more locally and went to Harpenden Farmers' Market. An amazing market held every 4th Sunday of the month - well worth a visit if you've never been. It was the Christmas market this month as it is the last one before christmas, obviously. It was great; fired up the spirits and made us feel very Christmassy. We made room for a delicious Bassingthorpe Beef burger as we ambled around. Did we buy anything? Well apart from some lamb shanks for our curry tonight and some sausages, no, but I could've spent a fortune on Christmas goodies (including some beautiful hand-made wreaths and wicker baskets). As I'm on maternity leave I don't have a fortune, so that's not possible, shame!

To finish I would like to say how fantastic these fayres/markets were - we came away with a glow in our hearts (and bellies). So what happenned to the St Albans Christmas Fayre/turning-on of the lights last weekend? What a shambles. The market seemed cheap and the fairground rides/stalls nasty and sadly the event seemed to bring out some 'interesting' people. And if you hung around for the lights to go on (as we sadly did) then you would have been truely disappointed. Whoever employed the lighting technicians should hang their heads in shame. They came on sporadically in patches, some not at all, and there were no cheers whatsoever. Actually it was all rather embarassing, luckily I wasn't the one who had employed the lighting guys.....