...and the stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

I love Christmas stockings.

I love Christmas stockings in fun bright patterns.

I love Christmas stockings that coordinate.

Since we've added a small child to our family this year, I needed new stockings. The old stockings for Bob and I plus a new one for Claire just wouldn't do.

I looked around. Online. At Christmas Village. In magazines. I saw a few that I loved. I did not love the price tags.

So my encouraging husband reminded me that I have a sewing machine. And I sort of know how to work it. And that I have a mother-in-law who graciously fixes my mistakes and lets me use her embroidery machine.

So off to Joann's we went, where Bob and I picked out fabric for stockings. And since I don't know how many kids we will have and I want these to be our stockings forever, I decided to make six. Don't get too excited, I'm still trying to figure out the one kid I have.

And I got to work...

TA-DA!

I wish I could say it was as easy as pie. Well, it was. At first. I followed this tutorial.

I was doing good. I cranked out six stocking feet in an evening!

I took a break until we went to the farm for Thanksgiving so that I could embroider our names on them before sewing the cuffs on them.

Somehow, in the week between making the stockings and trying to embroider them, I lost my mind. I blame the small child.

Long story short...I embroidered our names upside down on the cuff. Oops. Thankfully my wonderful MIL helped me make it work. And they're adorable. Just slightly longer than the tutorial. Which Bob loves b/c he thinks we can fit more in them. 

By the way, when I hung these last night, I looked at Bob and said, "How weird is it that we have Mom and Dad stockings in our house?!"