First off, I need to stress that I don’t know what I am doing. For any of these projects, really. I love to do crafty projects, but I have never been taught (or taken the time to properly learn) how to sew, crochet, paint, arrange, measure, etc.
I guess it’s all part of my ridiculously short crafting attention span. Not only am I terrible at completing a project if I can’t do it all in one sitting (this blog really is helping with that), but I can’t seem to stick with one type of craft for more than 48 hours. This explains why my basement has supplies for making plush toys, stamping, scrapbooking, oil painting, sewing, crocheting, floral arranging, and more.
For this project, I decided to tackle YET another craft – embroidery. Back in the day, my grandma taught me how to cross-stitch and how to do a few embroidery stitches, but that knowledge is buried way back in the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler that is my brain.
But when I found these cute (and brand new) Target stockings at the thrift store for $1.50 apiece, they were screaming out for personalization.
I started out by drawing the names on the stockings with non-permanent marker. Of course, once I get a project in my head I have to DOITRIGHTNOW, so I didn’t wait to let the marker dry before I started embroidering. If you have more patience than I do, you should wait though. Then you won’t end up with marker-stained hands.
One craft supply I do NOT have in my storehouse is embroidery thread. Again, since I couldn’t wait long enough to actually drive to the store to pick some up, I just used regular white thread. I threaded two strands through the needle and then doubled it over, so I was actually sewing with thread 4 strands thick.
It took me a few tries of sewing and ripping the thread back out before I found a stitch size that I thought looked good. I just used a simple backstitch for the whole project.
All things considered, the stockings didn’t turn out too badly. You know, since I have no idea what I am doing.
They look great! I am of the same crafting ADD as you are! 🙂
ha ha I'm the same way with my projects…want to do it RIGHT now! They turned out great! guess i need to google the back stitch. =)
I did something similar for my boyfriend and me last year but it was even easier…I bought cute cheap dollar-store stockings, then ironed on our names in those fuzzy letters from JoAnn's.
I just had to comment because at first I thought your were describing my crafting style! LOL. Your stocking are adorable!