I feel sorry for anyone who has lame Christmas stockings. My Grammy made me and my brother giant felt stockings when we were kids. (Please note the groovy 70’s colors.) Joe’s depicted some kind of funky boot with toes sticking out of the bottom. Santa could pack a lot of loot in those things.

Poor Rob suffered at Christmas because he was lacking a very cool stocking. So I’d been telling myself every year that I would make him one. And then I told myself I’d do it when we had a kid. Or two. After all, how hard could it be to sew a few bits of felt together? This year I gave up and called in reinforcements. Merritt is as crafty as can be and acquiesced to my pitiful pleading for help. I’m sure she had to stifle a laugh when she saw my designs done in crayon. Joe helped to keep the kids occupied and gave artistic advice while Merritt slaved over a hot sewing machine and I madly pinned and trimmed. Six hours later the dining and living rooms were covered in felt and boxes of take-out Thai. We were all sweating.

Merritt continued the project at home and came back a week later with the results. (Thank you thank you!):

Jealous? Don’t you wish you could have stockings as cool as these? Santa is SO going to give us extra presents this year.