Handmade Stockings

As a child, the first thing I'd do on Christmas Day is jump out of bed, run over to the stocking hanging on my bedroom door and rummage, rummage, rummage through it - in some ways I actually preferred all the little treasures hidden in that sock over the bigger presents left for me by Santa downstairs (Cyndi Lauper's "Seven Deadly Cyns" on cassette tape was a particular highlight!).  So, given my fond memories of Christmas stockings, I have to say this is probably one of my most favourite DIYs so far...  Here's how you can make your own:

You will need  |  Red, green and white felt  |  Red felt balls  |  White wool  |  Tapestry needle  |  Sewing machine  |  Scissors

Step 1: Either by using a template or by free-hand, cut two stocking-shaped pieces out of the felt - make sure it's a good inch too big all round, because you'll need the excess for the seam.

Step 2: Using the wool and tapestry needle, decorate your stockings with embroidered stars - start in the middle and work your way around each of the points, then add little crosses at the end of each point for a 1960s feel!

Step 3: Cut out little circles using the white felt and stitch these around your stocking as polka dots for added decoration.

Step 4: You could also, like I have, stitch around the edge of the stocking (but remember to leave enough room for the seam!) and go all-out with a polka dot-covered stocking - the world is your oyster with the decoration!

Step 5: Next, pin the two pieces together, with the front facing the inside.  Carefully sew the seam all the way around, but leave the top open (Santa needs to get the pressies in there somehow!) and also leave unstitched about two inches from each side closest to the top.

Step 6: Cut out two rectangular pieces of white felt and, keeping your stitched stocking inside-out, pin each piece to either side of the top of the stocking.  Then sew along the join (this is why you needed to leave a couple of inches on either side of the top of the stocking, so you have room to feed it through the sewing machine at this stage - ahhhh!).  You then just need to sew the remaining inches on either side and up along each side of the white felt to create the completed stocking shape, all sewn in place!

Step 7: Trim the excess felt around the seam and turn the stocking back to show the right side - voila, you have your stocking!  Sew in a little hook made out of the offcuts of the felt so that you can hang your stocking, and decorate with felt holly leaves and red felt balls for berries.

I think they've turned out really well, and although the sewing may seem a little complicated, they are actually really easy to make - and a lot of fun to decorate!  Now I've just got to wait for Santa to fill them up with goodies...

Decorative Noel Letters

If Sunday's Christmas garlands weren't enough, here's another great decoration idea for your mantelpiece!

You will need  |  Cardboard  |  Sharpie pen  |  X-Acto knife or scissors  |  Spray mount  |  Paper of your choice - I went for a glittery one, seeing as it is Christmas!  |  Masking tape  |  Scissors

Step 1: The first step is to draw out your letters - you could print a stencil onto A3 paper and sketch around it, but I was lazy and decided just to free-hand.  You will need two of each letter so make sure to keep them as identical in shape and size as possible.

Step 2: Then using your X-Acto knife (or scissors, although they will be a bit more fiddly to use), cut out the letters.  You should also cut out a bunch of cardboard strips for the sides of the letters - you will use these to join the two pieces together.

Step 3: Now join the two pieces together!  Don't be afraid to use lots of masking tape - it will look messy at this stage but the paper will cover up any sins.

Step 4: Once you have put together your letter, trace around it onto the paper and cut out the pieces using the X-Acto knife.  Spray the cardboard letter with spray mount (or you could use PVA) and let it dry a little before moving on to step 5.

Step 5: Cover the cardboard letter with paper.  I used a glittery paper (which meant glitter ended up everywhere, even on little Lily's whiskers!) because the texture covers up any bumps made by the masking tape, but if you're neat when putting the cardboard letter together then you could use something smooth and subtle.  Trim off any loose ends and leave to dry.

Step 6: Repeat steps 1-5 for the other letters in your word or phrase - you could be adventurous and go for a full "Merry Christmas!" if you fancied, or perhaps "Let it snow"? - and arrange on your mantelpiece, shelf or window frame, wherever looks best!

Of course, you don't have to be limited by the Christmassy theme for this DIY - it would be a great DIY gift to make a friend's initials to decorate their bedroom, or perhaps you and your partner's initials (for example, "M&C")!

Christmas Garlands Three Ways

Christmas decorations can be expensive, but they need not have to be - with a little bit of felt, twine and ribbon, and a little more patience, you can make your own for next to nothing!  These Christmas garlands are super easy to make (in fact, you could make them while enjoying a cuppa and watching the Downtown Abbey Christmas special, if you like) and look great hung on the mantelpiece or above a window.

You will need  |  Red and white twine  |  Felt balls  |  Tapestry needle  |  Ribbons or scraps of leftover fabric  |  Lexography (or sometimes called Lexicon) cards  |  Mini wooden pegs - all available to buy on eBay

Christmas garland #1:  It can't get much simpler than this - thread a tapestry needle with the red and white twine, and simply pierce through the felt balls in whatever colour combination you like.  If it's a little tricky to pierce the felt ball, apply some pressure by pushing the needle into a hardback book or ceramic tile.  I like to leave about an inch of twine between each felt ball, but you could bunch them up if you prefer.  Tie a knot at each end and voila, there's your first garland!

Christmas garland #2:  This garland isn't exactly rocket science either - again, take a length of the red and white twine and knot lots of strips of ribbon or fabric along it.  I like having the ribbons cut at varying lengths but you could have the strips at a particular angle (perhaps in a V-shape), whatever you want!  Pick a good colour combination for the full effect - I went traditional with red and green, but threw in some polka dots and a little bit of sparkle for good measure!

Christmas garland #3:  This final garland is one that I've been doing for years, ever since I stumbled across a pack of Lexography cards at a flea market (but you can easily find them on eBay and Etsy for less than a fiver).  Simply spell out whatever phrase you like - I went for "Merry Christmas" but you could go for "Ho ho ho", "Noel" or even "Santa baby" if you fancy!  Attach the cards to the twine with the mini pegs, using the back side of the cards for the space between the words.  I think this one is my favourite!

And there you are - three simple to make, but really very effective, Christmas garlands!

Deck the Halls

Christmas (especially in London) can be an expensive pain in the butt and last year was no exception - "what's just one more little gift?" quickly turned into "oh, screw it, I'll put it on my credit card", and, inevitably, the buyer's remorse had set in by Boxing Day.  The result?  Baked beans on toast for dinner for the rest of January!

So this year I've set myself a challenge: to keep purchased gifts and decorations to a minimum and to instead hand-make my Christmas.  As you might have gathered, I do love a DIY every now and then, so I'm hoping I'll make it through to New Year's without going into the red.  Wish me luck and keep tuned for the first installment tomorrow!

Poster Child

A few months ago I received an email at work asking if I'd like to participate in the firm's new trainee recruitment campaign.  "That might be fun", I thought to myself, so happily I agreed.  Next thing I knew, a calendar invite popped into my inbox: "Trainee recruitment photo shoot" - no problem, I thought, the Texan and I take photos for the blog all the time so a couple of snaps won't be too much trouble; it will be just like getting my graduation photo taken, right?  Err, no.  I turned up on the day to find an entire crew waiting for me - a make-up artist to the stars (well, not quite "the stars" but some soap actresses I'd never heard of), several runners, a rather portly photographer with a lens as big as his belly, big, hot lights and a floor to ceiling white screen.  What the F.  My palms almost instantly sweaty, I took my place in front of the camera and felt my cheeks wobble as I tried to smile.  I'd come a long way from the half a second pose and "off you go, love" of my school days - except this time there was no miniature plastic comb waiting for me as a trophy for my efforts!

The end product?  You can "Meet Catherine" here, and there are also a few super cheesy videos here for your viewing pleasure.  "Mrs Freshfields" is my new nickname and I'm proud to fly the flag (it really is a fantastic firm to work for), although the irony, I suppose, is that I wasn't even meant to be there...  It's funny how things work out, eh?

What I'm wearing  |  Corduroy pinafore: Handmade - by me!  |  Silk shirt: c/o Aubin & Wills  |  Shoes: Vintage, Ferragamo  |  Satchel: Cambridge Satchel Company